((A/N – New version, designed to address some flow issues from the first and make its so that I don't have the sudden urge to gouge my eyes out….any way, the disclaimer – I do not own Code Geass – If I did, this wouldn't be here))

Si vis pacem, para bellum – "If you wish for peace, prepare for war"

-Ancient Roman Phrase

The Britannian soldier cut his way through the think jungle overgrowth of Kamine Island, cursing the entire time. One would think that the most powerful nation on the planet could provide its soldiers with a decent machete. He activated the radio in his mask, thankful that it also included a dehumidifier. "Avalon, this is Ursu-7. Grid c8 is clear, requesting permission to return to base."

High above the remote island, the massive airship Avalon hovered in place as if mocking the laws of physics. Presiding over it bridge was the toast of the Imperial Family, the Second Prince, Schneizel el Britannia. He tucked away a stray blonde hair as he turned to one of his officers. "What do you think, Sergeant? Should we call it a day?"

The Sergeant straightened slightly. "The light is fading, Your Highness. Even with our FLIR systems, our troop's progress would be slow. And there are other matters we need to be concerned about…"

"As I am well aware." Schneizel was about to order the withdraw, but something changed between thinking of the order and giving it. "Conduct one final sweep of the island; make sure we didn't miss anything." The Prince watched as the order was given out. All of the information they had gathered in their search for the third Princess had pointed them to here – a strange coincidence, considering what else resided on this little island. As the beacons marking the soldier's positions spread out, Schneizel settled back in his chair. He doubted the search would find anything.

He had no idea how wrong he was.

Ursu-7 cursed as the order came in to sweep the jungle again. It was wet, it was dark, and he was tired. The bugs were not helping, though for the life of him he could not figure out how they were getting through his armor. He trudged through the foliage, tripping over tree roots as he went because of his mask. The Facial mask included with his armor was a marvel of technology, with built in FLIR, Light enhancement, HUD and a full radio suite – to bad it got rid of his peripheral vision. He finally snapped after he walked straight into a tree his FLIR had decided to not warn him about. "Screw it!" The soldier tore off his helmet and tossed it at the tree, doing more damage to the tree then the helmet. "If the black knights are ever recruiting…" He pulled out a flashlight and began searching the area for his helmet. Command would not be happy if he lost a piece of equipment. He eventually found the helmet a few feet behind the tree – how it had gotten there, he wasn't sure – but it wasn't the helmet that interested him.

It was what the helmet was resting against.

Ursu-7 quickly pulled his helmet back on as he stared at the sight before him. Once his helmet was back on, he patched through to the Avalon. "Base, this is Ursu-7. I've located the Princess, but…"

"But what, Private?" His CO asked over the radio.

"She's with somebody." The Soldier replied. The figure next to her looked familiar for some reason, but he just couldn't place it. "Requesting permission to send video feed."

"Permission granted."

The Soldier quickly activated the camera mounted to the side of his helmet before adjusting his flashlight to better illuminate the stranger. "Smile for the camera."

Back aboard the Avalon, Schneizel stared at the screen in shock. "Double-check the feed, check for distortion."

"The feed is clean, Sir." The Communications officer replied. "The image is accurate."

"Very well." Schneizel recomposed himself. "Order the Soldier to bring both of them back here immediately."

"Your Highness, Ursu-12 just found Major Kururugi" Reported the Sergeant. "He appears to be with a civilian."

"Bring them here as well." Schneizel ordered. This day just got very interesting.

*-*-*

Lelouch was awoken by the rough shaking of his frame only a tired foot soldier could produce. The bright light in his face didn't help. "Who's there?"

"Your fairy god mother" A voice replied sarcastically. "Now get up."

As Lelouch's eyes finally adjusted to the bright light, he blanched. A Britannian soldier was staring back at him. It took a few moments for him to get over the initial panic – his helmet was nowhere to be found, having disappeared sometime during the crash. He looked like, to most observers, another Britannian citizen. The cape ensemble was a little conspicuous, but not unexplainable. He had little choice but to obey. "Very well." As Lelouch rose to his feet, his sister began to stir.

"Lelouch?" Euphemia rubbed her eyes, the sudden commotion overriding her body's desire to rest. She awoke much quicker when she saw the soldier.

