Code Geass: Alpha & Omega
Stage Three
Escape or Die
"Geass can do wonderful things. It can also do horrible hings. For me it was a curse, for Lelouch it was the key to his rebellion, and for Kallen it was the key to her survival."-Excerpt from the personal diary of C.C., dated March 2nd, 2035 a.t.b.
February 27th, 2035 a.t.b.
"Kallen, eject!" Enoch shouted over the comm. of his helmet as his Type-21Z flew into the midst of the Sargon-Vs.
Colonel Kozuki tried to maneuver her KnightMare Frame to no avail and then pulled the ejection lever.
"There's no response from the controls!" Kallen yelled in a panic. She donned her space suit helmet as the Guren flew out of control towards the portside fold engine nacelle.
"KALLEN!" Enoch bellowed over the radio as he cut down two of the Sargon-Vs with the beam-sabers of his Zebulun. "Get out of there!"
Kallen stared at the rapidly approaching fold engine nacelle as adrenaline coursed through her body. "I can't die like this!" she yelled aloud as the power of Geass burned in her eye. The image of the bridge of the Kaminejima became crystal clear in her mind as she felt her body become weightless. The orange-red glow of Geass surrounded her form, and instantly, she was gone from the Guren as the machine smashed into the engine pod.
"BASTARDS!" Enoch cursed over the general radio frequency as his Type-21Z raced towards the two remaining Sargon-Vs.
"That voice!" Enkidu gasped as Enoch's transmission reverberated through his helmet radio.
"Could it be?" Gilgamesh blurted out as the Type-21Z came at them in a fury.
"Gilgamesh…look out!" Enkidu warned him as he activated his own Geass. His Sargon-V flew at blinding speed to intercept Enoch.
Enkidu parried Enoch's beam-saber attack with his machine's combat shield. "You'll have to get through me first if you wish to challenge master Gilgamesh," Enkidu told Enoch over the comm.
"Enkidu," Enoch said with venom. "So, it's Ishtar's pair of lackeys that are responsible for this, eh?"
"It is you," Gilgamesh said in awe. "Enkidu, retreat. We're no match for this devil. Besides, we've done what we came to do. Their engine is badly damaged, they're not going anywhere."
"But we can't just let this dog live," Enkidu replied as he dodged another of Enoch's beam-saber attacks.
"We'll get another chance, my friend," Gilgamesh told him as he fired a hail of Hades Cannon blasts at Enoch to drive him back.
"Aw, leaving so soon?" Enoch fired a volley of Hadron blasts from the forearm cannons of his machine at Enkidu.
"This will keep you busy," Enkidu said as he drove the lance of his machine into the side of the bridge of the Kaminejima. The weapon pod began to glow red as Enkidu's Sargon-V sped off to join Gilgamesh's machine.
Enoch started after them but Lelouch called to him over the comm. "Enoch, that lance is overloading. If it goes off, it will rupture the hull and destroy the bridge."
"Get a medical team up here now," Cornelia ordered her communications officer. "The Colonel is clearly injured."
"We've lost all contact with them, Ambassador." Kannon Maldini stood behind Nunnally vi Britannia as she gazed out at the city of Tartarus floating motionlessly above Earth's moon Luna.
"I see," Nunnally replied softly as she turned towards the dark-haired woman sitting in a large, comfy chair to her right. "Are they…can you sense anything, Lysandra?"
The girl shifted slightly in the chair. "Yes…I sensed Kallen's power. She's used it recently, which means that they are still alive."
Kannon looked towards the young woman. "That is fine news, milady, but we need to know where they are."
"I am unable to tell you in actual distance," Lysandra said. "What I see is a large fleet chasing them and a ringed gas giant with many moons ahead of them. Cornelia sees refuge near that planet…" Lysandra closed her eyes in concentration. "She seeks to hide among the debris and moons that surround the ringed world. They are in a desperate situation."
"That's enough, Lysandra," Nunnally said to her. "We know the flight path of the Kaminejima, and so I've requested the rescue teams scour the star-systems within their path. We know based on their routine communiqués that they were almost to Beta Centauri."
