AN: 'ello folks, sorry I was away for so long, my old laptop got black screen'd to death, so I was busy saving my notes and arts, which are now safely stored on cloud AND an external hard-drive.
Anyway, I recently started watching Code Geass again, and, well, I decided to take a peek at the CG section of 's archives, and well, I was somewhat disappointed at the few SI fics I found, more often than not having the SI appearing in a Britannian base, oddly enough always pairing up with Cornelia, and the one CG SI fic that doesn't do that had the MC reincarnated as a part of Royalty.
And well, I think you guys know what happens when I see unexplored SI soil...I start plowing the field and planting SEEDs...let's hope I don't GOUF this up.
Also, in case any of you are interested, I have this little Code Geass RP forum called "Irregularity Code" going on, and the basic premise is that 5 Off-Worlders(People from our world) get thrown into the world of Code Geass, some getting put into bodies of off-screen characters, some getting OC Bodies, and some getting dropped in as themselves.
And well, an Off-Worlder spot just opened up, and we do need more players anyway, so I hope you'll join up.
"Speech"
'Thought'
[System Message]
«"Friendly/Neutral comm"»
«"Enemy KMF Open comm"»
DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything.
A downward swing of a giant mechanized soldier's sword.
[AI Unit 012: Destroyed] Static-filled screen closed the remote controlled lost to the opponent.
A volley of gunfire from a pair of similar soldiers in red and white.
[AI Units 007: Destroyed] the last extra screen filled with static before closing.
'Well, there goes the last drone' thought the young commander of these drones, switching the display on her cockpit to one feeding her image from their surveillance balloon. The only functioning Alexander units remaining were hers and Lt. Hyuga's, but thankfully, the Warrant Officers hadn't perished, a fact that caused the young commander to sigh in relief.
However, her relief was cut short as she spotted movement on her screen, an enemy heading towards Akito's location but why was he just standing there? Was there something wrong with his unit?
As she was about to contact the lieutenant of the incoming enemy, static and buzz assaulted her ears, the surveillance feed on her cockpit's holographic screen froze and the screen itself became filled with static. Cursing, she charged forward, the tires propelling her white insect-like machine kicking up dirt and debris as she swerved through the abandoned streets of the Polish town, Slonim.
Turning around the corner, she came to a halt as a two-story house suddenly exploded in a shower of debris.
'W-what is that unit?' were the thoughts running through the blonde commander's mind as she ducked behind the corner, zooming onto the image of the new unit that fell from the skies, its form revealed as the cloud of debris faded away.
If the young woman were to describe the new machine with one word, it would be big, definitely big and imposing, much larger than either the Alexander units of her W-0 troops or the Euro-Britannian Sutherlands, this new machine towering over them, it's singular eye swerved from left to right, observing the battlefield before it stopped, staring straight forward, and as she followed the line of its gaze, Leila saw Lieutenant Hyuga and a man who bore a striking resemblance to her Japanese Lieutenant, standing atop the shoulder of a golden Knightmare that previous records indicated to be personal unit of the Knights of St. Michael's leader, both men reacting to the unknown machine in different manners.
Akito seemed like he hadn't even noticed the new arrival, his gaze locked onto his brother, his mind confused and shocked by the revelation that Shin was working for Britannia.
*Shin Hyuga Shaing's POV*
"Excuse me Akito, but it seems like your friends want to play." The adopted son of the Shaing family said to his younger brother as he dropped into the cockpit of his Vercingetorix, the golden machine coming to life as the cockpit's hatch closed.
'This is turning out to be a rather fortuitous week.' he thought to himself as he grabbed his SDA Axe, a rather odd weapon consisting of a long spear shaft that connects to a multitude of large gears, blades protruding from few of them, while his Vercingetorix shifted to its HSM Form, the two equine legs underneath it's cockpit moving to the back of it.
First his knighting ceremony to become the Grand Master of the Knights of St. Michael, then the reveal that his little brother had somehow defied fate by surviving, although perhaps the little rascal simply didn't want his dear older brother to save the world alone, and now, this new machine. It certainly wasn't a Britannian unit, nor was it one of those reported to be used by the Black Knights, although the mere chance of those rebels appearing again was unlikely, considering the death of their masked leader.