"Your Highness, I've been ordered to bring you and your…" Ursu-7 glanced towards Lelouch. "friend to the Avalon. Prince Schneizel is waiting." He extended a hand to the Princess. "We should get going."

Euphemia accepted the outstretched hand, rising to her feet before the trio set of through the forest. The Soldier took the lead, leaving Euphie and Lelouch free to discuss this new development. "So, what does this mean for your plans?"

"I wish I knew." Lelouch struggled to keep the flashlight on the soldier as they stumbled through the overgrowth. "Though I have to wonder where the others are."

"Others?" Euphemia asked as He helped her over another fallen tree.

"Suzaku was at the blast, as was one of my own." Lelouch explained. "They should no doubt be on this island as well." Their trek finally came to a close as the reached the shoreline, where a small military post had been established around the massive ramp leading off of the airships cargo bay. At its top were already two figures, each one in what looked like a Knightmare pilot Uniform. "Ah, Kallen!"

The redhead turned around to see Lelouch coming up the ramp towards her, Euphemia trialing behind him. "Lelouch?" She stared at him in surprise. Why the hell was he here?

"You know this girl?" The man asked the pair. He had been about to start asking questions before this boy had shown up.

"She was with me on my boat before the storm hit." Lelouch explained, even as Kallen stared at him like he had suddenly sprouted wings and a beak. There was no reason he should be helping her like this. Lelouch continued his story all the same. "This area can have such unpredictable weather – Shame the boat sank, it was such a nice craft. It seems that your usual clothes suffered a similar fate, Kallen, if you were forced to switch into something like that."

"Yes…well…I…Uh…" Kallen stared at Lelouch, unsure of what to say.

"Suzaku!" The awkward silence was broken as Euphemia finally made it to the top, rushing towards her Knight. Unfortunately, a dress such as Euphemia's was ill suited for running, and very soon the pink gown betrayed her footing.

"Your Highness!" Suzaku quickly caught his charge as she fell forward. Suzaku bowed as she regained her footing. "I am glad to see you are alright, your highness." He glanced towards her companion. "May I ask why he is with you?"

"I would like to know as well." Everyone turned around to see the Second Prince approaching. Everyone not royalty quickly bowed as he took a clipboard from one of the men. "So, how is it that the Third Princess, her Knight, and a school girl in a Black Knight uniform all end up on the same island as one of my long-thought dead siblings?" Schneizel paused for a moment. "And why is the school girl tied up?"

"I had reason to believe she was a Black Knight." Suzaku replied, ignoring one soldier's remark about 'strange Elevens' fetishes'. "When I found her, she had a Black Knight uniform."

"What else was I supposed to wear?" Kallen replied. "When I washed ashore, my clothes were trashed. I was lucky to find anything." The lie rolled of her tongue fluidly. She had lived a double life long enough to know how to say tem well.

"That's not what I saw" Suzaku's rebuttal was cut of by the blonde prince.

"I'm sure we can sort out our stories once we are comfortably inside." Schneizel walked up to Lelouch. "Your story should be most interesting, my brother." With a flourish, Schneizel headed back into the ship, giving orders to prepare the infirmary, state rooms, and to contact the Viceroy. Lelouch grinned.

"I assure you that you will not be disappointed." Lelouch and the others followed the Prince onto the airship, its massive halls containing opulent bedrooms, entertainment facilities, and countless conference and command systems. Nothing less was expected when dealing with the 'White Prince'. They were led into one of the larger conference rooms, with one wall dominated by a massive flat screen, the other by floor to wall windows.

Schneizel steepled his fingers as he looked over the group before him after taking the head seat. "Let us first finish what we started outside. Miss…" He quickly consulted to file in front of him. "Stadtfeld was found in a Black Knight uniform, supposedly because her actual clothing had been lost, correct?" All he could get out of her was a nod, Kallen having already gone back into 'Shrinking Violet' mode. "Where exactly did you find those clothes?"

"Well, when I first woke up, my clothes were completely destroyed. It was windy, so I started looking for some shelter. I found one of those Black Knights bathing at a waterfall, so I took her clothes." She gave an involuntary shutter. "I don't know what I would have done if she had seen me."

