Winning Vote:
[X] An Appeal
-[X] Arrange a meeting between Treize and Schneizel.
--[X] Let any members of the Britannian Royal Family that are part of the Britannian Rebels take part in the meeting, provided they believe they can helping in persuading Schneizel.
--[X] Appeal to Schneizel's pragmatical nature that it is better for him and the rest of the Britannian Loyalists to fall in line and support the appointed successor to the Britannian throne, since the sooner the Earth Civil War ends, the sooner things can stabalize in the Earthsphere and peace will be much easier to attain. While other threats to said peace may still be present, the Solar Vanguard is ready and able to take on said threats and safeguard all those who desire that peace and prosperity return to mankind. After all, a peaceful world is surely worth more than whatever selfish ambitions and desires the Loyalists may have for the world...
--[X] Point out the fact that Britannia took a lot of casualties from their confrontation with the Solar Vanguard and that was at a time where the Vanguard was focused on stopping Charles Zi Britannia and his plans rather than trying to force the Loyalists to bend the knee to the Rebels and was unable to use all the forces it had at its disposal to discourage the Loyalists from thinking they can afford to take on the Solar Vanguard as a means of opposing the appointed successor. One way or another, the appointed successor will be the one to replace Charles, and the Loyalists get to choose if they want to risk opposing said successor for minor gains or if they agree to fall in line and get to be left alone.
---[X] If Schneizel attempts to make oblique remarks that would imply that F.L.E.I.J.A. would allow the Loyalists to fight off the Solar Vanguard, return the favor by making indirect remarks about whatever superweapons the Vanguard has at their disposal and reveal that you know what F.L.E.I.J.A. is and insinuate that you have countermeasures in place for said project.
-[X] Just in case that the negotiations fail, make preparations to investigate Schneizel's affairs.
[X] Euphemia
April UE 0084
Sanc Kingdom
You are Euphemia li Britannia, and as you wonder about the strange lights that had appeared in the sky a few hours ago, there's a knock on the door.
Nina opens the door, and Lady Une enters the room.
"Your highness." Lady Une says respectfully.
"To what do I owe the pleasure, Lady Une?" You ask.
"We are, for the moment, victorious. Charles zi Britannia is no more, and his mad plot to create a World Without Lies is in ruins." Lady Une reports.
"And Suzaku? Is he...?" You hesitate to finish your question.
"Sir Kururugi is alive and well. He and Amuro Ray acquitted themselves admirably against the Knight of One." Lady Une says.
You let out a small sigh of relief.
"Right now, Treize is on his way to start negotiations with Schneizel. He wants you to accompany him." Lady Une says.
"Oh? Why?" You ask.
"After some deliberation, the Solar Vanguard and the International Reformation Committee have decided to push you as the successor to the throne." Lady Une says.
It takes you a few seconds to process the bombshell that Lady Une dropped on you.
"Me...become Empress? Why?" You ask quietly.
Lady Une clears her throat before diving into an explanation.
"You're kind, considerate, and think of the welfare of the common people, a disturbing rarity in many rulers these days. In addition, you're well liked among the populace of Britannia and the rest of the world due to your past humanitarian aid efforts. Overall, you're relatively free of controversy, which would make it highly difficult to contest your ascension to the throne." Lady Une explains.
"But...I'm not exactly at the front of the line of succession..." You weakly counter.
Lady Une scoffs.
"The only other real choice was your little sister, Nunnally." Lady Une says.
You look at Lady Une with a mixture of horror and confusion, which prompts her to elaborate.
"We could put Lelouch on the throne with a combination of political pressure and his Geass, but he would be a highly controversial choice by nature. Obviously, we trust Schneizel as far as we can throw a Knightmare Frame given his endorsement of F.L.E.I.J.A. and what Treize thinks of his motivations. Cornelia admits to being a better general than a ruler, and I hope it's obvious why Guinevere and Carine are no good other than as puppets, which would come with their own set of issues." Lady Une explains. "Nunnally has many of the same qualities as you do. Given her young age, however, we're not sure if it would be appropriate to foist her into a position that stressful."
You sigh.
"When you put it that way, your logic is impeccable."
Lady Une smiles.
"Excellent. We leave for London in an hour." She says.