Shin charged forward as his weapon roared to life, the gears shifting the weapon to its full length, intending on making a passing attack with his superior ground speed and mobility, the main advantage of the unit's four-legged design.
However, the bulky unit didn't attempt to move out of the way, instead it swung its left arm back, extending a metallic whip from its forearm before it swung the whip at the approaching machine. A shame, Shin thought, having expected the machine to either open fire with the guns attached to its right forearm or attempt to block his charge with the shield it held in its left arm.
But still, no reason to allow himself to be struck by the weapon when he knew so little about its capabilities, and so, in a show of agility, the golden mechanical centaur jumped out of the whip's way, the metal tendril creating a crater when it struck the pavement.
However, the pilot of the mysterious horned green and black machine seemed to have been expecting this as it raised its left arm, aiming the two barrels on its arm at the airborne 7th Generation Knightmare, a barrage of crimson beams shooting towards their target.
"What!" Shin gasped, in a moment of genuine surprise as he swung at the laser beams with the broad side of his weapon to block the shots, the resounding explosion sending parts of his weapon flying, and him back to the ground, the Japanese Pilot only barely managing to land his Knightmare on its feet, now looking at the new machine with suspicion and intrigue as he discarded his ruined SDA Axe.
It was now clear that the machine before him was at least 6th, if not 7th generation, but which group had made it? It certainly wasn't the EU, as not only did they lack the technology to make such a machine, but they would have no doubt put it to their frontlines, rather than here. Not to mention their spies in the EU would have informed them if the Europeans had managed to create beam weaponry.
Could it really be from the Black Knights, or some other Anti-Britannian group? The bulky design of the unit was certainly strange, the head of the unit reminding Shin of a German helmet and gas mask he had seen in a museum when he was a child, although the black fin-like horn on it seemed to denote it as some sort of commander unit, but that combined with the spherical shoulder guards and the skirt-like armor of the machine gave no hints towards the maker of the Knightmare.
'Regardless, we'll know more once I capture it.' Shin thought, withdrawing the lone ranged weapon of his Knightmare, a semi-automatic shotgun and opened fire as he began running, only for the cyclopean unit to jump up, taking to the skies as the pilot folded open the wings of the machine, the thrusters attached to the legs flaring to life for extra momentum, the machine climbing up into the sky like an angel of death.
"The hell, that thing can fly?!" A Japanese young man with wind-swept brown hair and brawny build, holding a European assault rifle exclaimed in disbelief as he saw the one-eyed machine that had appeared out of fucking nowhere rise up into the sky seemingly without a hitch.
Seriously, something that fuckin' huge should not be able to fly!
"Of course it did Ryo, considering how it literally dropped down onto the ground." the brash young man's comrade, a rather feminine looking young man with a lighter shade of brown hair and green eyes said, before looking at Akito, who they had managed to snap out of whatever shock he was in and drag him away from the two combatting Knightmares.
"So, you think the big guy's on our side?" he asked, deciding to save the questions he had about the guy in the Britannian Knightmare who had called Akito his brother for later.
"I dunno, it definitely didn't look like any Knightmare I've seen." the fourth person, and the only female in the alleyway, another Japanese youth with black hair and brown eyes said, dressed in the same blue-and-red skin-tight piloting suit worn by every member of the W-O squad, accentuating her "assets", something that had been a small source of embarrassment for the Japanese girl, who promised to herself that if she ever met whoever designed those things, she'd give them a piece of her mind.
Sure, she hadn't exactly seen a lot of Knightmares, mostly just the Glasgow they used in their attempt to kidnap the General guy, the Gardmare that Ryo took out, the Alexanders they piloted and the ones piloted by the Britannians they fought during the mission, but the one that was fighting that weird golden one wasn't like anything she had seen, both in sheer size and appearance.
