Code Geass: Alpha & Omega
Stage Two
Beta Centauri
"Foldspace—it's a place where anything can happen due to the thin veil of 'normal' physics which resides there. One false move and 'POOF' the laws of our universe break down into chaos. Nevertheless, the Earth needs ships that can travel at faster-than-light speeds if we are going to survive the calamity that is sure to come at the hands of Marduk and his Babylonian hordes." —Excerpt from an interview with Lloyd Asplund, from the July 2030 a.t.b. issue of KnightMare Mechanics Magazine.
February 25th, 2035 a.t.b.
"All hands, prepare for fold operations!" Cornelia barked over the main intercom of the Kaminejima. "We depart for planet Hadar in T minus five minutes."
The ship hung high above the ochre-colored atmosphere of the planetoid Ceres just above the asteroid belt that laid between the planetary orbits of Mars and Jupiter.
The space frigate had undergone extensive upgrade over the past year and now sported a large, semi-circular, "half" ring on its ventral side, which connected to the old atmospheric stabilizer wings of the spacecraft. Large, rectangular pods merged the fold-ring with the stabilizer wings and acted as the gravity bubble-generating warp nacelles of the vessel.
Cornelia stood within the bridge of the newly upgraded warship. She was dressed in her white and gold captain uniform with her military cap cocked on the top of her curly mass of mauve hair as a flurry of activity coursed through the bowels of her vessel. "Commander Guilford, give me the countdown."
Guilford nodded, "Three minutes and counting."
Captain Britannia turned to her communications officer. "Tell Chief Engineer Asplund that I want the ship speed set to Fold-Factor 7."
The male officer nodded in response then relayed the message.
A moment later, Lloyd's smiling face appeared on the main bridge viewscreen. "Hello there, Captain."
"What is it, Lloyd?" Cornelia asked with an edge of concern in her voice. This was the first test of a hyperspace fold system on the Kaminejima, and although no mishaps had taken place on any Earth vessel of its class, Cornelia didn't wish her ship to be the first.
"One minute thirty seconds," Guilford informed them.
"I was just wondering why you don't want to open this puppy up?" Lloyd inquired with a boyish grin. "Fold-Factor 7 is only seven light years per Earth hour. This ship is capable of a Fold-Factor of 10, why not go for broke and work the cobwebs out?"
Cornelia hoped he was joking. "The Kaminejima has just been refit with the new FTL fold-ring; I'll not risk this ship and her crew by pushing the system to its limits on its first test.
"Ten seconds to spacefold," Guilford informed them.
"Have it your way." Lloyd waved his hand towards someone off the screen behind him. Lloyd sighed, "Just seven, Cecile."
"I told you," Cecile Croomy scolded him from outside the view of the monitor.
Guilford sat down in his chair at the left of the captain's station. "Seven, six, five…"
"Are you finished?" Cornelia snapped at Lloyd.
Guilford continued, "Four, three…"
Lloyd adjusted his glasses. "Oh…yes, Captain."
"Good," Cornelia said with a scowl as the stars outside the windows of the bridge began to draw into long lines of light as the ship accelerated to mind-boggling speed.
"One…FOLD!" Guilford announced as the "ring" of the Kaminejima glowed a bright blue, and the vessel broke through the space-time continuum into hyperspace.
"Uh…I don't feel so good," Shirley said as everything blurred around her in the officers' lounge then snapped back to normal. The rapidly swirling colors of hyperspace outside the four elongated windows of the lounge were making her dizzy.
"You okay?" Kallen asked her from where she sat reading the latest news from her laptop computer screen.
"I think I will be," Shirley said bleary eyed, "but being in hyperspace for over a day gives me a nauseating feeling."
"It often does that to people," Enoch told her as he brought over a few glasses of water for her, Kallen, and Rai.
"When have you done this before…" Rai started to ask but then put up his hand. "You know what, don't even answer. I'm sorry I asked."