"Well, you're safe now." Schneizel turned to Suzaku. "Major Kururugi, the report you gave to my Officer says that you found Miss Stadtfeld at a waterfall, and that she attacked you."

"I had headed back to the waterfall after a while, and the Black Knight was gone. I thought I would be better off near some water..." Kallen explained. "When he showed up, I thought he might have been one of the Black Knights. So I attacked him."

Schneizel arched an eyebrow. "With a hidden pocket knife?"

"It hade been with the Black Knight woman's things, and I thought it might have been useful." Kallen watched Schneizel for a moment, trying to gauge his reaction. She let out her held breath as he turned to Suzaku.

"Do you have anything to add, Major Kururugi?" Suzaku was about to explain in great detail the conversation he and Kallen had had about Zero, but something stopped him. Across the table from him, Euphemia simply stared at him. Her look was one he had scene before – before he had been the pilot of the Lancelot, when he had been a simple private, his unit was often tasked with clearing the ghettos. Every time, he would find what they had bent sent to flush out – rebels, hiding inside the decrepit buildings. Every time, they would beg him to not expose them, beg him to keep quite. The look they gave was on Euphemia's face as she stared at him across the table.

She wanted him to stay quiet.

"No, nothing to add, Your Highness." Euphemia seemed to relax at his reply, her hand finding its way to that of her long thought dead brother. Suzaku redirected his attention back to the second Prince. "Will that be all?"

"Unfortunately, no." The Prince pulled out a small data card from his folder. "This is a recording of audio from the Shikinejima incident the other day. It provides clear evidence of your insubordination. Do you have an explanation for this?"

Suzaku's shoulders dropped slightly. "No. The last thing I remember before waking up on the island is facing off with Zero." It still unnerved him. He had had him within his grasps! How could he have escaped?

"Perhaps one of Zero's infamous ploys?" Lelouch proposed. "He has pulled off several impressive feats before; I would not put something like this above him." Schneizel considered to theory for a moment.

"Possible." The Prince put the card back into the folder before standing. "None the less, an investigation will have to be carried out."

"Suzaku is my Knight!" Euphemia was now on her feet. "I have no doubt that his actions were for my sake."

"As true as that might be, dear sister, the Military insists. I will clear this matter if I must, but for now we should leave them be." Schneizel walked towards his younger brother. "Lelouch…"

Lelouch was caught off guard as Schneizel embraced him. "It has been to long, Brother. We all thought you were killed in the war. To find you alive is a miracle." Lelouch was stunned. Was he being played? Was this some sort of sick plan by his brother? Or was he actually being sincere? For now, Lelouch decided, it did not matter. This early in the game, he could not try anything without tipping his hand. "How did you stay alive?"

"The Ashford's helped in that regard." Lelouch separated himself from his brother, walking over to the other end of the table to get a glass of water. "The trick was surviving the war itself. Having been a political hostage, you can understand the risk I was in if the Former Japanese Government found me. Besides, I couldn't just walk into the Government building and announce myself – I am, technically, exiled."

"Exiled, yes." Schneizel replied. "If I recall, you also renounced your right to the throne." Schneizel smiled. "You were not, however, disinherited. You are still royalty." The Prince turned to his Assistant. "Kanon, Contact the press, let the news spread – Lelouch Vi Britannia lives!"

And spread the news did – word had reached Pendragon in a matter of hours, the news catching wind of it not long after that. There was one party, however, that received the news far ahead of schedule.

Cornelia was posed over a command console, looking over information from the search for her sister, when the message came. She stared at the deceptively brief memo in shock: "Euphemia located. Lelouch found Alive at Kamine. Nunnally at Ashford - Schneizel." She didn't know what to think. She didn't believe it – she couldn't believe it. Not until she saw for herself.

"Gilford!" The bespectacled Knight stood at attention as his Mistress turned to face him. "Prepare my transport."

Back aboard the Avalon, everyone had been bustled off to the infirmary once it was concluded that none were consorting with the enemy. That, however, did not end the questioning.

"So, Lelouch," Schneizel had seated himself on a gurney as a nurse gave Lelouch a brief physical. "I must ask, why were you boating down here?"