Akito shook his head. When he got over the shock of meeting his brother again, and the resulting headache that accompanied thinking about him, Akito was able to look at the Frame with a more critical outlook. Just from the design, he could tell that it wasn't designed by the EU's tech division, a thought that was further cemented when the unit deployed its beam weaponry. The EU was just barely starting to catch up to Britannia in terms of Knightmare technology with the experimental Alexander frames the W-0's Eleven recruits piloted, so the idea of them all of a sudden making a unit that had not only beam weaponry, but flight technology was absurd.
"Commander, your orders?" Akito requested. He knew that with their current armaments, they were at a severe disadvantage. If his brother defeated the mystery unit, then they would no doubt die, or be captured, the same being equally possible if the mystery unit defeated his brother. However, the EU military might've already started pushing back the Britannians, so they could possibly attempt to hide until the Main EU military came.
«"…I have a plan Lt. Hyuga, I'll be there soon."» came the slightly static-toned voice of their commander.
"Incredible…" Shin muttered as he watched the machine staring down at him, it's red eye gleaming. To think that a machine of such girth was able to fly with such ease. But, then again, the Gawain had also been able to fly, and from the data listed in the database, the stolen 6th Generation Knightmare had been of similar stature.
«"Lord Hyuga!"» Shin's mind snapped back to the attention as he noticed the arrival of his second-in-command, Jeanne Rowe in her Gracchus. Oh, he was well aware of the how she masked her gender, but in the grand schemes of his plan to save the world from its pain of living, it mattered little whether his second-in-command was a man or a woman, the only thing that mattered was her loyalty and skill, and so far, she hadn't disappointed him.
"What is it, Jean? I'm in the middle of something," he said, maneuvering away from another barrage of beams from his airborne opponent, noticing that they were at a stalemate of sorts. He was too fast for the airborne machine to shoot, and yet, he was stuck on the ground, unable to reach him.
«"It's the 2nd Field Army, they've disobeyed orders and sent reinforcements here, and the Europeans are pushing our forces back."» Shin frowned at the news. He had been oh so hoping to continue his chat with Akito, and possibly the pilot of this new machine.
«"Hey now, you're not attempting to run now, are you, Shin Hyuga Shaing?"» came the voice of a young man on the open broadcast channel.
"So then, you know who I am, but I'm afraid I can't extend the same courtesy," Shin said, hopping onto the rooftop a building, attempting to get enough altitude to at least get a good shot onto his mysterious opponent before he and Jeanne had to retreat.
«"Aye, ta name's Edgar Barrett, and we're not finished yet, or did Manfredi "kill himself" out of shame for training such a craven shite of an apprentice?"» Through the rather crass introduction, Shin and Jeanne respectively noticed different things.
«"Y-You're Britannian! Why are you fighting for the Europeans?"» Jeanne shouted, demanding an answer as she opened fire with her assault rifle, only for Edgar to block the shots with his shield. She could understand a lowly Number spurning the ideologies and grace of the Holy Britannian Empire, but a fellow Britannian? Incomprehensible!
"Indeed. We are all children of Britannia, so why fight amongst ourselves? I'm sure you could climb up rather high up my Order, so why not power down and join your people?" Shin said with narrowed eyes. Obviously this "Edgar Barrett" knew something about Lord Manfredi's true fate, and his own involvement, and while he doubted that his opponent could provide any substantial evidence of his guilt, as the existence of the power he was given couldn't and frankly wouldn't be believed in any court, but there wasn't any harm in making sure that this Traitor to Britannia wouldn't get a chance to even attempt that.
There was silence on the channel, until… they heard a chuckle, which soon erupted into a full-blown laughter of amusement and ridicule.
«"What's so funny? Lord Hyuga's offer is most gracious, and with his power, so you'd be a fool for declining it."»
«"Haaah, ya know Jeanne, if it was Manfredi, then sure, I'd consider taking the old bean up on his offer, but see, here's the problem."» Edgar laughed as he opened shot a small barrage at Jeanne to get her fat arse to back off, before he turned to the approaching Shin. The little shite thought he was smart, jumping from building to building, until he could take a shot at him, did he? Well, too bad this Gouf had sharp sensors.