Enoch laughed, "Suit yourself, Rai." Enoch looked over at Lelouch sitting next to C.C. at the bar with an untouched glass of orange juice in front of him. He seemed unfazed by the ship entering foldspace.
Even C.C. had to put down the slice of pizza she was nibbling on.
"Well, Big-Z, you don't look any worse for wear from our trip through hyperspace," Apsu said with a smile.
"Huh?" Lelouch asked as he left whatever thoughts were occupying his mind at the moment. "Oh, have we arrived yet?"
Kallen rolled her eyes. "No, we haven't, Lelouch. Where's your head at?"
He answered her in a smug tone, "Actually, I was considering the implications of our fleet gaining FTL technology from our Olympian allies. Using the information I garnered from the space war tactics books Enoch lent me, I've formulated a plan of defense that my sister Nunnally will need to follow if we're to survive this war."
Kallen grimaced, "That's all you think about, isn't it? How to win the next battle, war, or rebellion. It'd be nice if you'd stop acting like Zero and start living like Lelouch."
"Hey, Kallen, that's not fair," Enoch frowned. "Lelouch's ability to strategize is far beyond my abilities, and I've lived well beyond the lifespan of all of you combined. He's got a God-given gift for tactics that few are blessed with."
Rai stood up and faced Enoch. "That's not her point, Enoch. What Kallen is saying is that Lelouch doesn't think about anything else."
Apsu got Rai's point immediately as he looked from Rai to Kallen. "Oh…so that's how it is." Enoch grinned at Kallen, "I'm sorry. I should've taken your feelings into account."
Shirley's eyes grew wide as she instantly caught on to what Enoch was insinuating. "No way! Kallen and…"
"Shirley," C.C. cautioned her.
C.C. turned to Lelouch. "You okay with this?"
Lelouch gave Enoch a slight nod as he replied to C.C., "How can I not be? I don't own her."
Kallen stood up and chugged her glass of water. "Well, I'm glad that's settled." She strode up to the bar next to Lelouch and put her glass down on the counter.
"I'm sorry," Lelouch said to her softly.
"Don't be," Kallen replied in a cold tone. "It was nice while it lasted."
"Kallen…I never meant," Lelouch began just as a shudder passed through the hull of the ship.
"What's that?" Shirley pointed out the window towards a whirlpool of color on the side of the hyperspace corridor their ship was traveling in.
Lelouch and Enoch spoke simultaneously, "A singularity."
"You mean a black hole?" Rai exclaimed in a panic.
"It's too stable to be a black hole that small," C.C. said as she finished off her last slice of pizza. "It looks more like a manmade wormhole."
Her observation surprised the others.
"What?" C.C. asked. "I've always liked astronomy, so I've been studying astrophysics."
"Any ideas what this could be?" Enoch asked her.
"Probably another ship in hyperspace that's too close, or it could be some kind of—"
"Trap," Lelouch cut C.C. off as he headed for the exit.
"Where are you going?" Shirley demanded of Lelouch.
"To the bridge," he said as he ran out the door. "I've got to warn Cornelia."
Kallen put her hands on her hips. "He could have just used the ship's comm."
"I have them, milady," a redheaded, male officer said from where he sat at a large computer console. His dark-green Babylonian uniform was more space suit than military dress.
"Excellent," an inhumanly beautiful, platinum-blonde woman said from where she stood upon a large, round dais at the center of an enormous command deck. The spacious, tri-level chamber had three huge viewports, one at its front and one flanking each side of the room. A large, overhead monitor came to life above her, illuminating her sinfully tight, silver uniform.
Upon the screen a 3D digital representation of the Kaminejima could be seen traveling towards a green sphere.
"They are beyond the point of no return now, Lady Ishtar," the male officer informed her.
"Thank you, Adad," Ishtar stated in a cool tone as her ice-blue eyes scanned over the telemetry. The data came in waves on a holographic display to the left of the goddess.
