Chapter I: Arrival

-2291 ATB, 162 years after the Zero Requiem-

The jubilant cheers of the crowd were only to be expected, as today was a day for celebration; for merriment and joy dedicated to not only an anniversary of one of the most world changing events in history, but also towards anticipation for a new horizon: Towards the endless vistas of space itself. For today was not only the 273rd anniversary of the Demon Emperor's death, it was the dawning of a new age for humanity

The United Federation of Nations Space Command, the UNFNSC for short, formed after the wars against the colonists on Mars by Empress Nunnally vi Britannia had made an announcement that would forever change the course of human history into a radical new direction. This announcement entailed a discovery that dwarfed any other in humanity's entire existence, a proclamation that would save the human race from stagnation forevermore.

From atop a float not all too dissimilar to the past Demon Emperor's float during the time of his death stood an immortal legend, the bringer of peace and justice, the masked crusader who appeared time and time again without fail to bring all evil to end whether by pen or by sword. How he had lived so long, 162 years after the death of every other person involved in the events of the war between Britannia and the Black Knights, was unknown. But the people trusted him nonetheless, a phantom guide for their never ending progress.

"To all the people of Earth, to all the Humans who reside on this vast planet of ours!" The masked man proclaimed loudly, his powerful and charismatic voice reverberating through the crowd, "Today is the day a new chapter opens up in our combined histories! The day Humanity takes a step forward into the endless void of space not in fear or with slow trepidation; but with boisterous speed which shall bring the heavens closer than we had ever imagined!"

"Today, our heroes Tobias Fleming Shaw and Wallace Fujikawa have completed their the Shaw-Fujikawa Translight Engine. This engine will take us to the uncharted waters of the stars, faster than the speed of light itself!" Zero spoke, swishing his right hand faster than the eye could see for emphasis, "But shall we be content with merely charting these stars? Shall we simply use this engine, this wonderful blessing, for scientific exploration alone?"

The dark figure was silent for a moment, the crowd following his silence in breathless anticipation. But just as the crowd was beginning to show signs of confusion, Zero pointed a hand into the air; extending his index finger to the skies.

"Nay!" Zero bellowed, to the extreme surprise of the crowd who recoiled from the sheer power in Zero's refusal, "We shall not be content with waiting idly to satisfy our intellectual curiosity! We shall not waste this gift given to us by the minds of Mr. Shaw and Mr. Fujikawa!"

"With this Translight Engine, we shall not merely explore. We shall colonize!" Zero spoke, gripping his sky-outstretched hand tightly, "The entire universe is our limit now! And therefore the untouched land, resources, and possibilities of space shall be the source to humanity's everlasting and unstoppable growth! No longer shall we be limited by Earth's bounty, no longer are we limited to what the Solar System can offer us! For even now we are preparing ships for the colonization of other worlds, worlds far away from our Solar System; but brought close by our newfound ability to travel the hidden 'Slipstream' of reality! The pathway to our eternal glory!"

The cheers of the men, women, and children grew even louder in response to this proclamation. It was the day Humanity had been hoping for, the day brought upon only by all of Humanity uniting together for one cause. All across the world, Zero's speech was being televised; prompting revelry worldwide everywhere from in Britannian New York's Time Square, to the Middle Eastern Federation's Tahrir Square, to the Chinese Federation's Tiananmen Square. Now, Humanity would no longer have to fight over land or resources; they had now had enough of both to last them for endless millennia, possibly even forever.

"This date was the day of a new beginning for Humanity, with the death of the Demon Emperor: Lelouch vi Britannia. But on this day, at this very moment, Humanity is experiencing yet another drastic change; one that shall change much, but keep many things the same." Zero spoke, noticeably dwelling little on the Demon Emperor's death itself, "In the following days, weeks, and years after this moment; we shall have to focus all of our efforts to accomplish this momentous task. But be sure that at the end of this mild tribulation, this small stepping-stone in the way of our prosperity, is a reward that later generations shall forever thank us for. This reward is not only eternal growth, it is not only eternal peace, it is not only eternal satisfaction, and is not even eternal prosperity."

"It is eternal potential; the limitless possibility for what Humanity can become, for what we can evolve into not by the Darwinian policies of the mad Emperor Charles zi Britannia, nor by the brutal methods of the inhuman Emperor Lelouch vi Britannia." Zero declared, swinging his right hand to one side before bringing it in front of him, "But by the efforts of every single human being working together as one! For this, the expansion in the endless domain of the universe, is our fate! Our destiny! Our triumph!"

And with that final proclamation, defying possibility, the cheers of the crowd exploded with even more jubilation to the beginning of a new age as Zero waved to the passing crowd; looking to all the world as every bit the hero history had made him out to be.

-Two Hours Later, Tokyo Government Palace-

This palace, once the symbol of Britannian oppression in the former 'Area 11', was now the primary headquarters of the Japanese government; an important part of the United Federation of Nations. Currently, it was hosting a celebratory gala for the announcement of the Translight Engine; with Zero himself in attendance after the parade had finished. Many influential members of both Britannian and Japanese nationality were attending the gala, including Tobias Shaw and Wallace Fujikawa; a Britannian and a Japanese respectively. It was difficult to get close to the famous scientists, as they were the stars of the party; even more so than Zero himself.