«"Your leader's a daft cunt and as duplicitous as a snake."» Edgar smirked, launching a metal cable from the machine's right arm, surprising Shin as the cable wrapped around the neck of his Knightmare like a noose, the following pull dragging him off of the roof the building he had jumped onto, the resulting impact, slamming his head against the main screen of his cockpit, his mech now hanging in the air.
Shin cursed, a compartment in his Vercingetorix opening up to reveal a golden hilt, his last-resort weapon, the experimental Blaze Luminous Sword, a brainchild of Avalon's top researchers, made on the concept of taking the technology from the Blaze Luminous shield and focusing it into a sword.
As a blade made of solid energy that would theoretically be a match for the Maser Vibration Swords, which could cleave Knightmare Frames in twine, it should have no trouble cutting him loose.
«"And so, "Lord" Shin Hyuga Shaing, you can that offer of yours, AND SHOVE IT UP YOUR BLOODY ARSE!"» The shout of refusal was accompanied by a current of electricity running through the cable wrapped around the Vercingetorix's neck, Shin's grunts and occasional screams of agony, spurring the red-haired crossdressing knight to action, her Landspinners hitting the ground running tires squealing.
«"SHIN! LET GO OF HIM YOU BASTARD!"» Jeanne shouted, her face twisting into a venomous and hateful glare as she charged forward, her Rapier drawn as she charged the one who was harming the man she loved. However, she didn't get far, as she was forced to evade.
«"WHO DARES?!"» Her scowl was outright murderous as she turned her head towards the source of the gunfire, she saw another one of those damned bug-like Knightmares that those Asura Force idiots had been fighting, but unlike the ones she had gunned down, this one was white in design, numerous blue accents on it, including a cross on its forehead, and a halo behind its head, as if the lowly bug of thought itself as some sort of holy saint.
«"Me."» came the hateful, yet happy voice of the Knightmare's pilot, the Ant-like Knightmare charging forward, ready to bring one of its two stake-shaped tonfas to bear.
Jeanne growled, charging to meet her foe, her rifle singing its song of fury loudly, like a roaring lioness, the wretched bug jumping around like a demented grasshopper, her shots hitting nothing but the pavement and concrete, her anger increasing with each missing shot the bug jumped backwards to dodge, and with each second she had to listen to Lord Shin's pained…. screams.
…Why wasn't she hearing anything?
«"Oi~! We~e lass…"» Mechanically, she turned to look at the direction of the voice, seeing a grim sight that would haunt her nightmare for the rest of her life. The Vercingetorix, the pride and joy of the Knights of St. Michael's, its golden sheen like a beacon of hope to them, a banner of victory to rally behind. But now, all that remained was a battered, beaten, charred and lifeless husk that hung limply from the cord around its neck, swaying back and forth like a twisted version of a wind chime.
«"N-No, Lo-Lord Shin…"» Jeanne whimpered as she looked on, helpless as she watched the green giant reach behind its shield, withdrawing a short sword that was locking edges on its sides. With a hiss, the sword extended, two beams of energy filling in the gaps on the weapons sides.
«"You done Gouf-ed."» Jeanne's pained cry tore through the skies as the sword pierced through the cockpit of the Vercingetorix, the sword's tip coated in blood, each drop of blood from the sword hitting Jeanne's psyche like an explosion.
Retracting his whip, Edgar allowed the dead piece of machinery to slide off of his "Tempest" sword, the remains of the golden Knightmare hitting the ground with a resounding "thud", he himself slowly landing on the ground, his sword held at his side while the shield was kept in front of himself, almost beckoning Jeanne to charge in, to avenge her savior. However, there was a certain little thing preventing her from doing so.
The Linear Assault Rifle "Judgement" pointed at her cockpit.
«"Pilot of the Gracchus, I am Lieutenant Colonel Leila Malcal, and I recommend you surrender and exit your Knightmare."» activating up her factsphere, an image from a nearby rooftop appeared on the main screen of Jeanne's cockpit. A young woman, probably no older than she herself was, her pale blonde hair styled in twin pigtails, her eyes brimming with conviction as she stared down at the clearing, the commanding presence of a leader emanating from her.