"Shall I inform Gilgamesh to prepare for battle?" Adad asked her in a respectful tone.
The woman raised her left eyebrow. "Indeed. I do not wish our prey to fall victim to some overzealous fool within the ranks of the common soldiery. Tell him I want the crew alive."
"Of course, milady," Adad bowed.
"We can't seem to break free," Gilbert told Cornelia, holding down the fear that threatened to surface in his voice.
"Pull away at maximum speed—" Cornelia started to say.
"NO! Raise the shields and power up all weapons," Lelouch barked as he burst onto the bridge.
"You'd better have a good reason for this insubordination, Lelouch!" Cornelia was not pleased with him.
Lelouch caught himself and showed the proper decorum. "I'm sorry, Captain, but the situation is dire. This is a trap."
Cornelia didn't bother to ask how he knew, she was aware that Lelouch did not react in such a way without cause. "Very well. Guilford, turn us towards the disturbance and order a red alert, all hands to battlestations!"
"Thank you, Cornelia," Lelouch said, catching his breath.
She smiled at him, "You'd better be right, or I'll have you on latrine duty for a month. Now get down to your squadron, Colonel."
Lelouch snapped to attention and saluted her with a wink, "Yes, Captain."
"And, Lelouch," Cornelia gave him a sly smile, "thanks for taking the initiative."
"The enemy vessel is coming out of hyperspace now, milady," Adad informed her.
"Have Gilgamesh launch at once," Ishtar commanded.
"Yes, milady," Adad smiled wickedly then turned to the comm. officer and nodded. "Get me Gilgamesh."
Within the cavernous hangar bay of the mighty Tiamat class warship, eight Babylonian Sargon-V custom mecha moved into position for launch.
Each of the machines was armed with a combat shield and lance-like, handheld gunpod. Blue flames of ion engine thrust spewed from five engine nozzles mounted on the backs of the custom Sargon-Vs as the mecha sped down the length of the flight deck towards an open door on the far side of the deck.
"Her ladyship wants them alive," Adad said over the video monitor of the lead Sargon-V.
A dark-haired man smiled at Adad from behind the tinted glass of his space helmet. "I understand, but it's not going to be easy if what our spies have told us is true about these mortals."
"Don't tell me that the great Gilgamesh is worried about this assignment," Adad said with venom.
"Don't worry, Adad, I'm not concerned about myself," Gilgamesh snickered. "I'm just not sure I can bring all of them back alive."
"Just be sure you acquire the officers," Adad warned him, "especially the ones called Lelouch and C2. Her ladyship demands that these two be captured for Marduk. The others will be useful bargaining chips with the Gaeaen (Terran) populous in our acquisition of Nibiru."
"I'll get you your hostages, Adad," Gilgamesh spat at him. "Don't you worry about it."
Adad raised his chin. "I know you will; as champion of Ishtar, I expect you to be victorious."
"How many of them are there?" Cornelia demanded as the Kaminejima broke out of hyperspace.
"Twenty-five hundred warships," Guilford replied in a mechanical tone as the vast fleet of Babylonian spacecraft filled the viewports of the bridge.
"Composition?" Cornelia asked as her ship veered right to avoid coming into firing range of the closest enemy escort force. The Kaminejima was in the midst of the widely dispersed perimeter of Ishtar's fleet.
"One Tiamat class battleship, six Nebuchadnezzar class cruisers, and many escort ships," Guilford read over the litany of alien warships.
"Can we contact the Grecian base on Hadar?" Cornelia inquired.
"No, Captain," Guilford said. "The enemy is jamming all transmissions."
Cornelia put her hand on her chin and addressed her Tactical officer, "Darlton, can you get a fix on where we are?"
"Looks like we're in the outskirts of the Beta Centauri star-system." Darlton tapped a few holographic buttons on his monitor. "We're about 50 AU from Hadar, give or take a few million miles."