Even so, when Zero finally approached the scientists; people made way for him out of reverence. Behind him was an important official from the Japanese government, along with a representative from Britannia; a Prince from the li Britannian line. The lineage of the Britanian royal families had been dying down in recent years, with the late Empress Nunnally vi Britannia having given birth to no children and the destruction of many other lines in the FLEIA bombing of Pendragon, so it was only the late Cornelia li Britannia's birth of four children (one of whom was currently Emperor) and the odd surviving Britannian line that was keeping the blood of the Royal family flowing through the ages. Zero invited the scientists to a more private room with the two officials, taking them away from the crowd in order to discuss more private matters.

The room had crimson walls, a fireplace, black carpeting, and several chairs with armrests arranged in a way that faced one another. It seemed to be one of several similar rooms, but this one was noticeably keyed towards Zero's needs. The masked man turned to the scientists, who sat down rather nervously in the comfortable leather chairs along with the officials. "So, I understand you have a few questions for me." Zero uttered, "As scientists of such fame and repute, who've done so much for their fellow man, I can hardly see how I could refuse such a request. Please, go ahead."

The two scientists looked at each other with some trepidation, before Tobias spoke their reply, "It's a pleasure to finally meet you in person, Zero. We've been running ahead full speed, inspired by your work, in our entire quest up until this point. I'd be prudent to say that were it not for you, we'd have never mustered up the courage to venture into this new and unknown science of Slipstream space."

Fujikawa then spoke up, "But, and you can be assured that we do not doubt your legacy and accomplishments, there was one question that was always at the back of our minds;" He said, looking down as if he was about to ask for the entire world from Zero "one nagging question we could never get rid of no matter how hard we worked…"

"You want to know if I'm the original Zero, correct?"

The Brittanian and Japanese scientists both looked up in shock, as did the governmental officials who seemed equally as eager to find out who Zero really were; and were surprised at Zero's casual disregard for such an important matter. Zero placed his hands to his mask, as if he was about to take it off, before pointing his index finger towards it instead. "The mask of Zero is a symbol, a symbol of hope to humankind; an undying figure needed to ensure the safety and security of our society. The one who bears this mask does so with the knowledge that he fights for no single nation or ideology; but for justice, peace, and progress to all of humanity."

"I apologize, I truly do." Zero spoke, bringing his hand down from the mask, "But your question shall remain unanswered, for it is of no importance whether or not I am the original Zero. Only that I am Zero; and that I carry the same will as I did 164 years ago upon the day when my revolution begun."

The two scientists looked slightly disappointed at that, as did the government officials, but they took little offense at it; smiling at Zero's response. "I guess that's all we really needed to hear, Zero." Shaw said, scratching his head with a grin. The Japanese scientist was similarly inclined, facing Zero with a polite smile as he spoke, "We apologize for having asked such a question, but it was important to us as you understand."

Zero nodded, and the two scientists and officials both got up from their chairs, "As it should be; I doubt there is a single person alive that does not doubt my true identity. But it matters little, since as I had spoken before; Zero's role is by necessity unending."

Tobias turned to Zero with a smile as his colleague opened the door, "That's fair, I guess we'll just stick with revolutionizing interstellar travel then."

With that, the four left the room. Leaving Zero alone in the fire-lit chamber. Another door then suddenly opened up behind Zero, startling him for a bit, before a familiar female figure walked through the door; the masked man's shoulder's sagging in relief as he took a seat and placed a hand on his mask. "That was tiring, really tiring; way more than I've been pacing myself these past few days."

The woman sighed in annoyance, twirling around what looked like a headset microphone, "Really, you should be glad I'm there to tell you what to say. I'd hate to see what Zero would become if his speechwriter and basic conversation advisor wasn't present for even a single day."

Zero was silent as he removed his mask, placing it on a nearby table. The woman couldn't see his face, obscured by the tall armchair with its back to her, but she already knew who he was anyway. "C.C, do you think he'd be happy with what we've accomplished so far? How far we've progressed?"

The green haired immortal woman huffed in indignation, "Don't be absurd; he'd never be happy no matter how big the UFNSC got. He probably wouldn't be satisfied until we have a bloody uncontested galactic empire."

The man in the chair laughed, a sad laugh tainted by years upon years of tragedy, but still hopeful and happy, "That's true I guess, you knew Lelouch better than anybody after all." Zero replied, before pausing for a moment, "What about her? What would she think?"

C.C was caught off guard for a moment, losing her composure, before regaining it and smiling at Zero, "I'm sure Nunnally's as happy as she could be right now; she left the world in a better place than she was born in it, and you've done a great job in making her dream into a reality."

Zero didn't reply, keeping silent for a few more moments in contemplation before picking up the mask once more and placing it on his head.

It was heavier than usual.

Alright, so this is my second attempt at a Code Geass/Halo Crossover fanfic; focusing on more recognizable characters from both universes. This prologue takes place as sort of an explanation as to what's happening in the universe, before I skip straight to 2525 ATB with the familiar characters of Halo appearing more and more often alongside the Covenant.

I'll be taking a different approach with this fanfic in several ways, but you can be sure that a lot of descendent characters from Code Geass (and often times the characters themselves) shall appear in this fanfic. In regards to why the fic is named Lelouch of the Reclamation, well, you'll see why in a few chapters I suppose.

So, again, please take time to review; it'd really be appreciated if I could get some feedback on this project, be it positive or negative.