«"If you do surrender, as the Commander of the Wyvern Squad, I promise that you will be treated fairly as a Prisoner of War."» Leila stated, keeping her stare leveled at the Britannian machine, even as she and Ayano hid in one the multi-story apartment building's abandoned rooms, Yukiya and Ryo having gone onto the rooftop in an attempt to re-establish contact with everyone back at Castle Weisswolf. Apparently, the small amount of buzzing static they had momentarily heard in their comms wasn't just a fluke, as when she had attempted to contact Anna and Claus for a status update, all she had gotten was static.
Jeanne bit her bottom lip. While her Gracchus wasn't damaged, she was outnumbered, considering that neither the European bug nor the unknown giant had made a move against each other. Not that any of that mattered, as they already had her dead to rights, beam weaponry from the front, including a sword that would cut through her like a hot knife through butter, that is if she could by some miracle dodge the point-blank spray of bullets if she even attempted to fight.
«"…I, Jean Rowe of Euro-Britannia's Knights of St. Michael's surrender to the Wyvern Squad, led by Leila Malcal."» Jeanne growled, the Gracchus going down to a knee and opening its cockpit, its pilot standing up from her seat, holding her hands above her head in surrender, but her hardened eyes locked straight onto the singular eye of the mechanical giant, her glare making it clear that Edgar would one day pay for taking away the only man she loved, the only man in her life who had looked past her gender, seeing the dutiful soldier inside.
«"Merci and I promise you that we'll give your friend a proper burial."» Leila promised before turning to address the machine that had brought an end to the battle, which in turn craned its head to look right at her, the young commander pressing on, even with her location revealed.
«"And you, the pilot of the green Knightmare, you have talent, talent which could be used to save countless lives. And that is why, I humbly ask you to join us, to help us prevent more innocent lives from being lost to the flames of war."» The adopted daughter of the Malcal family hoped that the pilot would see reason and stand down. If he didn't, then he would surely be attacked by the advancing European Units.
And while the Mk2 E2-E8 Panzer Hummels might be, well, "inadequate" when it comes to close combat, they could take down the green giant with a concentrated barrage from their two main cannons, allowing the R&D department at the Clément Factory and the Europia United HQ to mine all the data they could from the wreckage of the machine, the young woman would rather have the pilot and machine join the fight against Euro-Britannia willingly.
«"...Well, since the fair lady offered so kindly, I'd be a rude twat for declining."» The beams on the sides of the sword fizzled out as Edgar sheathed the collapsible weapon in his shield.
«"However, I do have a few conditions." He wasn't dumb enough to think that the EU wouldn't tear his Gouf to bloody pieces the first bloody chance they got, as by the standards of this world, and hell, even by his old world's, this Mobile Suit-turned Knightmare frame would be a golden goose to most nations, well, save for possibly Britannia, as they already had flight systems and beam weaponry.
«"And those would be?"» Leila asked, narrowing her eyes. She was willing to bargain, if it resulted in more lives being spared.
«"Nothing too absurd. Firstly; my machine, Gouf Verde, will not be taken from me by the EU. Of course, if the mechanics approved by you happen to have loose lips about the stuff they find out during maintenance, that's outside both of our control."» Leila nodded, seeing it as an acceptable, if not a slightly selfish condition.
«"However, I'm not going to deny your military new tech to research and reverse-engineer, so your leaders can have the remains of the Vercingetorix, or Sagramore as it was known in the developmental phase of its production."» Edgar announced, stepping aside to allow Leila an unobstructed view of the transformable Knightmare's charred remains.
«"A 7th Generation Knightmare, meant for a Knight of the Rounds, a fine gift to your leaders, wouldn't you agree?"» Edgar asked, all too certain that a captured seventh generation Knightmare would sate the greed of the European military, at least for a good while. But then again, him gifting the machine to military might be like dropping blood into a shark-infested tank, driving them into a feeding frenzy.
Or who knows, maybe after taking a peek at his Gouf, the military bigwigs and eggheads will realize that trying to replicate his machine will be less cost-effective, both in resources and time than simply taking the bleedin' Rounds' and 5th Generation Knightmare that were given to them and attempting to make some proper Knightmares for their regular forces, instead of the glorified one-man tanks they seemed to be oh-so-fond of.