"I thought as much," she grimaced, "which means the Greek base there may be unaware of this fleet. The shipyards on Hadar are our best hope of getting out of this. Set course for Hadar, and put some distance between us and the Babylonians."
"Captain, we have incoming enemy Automatos," the man stated in a calm tone.
"Thank you, Darlton," Cornelia said in a calm tone then asked, "Have any of the enemy ships moved in towards us as of yet?"
"No, Captain," Darlton replied with a befuddled look, "their warships do not appear to be powering up their weapons. They're just sitting there."
"Maybe they didn't expect to pull us out of hyperspace," Guilford suggested.
Cornelia frowned, "No, they knew they were dragging us out."
Cornelia turned towards Dalton as she formulated a plan. "Have the enemy mecha entered into firing range yet?"
"Just barely, Captain," he replied.
"Good, fire aft batteries at them and accelerate to maximum sublight speed," she huffed. "We need to get beyond whatever weapon they're using to disrupt our hyperspace drive."
Hadron and Kaon bolts zipped past the Sargon-V machines as the Kaminejima began to accelerate away from them.
"They're getting away from us, Gilgamesh," a brutish voice bellowed over the comm.
"I can see that, Enkidu," Gilgamesh said with a sigh. "It looks like we'll have to take out their engines first."
"That's obvious, my friend," Enkidu laughed. "Shall we do so now?"
"Yes," Gilgamesh stated as he aimed the lance of his machine towards the rear engine cone of the Kaminejima and pulled the trigger of his left flight stick.
The engines of the eight Babylonian mecha ejected a brilliant spherical mass of ionized particles as they sped after the Earth warship.
"Hit them now," Gilgamesh said in a monotone.
Each of the Sargon-Vs leveled their lance-shaped gunpods and unloaded a burst of Hades Cannon bolts towards the main engine of the Kaminejima.
The beams dissipated harmlessly off the energy shields of the vessel.
"They're tougher then we thought," Enkidu laughed.
"Seems that way," Gilgamesh stated dryly as he unloaded another salvo.
"We'll never catch up to them at this rate," Enkidu said.
"We don't have to," Gilgamesh stated as the twin sigils of Geass appeared in his eyes. "Based on the available data, I can see the weakness in their defenses."
"Cheater," Enkidu snickered.
"We don't have time to play fair," Gilgamesh retorted as he opened up the general radio frequency of his unit. "All warriors of Uruk squadron, aim your weapons at the tip of the cone. Their graviton engine weakens their energy shield there greatly."
The Hades blasts of the Babylonian machines converged into one beam of concentrated energy as they struck the very tip of the engine nozzle. The energy shield over the tip of the cone flickered red-orange then shattered as the remnant of the Hades bolts slammed into the engine.
Blue electrical bolts shot over the hull of the Kaminejima as the ship slowed down.
"That's better," Gilgamesh said with a smile. "Now let's capture that ship."
"Whatever you say, old friend," Enkidu replied with a tinge of apprehension.
"What the hell is happening?" Cornelia barked at Lloyd's image on the main viewscreen as the Kaminejima slowed down to a drift.
"Well," Lloyd began in a matter-of-fact manner, "it would appear there is a deficiency in Rakshata's graviton engine design."
Cecile Croomy snickered in the background, "I thought you designed the configuration of the engine, Lloyd."
"What? Nonsense—" Lloyd began to protest.
"I don't care who designed it!" Cornelia shouted. "I need to know if you can fix it."
"Well, there's no need to get excited, Captain," the chief engineer said with a wave of his hand. "All we need to do is recalibrate the main coils."
"How long will that take?" Cornelia inquired.
"Oh…" Lloyd put his finger on his chin. "I'd say about fifteen to twenty minutes."
"We don't have that long," Cornelia informed him. "The enemy is upon us now."
"Well, I can't help that, Cornelia," Lloyd stated with a thin smile. "The engines need that much time to power back up…can't be helped."
"Fine, do what you have to, but get the engines back online," Cornelia said in frustration as Lloyd signed off.