At that point, Nina, who had been restraining herself, rushes over and hugs you from the side.
"Congratulations, your majesty!" She squeals.
"A bit premature, isn't it? I haven't even been coronated yet, Ms. Einstein." You say.
After Lady Une pries Nina off you, the two of them help you pack.
Buckingham Palace, London
Treize Khushrenada arrives in front of Buckingham Palace, as always, in refined style.
His motorcade consists of his own armored limousine, as well as one for Euphemia. Aside from an escort of armored SUVs filled with OZ and ECOAS agents, the Beast Machines of the Dancouga Team had accompanied the motorcade, in addition to the Wing Zero, Gundam Epyon, and Heavyarms Custom.
As Treize gets out of his limo accompanied by Lady Une, Euphemia does the same, accompanied by Nina Einstein.
At that moment, the Lancelot Albion arrives and lands, Suzaku Kururugi disembarking from his Knightmare and walking over to Euphemia.
Euphemia chuckles before holding her hand out, which Suzaku grasps in his own and kisses.
The group of five walk through a line of Britannian Rebel Vincents, their swords crossed above them. At the end of the line is Cornelia's Gloucester, Cornelia herself watching from an open cockpit. Cornelia disembarks to join the group as the group gets closer.
The two sisters share a nod before Treize's group enters Buckingham palace.
At the moment, Schneizel el Britannia is not a happy man.
He's not happy for quite a few reasons, but if he were to narrow it down, he would pin it on the fact that his own father, Charles zi Britannia, had neglected actually running the Empire in favor of pursuing some mad plan to, well...he's not exactly sure what his father's endgame was, but apparently the Solar Vanguard and International Reformation Committee had deemed it enough of a threat to stage an all out invasion of the homeland itself, which was the other contributing factor to his frustrations.
The fact that Lelouch of all people was a lynchpin in this is just the cherry on top.
"Your highness, Treize will be here soon." Kanon says cautiously, noticing a look of irritation creeping onto Schneizel's face.
Schneizel takes a deep breath and lets it out, his expression now much more calm.
A few minutes later, Treize enters, accompanied by Lady Une, Euphemia, Nina Einstein, Cornelia, and Suzaku.
"Your highness." Treize greets.
"Treize Khushrenada. Welcome to Buckingham Palace." Schneizel says evenly.
"Let's get down to business, shall we?" Treize says.
"Indeed. What are your terms?" Schneizel asks.
"We do not ask for complete capitulation, merely that Britannia rejoin the Federation." Treize states.
Schneizel chuckles.
"Such a simple thing in concept. You truly think we'll agree to that?" Schneizel asks.
"Surely you realize that the current state of affairs is not sustainable for Britannia." Treize points out. Lady Une hands him a manila folder, which he opens.
"In addition to the loss of Gibraltar in the initial stages of ZAFT's invasion, you've also lost control of majority of the colonial holdings that Neo-Britannia was able to hold onto after the collapse of the old Britannian Empire in the pre-UE era. Only the Falklands, the Gurkha factions of Nepal, select holdings in Canada, and numerous island holdings are still under your control. And that's not to mention the trouble you've had with Blue Cosmos. They seem to be under the impression that the late Emperor's Darwinian beliefs tacitly endorse Coordinators as the rightful heirs to the Earth Sphere." Treize states.
"Britannia is no stranger to hardship, and we've endured worse." Schneizel points out.
"The Second World War is ancient history, and everyone had to deal with the fallout of Space War One." Treize rebuts. "Also, you seem to be under the impression that we're going to let you inherit the throne."
For the first time since the talks started, Schneizel's expression has a brief flicker of worry. Seeing this, Treize moves to assuage him.
"We have no desire to have a repeat of the Emblem of Blood, given that we're standing here in part because of that. In fact, we believe our nominee will agree with your sensibilities." Treize says confidently.
"And who do you want to put on the throne? Lelouch as the conquering hero? Cornelia for her military mind? Or Guinevere or Carine as a puppet you can make dance with the carrot of luxury and status?" Schneizel asks derisively.
Euphemia steps forward.
"They chose me to prop up as the one to put on the throne, brother." She says.
Schneizel looks at Euphemia in surprise before turning to Treize, who merely smiles.
"Well...that does make some degree of sense." Schneizel says, partially to himself.