But then again, this was the very same EU that saw fit to treat the 6th Generation Alexanders as kamikaze bombers, even having the utter gall to leave out a bloody ejection seat from the ant-like machines. Honestly, it was no surprise that they'd get conquered by Britannia.
«"…Any other conditions?"» Although Leila knew that her superiors would be more than pleased with obtaining the mostly-intact Vercingetorix, if she was being completely honest with herself, she was disgusted by the jovial manner in which the pilot phrased his offer, as if this was all a game to him. However, he wouldn't be the first man of questionable nature that she'd have to work with, and he no doubt wouldn't be the last.
«"Just one, and this one is admittedly more in your favor."» Edgar said, kneeling down to one knee, like a knight before his liege, although the Gouf, even in kneeling position, was only eye-to-eye with the Alexander. «"I place myself under your command, and thus, I take my orders only from you, Leila Malcal."» Well, at least up until he got a solid lead on where the Black Knights were holed up.
Among historians researching the war between Euro-Britannia and Europia United, the Battle of Slonim is widely considered to be the battle that broke the ongoing stalemate between the two factions, and they would be correct. Not only did the captured Gracchus and Vercingetorix/Sagramore give the EU's Knightmare factories a functioning template to design new units around, but the data obtained from the machine which would later on be better known as the Green Daemon changing the way the EU would handle their battles.
And the man responsible for these advances was none other than Edgar Bennett, a Britannian man whose origins were just as mysterious as his motives. Some would compare him to the then Knight of Seven, Suzaku Kururugi, both men fighting against their own people with nary a hesitation, the two pilots meeting on the battlefield numerous times, the Knight of Massacre and the Soldier of Strife crossing blades numerous times, more than often the Red Devil of the Black Knights participating in the battles.
Evidence from conversations held on open channels indicating both men possessing deep hatred for one another.
A recording of one such conversation:
«"Stop this meaningless battle RIGHT NOW!"»
«"I knew it smelled of betrayal, hypocrisy and foolish idealism in here."»
«"And what's this, no brown on your nose and no tear marks on your knees? Progress."»
«"Like you're the one to accuse me about betrayal!»
«"When you've betrayed those who gave you a chance to make up for your crimes."»
«"hmph, what she still mad about that?"»
«"Honestly, they recruited me from the battlefield, did they honestly expect me to be an obedient pup like you?"»
«"She cared for you, perhaps even LOVED you! And THEY trusted you!"»
«"And what did you do? You shot them in the back and sided with a man whose only goal is to drag the world into chaos!"»
«"Oh-ho, like you're the one to talk, Mr. I-stabbed-my-father-when-he-wouldn't-bend-over-backwards-to-please-your-Britannian-overlords!"»
«"AT LEAST I STOPPED MORE INNOCENTS FROM DYING!"»
«"AHHHAHAHAA, you actually believe the SHITE your spewing?"»
End of recording.
However, two questions still plague the public even to this day. Where did he and his mysterious Knightmare Frame come from, and why was it called "Gouf"? When asked these questions, the enigmatic man simply smiled, pointed up to the heavens and said, "Where else but space?", only to start laughing off and walking off before our reporters could ask more.
However, Mr. Barrett's deeds in the weeks following the Battle of Slonim also brought about negative aftereffects.
AN: Aaand that's all folks, I hope you enjoyed the first chapter of "Code Geass: Divergent Strife", and I do mean First, as I'm currently writing chapter 2, intending on keeping this thing going. And, yeah, I honestly have no real plot planned for the MHA fic, but I do for this, as evident by my "A Cold Calculus"-esque end text.
So... thoughts?
Oh, and I didn't pull out the stuff I said about the Vercingetorix out of my ass, it really was designed for a Knight of the Round table, Michele (Yes, that's his first name) Manfredi, and while I was originally very confused by the four-legged design, I soon after realized that it was meant for more uneven ground, where the usual Landspinner system of the Knightmares would be hampered.
But that doesn't mean that it looks really stupid, what with the gold coloration covering about 90% of the damn thing, and the freakin' Mohawk.