"What now, Captain?" Guilford inquired.
"Damn it," Cornelia cursed under her breath as she looked to Guilford. "Order the Crimson Cavaliers to launch. We need to buy Lloyd some time."
"Aye, Captain," Guilford nodded.
"Looks like they stopped firing," Enkidu stated. "Maybe they mean to surrender."
"Not likely." Gilgamesh looked over the ship with his Geass. "They're preparing to launch their Automatos."
"You sure…" Enkidu began to ask as a slew of red-orange energy discs nearly cut his machine in two. "Guess you're right!"
"Naturally," Gilgamesh said as the six mecha of the Crimson Cavaliers flew out from beneath the Kaminejima. "My CHESSMAN power is rarely wrong, old friend."
"Shall we take them as a whole or individually?" Enkidu asked.
"We'll pair up two-by-two in the usual manner for now." Gilgamesh didn't like the flight pattern before him. "Whoever is commanding them is definitely a skilled tactician. We need to proceed with caution."
"You sure about this, Lelouch?" Kallen asked. "A single-line formation seems dangerous considering they're coming at us in pairs."
Lelouch retorted in a cold tone, "Yes, I'm quite sure since it's the only way out of this."
"Too late to change course now," Enoch added as he moved his Type-21Z, in fighter mode, into the position in front of Samael as per Lelouch's plan. "Here they come."
Lelouch flew Samael dangerously close behind Enoch's Type-21Z as the four pairs of enemy mecha split up in order to come at them from different directions.
"They're changing tactics, Lelouch," Rai said as he flew his Type-21Z in front of the Guren-Pheonix.
"Don't worry, Rai," Enoch said with confidence, "he knows what he's doing."
"I sure hope so," Shirley added, "because I don't like idea of C2 flying up the tail of my Type-21 in her Hakodeshim."
"Hey, that's not fair, Lieutenant Finette. I'm an exceptionally good pilot," C.C. protested.
"Enough," Lelouch scolded them as the Babylonian machines closed in.
"They're not using their long-range weapons," Enoch told Lelouch.
"Yeah, I noticed." Lelouch watched their movements closely as he twirled his black king chess piece in his right hand.
The Sargon-Vs began to spin counterclockwise in unison.
"Break formation," Lelouch commanded, "use dispersal pattern Zeta-7."
"Roger that," the others stated without hesitation.
The Type-21Zs transformed and boosted in a downward path away from their non-transformable partners.
"Now, let's see how you deal with this," Lelouch spoke to himself as he fired a pair of copper-gold beams from the forearms of the Samael at one of the pairs of Sargon-Vs.
His beams struck one of the Babylonian machines dead center, destroying it instantly and causing the second Sargon-V to break formation.
"Now, execute a Scimitar attack!" Lelouch barked over the radio.
Kallen smiled wickedly, "Now that sounds more like it." She unloaded a hail of energy discs at one of the pair of Sargon-Vs approaching her and Rai until she drove it where she wanted it. "Too bad for you," she whispered as Kallen fired the Baryon Cannon of the Guren-Phoenix.
The Baryon beam hit the Babylonian mecha as the doomed pilot of the machine tried to parry with the machine's shield. The Guren's blast melted through the large, spade-shaped shield into the torso of the Sargon-V and its power plant. In the next second, the mecha erupted in a white disc of molten metal as its reactor blew.
"My, my, aren't they a fierce lot," Enkidu stated bluntly as he fingered the trigger to his lance-mounted Hades Cannon.
"Indeed they are. It's a pity our attack on their main engine dispersed so many electromagnetic particles in this area, it's jamming our main sensors," Gilgamesh told him calmly. "It shouldn't matter much longer though since they've broken their formation and are now revealing the tactics and abilities of their machines to me."
"Well, I hope they hurry up and reveal what you need because they're tearing us apart," Enkidu cautioned his comrade as Enoch's Type-21Z cut down another of the Sargon-Vs.