"Please, Schneizel, just do what Treize wants. Surely you can see that agreeing to peace now is better than continuing to fight." Euphemia pleads.
"You're soft, Euphie. You have no idea how wicked the human heart can be." Schneizel says.
"I know that there is ugliness in this world. Some things can only be dealt with properly using violence and war. I understand that, but it doesn't mean I have to like it." Euphemia says.
"Surely you can see the logic of allowing Euphemia to ascend the throne. With Blue Cosmos as the only other belligerent in the Earth Sphere aside from ZAFT, we will be able to put an end to that particular threat swiftly. Yes, there are other threats to peace in the Earth Sphere, but the Solar Vanguard is ready, willing, and able to take on all of them so that peace and prosperity may return." Treize says.
"Schneizel, think about it." Cornelia speaks up. "We weren't even focusing on taking London, and we were still able to fend off almost everything you threw at us. We're still at around 72% strength, while you lost...almost the entire Home Guard, and around half of the Royal Army elements you mobilized, not to mention the entire Royal Coastal Defense Force." Cornelia points out.
"Conventional forces are not the only thing I have at my disposal." Schneizel says cryptically.
"Nina Einstein has informed us of F.L.E.I.J.A. She has also been working on an effective countermeasure to it ever since she escaped captivity under you." Treize says.
"It...it would definitely work, in the right hands." Nina says shakily.
"Besides, we've learned our lesson from Operation Stardust. You really think the GP-02 as a Knightmare Frame would even get close to its intended target?" Cornelia says.
"Even without those facts taken into account, you are not the only one with access to a superweapon of some kind. The N.U.N.S. would react rather poorly if you deployed a new weapon of mass destruction on Earth, the home world of humanity." Treize points out.
"The fact of the matter is, Britannia has few, if any, friends in the world right now." Cornelia points out. "One way or another, by velvet or iron, Euphemia will be put on the throne. Is it really worth it to oppose her for what would be incredibly minor gains?"
"Besides, what would the nobility even contribute to the world if they were to thwart my ascension to the throne? Their greed? Their racism? The Federation was founded to move past such petty things." Euphemia says.
Schneizel sighs as he looks over the Head of OZ, Lady Une, Nina Einstein, his two half sisters, and Euphemia's Knight.
"Although I hate to admit it, you're right. I'm not in a position to try and resist, and even if I was somehow successful, I'd ruin the Empire in the process. I'll find a way to get Parliament to play ball." He says.
"I'm glad you see reason, your highness. Now, to prevent the nobility from getting any ideas, we want to introduce something we call the Neo-Magna Carta. It's only the first draft, but..." Treize hands a document to Kanon, who looks over it before giving it to Schneizel.
"I suppose we can implement this once it's finished. In the meantime, as a gesture of goodwill, I shall hand Lord Djibril's head to you on a silver platter." Schneizel gestures to Kanon, who walks over and hands a manila folder to Treize.
"Oh?" Treize says in surprise.
"Djibril has taken charge of Blue Cosmos while Murata Azrael is in space. He's caused us no end of trouble, and given that you seem to have shown an interest in dispatching him in the past..." Schneizel says.
"The gesture is appreciated." Treize says graciously.
After that, the discussion turns to arrangements for Euphemia's coronation.
Results
Britannia shall rejoin the Federation
Euphemia li Britannia shall be crowned 99th Empress of the Holy Britannian Emperor
Damocles will be available as a defense asset when the Council invades
F.L.E.I.J.A. is now available for use when the Council invades
Kentaro Go has hatched a plan to reveal to Prince Heinel that he's Heinel's father.
What is the plan of action?
[ ] Have Kenichi challenge Heinel to a 1v1 duel on foot. No Super Robots, no Beast Fighters, just a standard Boazanian fencing sword for each of them. Reveal the truth after Kenichi (hopefully) beats Heinel without killing him. Heinel will accept the challenge due to his sense of honor, and that same sense of honor will prevent him from cheating during the duel itself.
[ ] Sneak aboard Heinel's Skullrook with Professor Go and the Voltes Team and confront him at the first opportunity to reveal the truth.
[ ] Write-in
A/N: Basically the end of the Code Geass plot. I hope I kept everyone in character. Please vote, discuss, and critique!