"Well," Lelouch paused as what looked suspiciously like a Popsicle stick was shoved into his mouth as the nurse examined his throat briefly before being removed. "You know how it is – sail a little to the west, get caught in the Kuroshiro current, the next thing you know you're stuck in a storm south of Shikinejima." Lelouch glanced off to the side, where his sister and Kallen had just been obscured by a privacy screen. To his other side was Suzaku, who had apparently obtained a sprained ankle at some point in their little escapade. "Though I have to wonder why you would be on an island this remote. Something to do with Zero, If I recall."

"Indeed" Schneizel shifted slightly. "We had him cornered on Shikinejima, but he somehow managed to escape."

Lelouch arched an eyebrow. "And you think he traveled the 20-some odd miles to here over open ocean, with no transport, in a matter of minutes?" Lelouch smirked as a biosensor was attached to his finger. "Zero's more impressive then I thought."

Schneizel did not seem amused by the comment, however. "If we are lucky, he was killed in the blast. However, I doubt we were that fortunate."

"He does seem to be quite resilient." Lelouch removed the biosensor from his hand, and descended from the gurney. "So, I assume we will be continuing your search for the caped vigilante?"

"Its funny you should mention that." Schneizel rose from his seat as the others finished their exams. "There's something I'd like to show you." He turned to the others. "You can come as well, if you would like."

Kallen paused as she exited from behind the curtain, now dressed in a Basic Britannian uniform the Medical crew had loaned her. "Depends on what's being shown."

"Ancient ruins of a sort." Schneizel replied. "I believe an image will be more prudent in this case. If you decide not to follow, one of the attendants will show you to your accommodations." With that, The Second Prince left, leaving the others to choice whether they follow or not.

Schneizel had that same relaxed smile he almost always displayed as Lelouch walked onto the Bridge. "Glad to see you decided to come, Lelouch." He paused as the others walked onto the bridge as well. "All curious, are we?"

"Let us hope that our curiosity is not misaimed." Lelouch replied as he looked out the window. He was surprised to find that the airship was actually moving, albeit very slowly. The onboard dampeners made the craft surprisingly stable. "I take it that we are approaching the ruins?"

"Yes." Schneizel turned to one of the bridge officers, who brought up a map on the main screen. "Prince Clovis seemed to have been the first to locate them – probably the reason why he claimed it when he first arrived." The map was replaced with an external image of a cliff face, a single large crack descending its rock face. "The ruins themselves don't resemble any documented civilization, and seem to predate anything of similar technological level. It really is quite fascinating."

"What do you plan on learning from these ruins, exactly?" Lelouch eyed the ruins wearily. The sigil across its front façade was just a little too familiar. "With no prior references, research would take years, if not decades."

"That is why I brought the Gawain." The image of the ruins vanished, facilitating a full view of the camp. Stationed in its center was a massive Knightmare Frame, Gold Protrusions accenting its shoulders and red pines emanating from its back. "Its onboard data systems should make short work of any data we find."

Lelouch studied the Frame. "Interesting design – Prototype?" Lelouch was unsurprised when Schneizel confirmed. "Must be fairly heavily armored, based of its size. Weapon systems?"

"Shoulder mounted Hadron cannons." Schneizel replied as calmly as one would give the time of day. "They aren't fully functional at the moment though. Its float and Druid system work perfectly, however."

"Interesting" Before the tour could progress any further, Schneizel's phone began to ring. Lelouch was surprised – his phone hadn't gotten any connection. "Connected into the ships communication system?"

"yes," Schneizel replied tersely. "Now, if you will excuse me…" The next few minutes consisted of Schneizel speaking on his phone, His voice low. After a few words were exchanged, he hung up and turned to the assembled group. "I'm afraid that I cannot show you anything else. My assistants will show you to your rooms for tonight." With that, the group was ushered out of the bridge. Lelouch managed a final glance over his shoulder as the bridge doors slid shut, seeing his brother engaged in a video conference with a pair of generals.

The rooms they were shown to were as luxurious as the rest of the ship – hand-crafted wood furniture, silk draperies and museum quality art pieces decorated the warmly lit room, giving it a far more subdued atmosphere then several of the more extravagantly decorated abodes that seemed epidemic of Britannian royalty. The room across from his was given to Euphemia, while the room next to his had gone to Suzaku. Kallen was next door to his sister.