"I'm almost done. I believe the red one is the Guren-Phoenix, and the transformable ones are standard Type-21s," Gilgamesh told him as he watched the battle using his Geass, "but I'm not sure about those other two."
The Guren charged the second Sargon-V it was fighting as Gilgamesh looked on. In one swift move, Kallen dodged a thrust from the mecha's Hades lance then grabbed onto the machine with the Guren-Phoenix's Fukusha Hadou Kikou Supernova weapon arm. The giant claw grasped the Sargon-V by the head as it sent a superheated wave of radiant energy over the machine, melting the mecha instantly.
Gilgamesh made a sinister grin. "I've seen all I need to. That red machine is certainly the Guren, and it shall be our first target. Use a standard retreat pattern and prepare to execute the Dragon's Breath attack formation."
Enkidu was happy to oblige. "'Bout time."
"Hah, teach you to mess with us," Kallen snickered as she backed the Guren away from the molten slag that had been a Sargon-V moments before.
"Kallen, look out!" Rai bellowed over the radio.
Colonel Kozuki looked up just in time to see a Hades blast headed her way.
Instinctively, Kallen used the wing-generated ultimate-defense barrier shield to block the beam. The green sphere generated by the wings encircled her mecha and caused the Hades bolts to bounce off.
"Lelouch, they changed their attack pattern again," C.C. said in her monotone. "Looks like they're retreating."
"Not likely," Lelouch replied as he tried to blast one of the four remaining Sargon-Vs. "They're attempting to lead us away from the Kaminejima. We can't let them do that. Regroup at point A23 and pair up."
"They're regrouping," Enkidu informed Gilgamesh.
"Exactly as planned," he responded as he watched the KMFs move towards the rear of the Kaminejima. "We'll take down the red one first, as it posses the greatest threat."
"I don't like the looks of those two unidentified types. There's nothing in the data on the Gaeaen machines that indicate anything like that in their inventory," Enkidu told Gilgamesh as their machines regrouped with the other two remaining Sargon-Vs.
"The dual beam blasts that were fired earlier are akin to their Kaon beam weapons. It may be a pair of new-model KMFs we've not seen before," Gilgamesh told him.
"I dunno," Enkidu said, "the general shape of those two look familiar."
"Many mecha look similar to others we've come across over the years," Gilgamesh reassured him as they their four-man team swirled high above the six members of the Crimson Cavaliers.
"I suppose you're right," Enkidu stated as they moved into position.
"Now," Gilgamesh commanded, "DIVE!"
"Damn it!" Lelouch yelled. "They saw through my plan again."
"They're coming in fast!" Enoch yelled as he fired a hail of Kaon beams towards the lead Sargon-V.
The insane speed of the Babylonian machine made it almost impossible to hit as it and its three companions spiraled down in a twisting pattern with their lances and shields forward.
"They're heading for the fold-ring," Shirley shouted as the machines screamed past them.
"We've got to stop them!" Rai said.
"I can't hit them," C.C. griped as she blasted away with both of the spherical forearm weapons of her Ariel. The green blobs of deadly energy impacted the hull of the Kaminejima.
"Stop firing!" Lelouch ordered. "You'll do more damage than the enemy, and that is precisely what they want."
"Then let's get up close and personal." Kallen boosted the Guren after them at full throttle.
"Kallen, no, wait!" Enoch yelled as he chased after her in his Type-21.
"The Guren has taken the bait," Gilgamesh stated with a wide smile. "Execute the Dragon's Breath now!"
The four Sargon-Vs reversed their engines and whipped around.
The Guren came up on them at full speed as the four Babylonian mecha unloaded a full barrage of Hades Cannon bolts at point-blank range.
The cannon blasts blew off the wings, left leg, and right arm of Kallen's machine, sending the mecha headfirst into the portside fold engine warp nacelle where the Guren-Phoenix exploded.
Author's Notes:
Next Chapter: Escape or Die