Lelouch's investigation of the room was suddenly interrupted when a door next to the closet suddenly opened. Out of it, dressed in a robe and drying her hair with a towel, emerged a young, green haired woman. "C.C.?"

"Quite the accommodations." She replied casually as she sat down on the bed. "I'm surprised you ever gave up the royal lifestyle."

"How did you get here!?!" Lelouch asked in surprise. The witch had way with sneaking about – he had seen it often enough – but this was impressive, even for her.

"You came, I followed." Was her cryptic reply. "The Ikaruga is 5 kilometers of the coast." Lelouch mulled this over for a moment. The Black Knights flagship submarine, this close to A Britannian airship that was commanded by Schneizel?

"Tell them to move out another 5 kilometers." Lelouch ordered as he paced the room. "Tell them to keep an eye on this island." He paused for a moment to stare out the panoramic window his room possessed. "Passive only." He turned to face the witch. "How did you-" He stopped.

She was gone.

Lelouch let out a sigh before heading toward the bathroom. He could use a shower – it had been a long day.

He was awoken the next day by one of the ships many assistants, who told him he had been summoned to Schneizel's private lounge. Lelouch groggily accepted the message, and sent the young woman off before he got dressed. His clothes from the other day were gone, replaced with a fresh set of clothing. Lelouch thought about why he might have been summoned at such an hour. His guess was that somebody from the mainland had shown up – but who?

His question was answered when he stepped on to the lounge and saw who was talking to Schneizel and his younger sister. Sitting at the table, White cape billowed out behind her, was none other then the Chief General of the Imperial Army, the conqueror of area 18, Cornelia Li Britannia.

Everyone looked up as the doors slid shut behind him with an audible click. Cornelia froze as her sight fell upon Lelouch. "My god…" She rose from her seat and slowly approached, as if he might simply vanish if she moved to suddenly. She stood there, speechless. What was one to say, when they are suddenly given back a brother they had long ago assumed dead?

"Cornelia," Lelouch bowed. "It is good to see you again." Lelouch was surprised when he felt her hand on his shoulder force him up from his bow.

"You have no reason to bow," Cornelia's voice was tinged with the emotion she felt, even as she tried to hold face. "Not after all you have survived."

The reunion was interrupted as a messenger burst into the room. "Urgent news from the mainland!"

"Can it wait?" Schneizel asked calmly. "We are currently in the middle of something."

"All major connections to Kyushu have been cut!" The messenger replied. "The island is being invaded!"

"Is it the Chinese federation?" Cornelia asked, her mind quickly shifting to the business at hand.

"No," The messenger explained, an expression of confusion briefly crossing his face. "The ships bear the Japanese flag!"

"The Japanese?" Cornelia turned to Schneizel. "How quickly can we be there?"

"A matter of hours." Schneizel replied. "But we have several non-combatants on board. We will have to stop at the settlement."

"Schneizel," Lelouch spoke up. "You currently have onboard this vessel – a state of the art warship - an ace Knightmare Pilot, the only person who has ever come close to matching you mentally, and one of the greatest military leaders in the history of the Empire." Lelouch paused to let this information sink in. "Contact the settlement; tell them to send some military assets to rendezvous with us in route."

Schneizel grinned before turning to an assistant, as if satisfied with the reply. "Make the calls. Get us in the air." The assistant nodded and headed off, and Lelouch soon followed suit. "Where are you going?"

"There are some calls I need to make." Lelouch paused at the doorway as he watched Kallen walking down the hall. "I' m afraid I've forgotten the academies number – Kallen, could you come with me?" Kallen, caught off guard, followed the young prince, dumbfounded. He led her to his room, where C.C. was once again waiting. As soon as he made sure nobody was earshot, he grabbed her by the shoulder, suddenly serious. "Go with C.C. – make contact with the Ikaruga. Tell them about the invasion. I'll cover for you."

Kallen was caught off-guard for the second time in as many minutes. "How do you…"

"No time to explain!" Lelouch cut her off. "Just go!" He quickly turned to C.C., gears churning in his head. "I need you to steal something…"