"Madame Ambassador," Kannon addressed Nunnally with a slight bow, "with all due respect, can we afford to spread our forces so thinly? If what Lysandra sees is accurate, then the Kaminejima is in fact facing the main Babylonian fleet. Our meager forces are no match for them without the aid of the Olympians."
"I understand your concern, Kannon." Nunnally faced him. "However, it is imperative that they not fall into the hands of the Babylonians. The consequences could be dire."
Kannon glanced at Lysandra. "It's that thing Nemo, isn't it?"
Lysandra nodded at him. "More accurately, it's my inability to make contact with it anymore. He's sealed his mind off from me."
"First he lied to you, then he tried to intimidate you, now he's shut you out." Nunnally contemplated the course of events since their first contact with the entity known as Nemo. "Even Hel has been scarce since the Irregulars shot her down over Nibiru. I can't see them just giving up and being content to live on the mobile planet."
"What else can they possibly do?" Kannon asked as if the subject were a closed matter. "They're stranded on the artificial planet. The Thought Elevators are sealed, and any craft which would attempt to leave the surface will be shot down by our fleet that guards the planet."
Lysandra nodded in agreement, "I concur. We must proceed with great care if we are to avoid whatever abyss this thing is trying to lead us into."
Kannon regarded both women, "Are you going to bring this before the Galactic Council?"
Nunnally raised her chin. "I have to. They need to know the danger we all face from the thing that lies within Nibiru."
"So you're going no matter what?" Kannon didn't hide his uneasiness.
"Of course I am, Kannon," Nunnally said firmly. "I am the ambassador of the Commonwealth of Earth. It is my duty to represent our people to the other races and plead our case to them."
"I know, milady, but it's so far away," Kannon said.
"Twelve thousand light years is a long way," Nunnally giggled, "but I'm told by Rakshata that our ships can make the round trip in about one hundred days."
"Almost four months," Kannon sighed. "I hope you know what you're doing."
"Don't worry, Kannon," Nunnally assured him. "Jason's squadron will be accompanying our task force of ships. We'll be well guarded and protected during our journey."
"Do you think Kaguya and Lihua will be okay without you?" Kannon inquired in a lighter tone.
Nunnally snickered, "Of course they will be. Zero and the Red Dragon are here to protect them should the need arise. Besides, by the time I get back, the strength of our space fleet will be nearly that of the Babylonian main armada. Should the worst happen, they'll be able to hold them back until a diplomatic solution can be reached."
"You hope to parley the Galactic Council in order to stop the Babylonian invasion?" Kannon was amazed at her boldness.
Nunnally smiled, "Of course."
"I don't like this, Jason," Akira said over his helmet radio as their fleet patrolled the outskirts of the Jupiter sphere. The large, red planet spun slowly in the distance, but its surface swarmed with turbulence and activity of an odd nature.
"Your scientists have predicted for decades that the red spot would dissipate eventually," Jason replied. "It's not that unusual."
"These things happen, lad," Heracles piped in.
"I realize this may be nothing more than a natural event," Akira said as he flew his Susano-O next to the Talos, "but it happened so suddenly."
"Stop being so skittish, Akira," Mika scolded him from the Kali. "We haven't a clue why Jupiter's surface is so tumultuous right now."
"Still, the entire surface of such a large planet being disturbed can't be good," Lena added.
"I've been monitoring the data coming in from Count Amontillado's fleet since the disturbance began twenty-six hours ago," Anya said in her monotone. "If this data is correct, then the size of Jupiter has shrunk by 1.3% during that time."
"Shrunk?" Tetsuo blurted out.
"Actually, it may be more accurate to say it's collapsed by 1.3%," Anya corrected herself.
"Are you sure it's collapsing?" Gregor asked in a skeptical tone. "That would require a significant stellar event for that, wouldn't it?"
"I suppose it would," Anya admitted, "but it's the only logical explanation. Otherwise, something would have to be siphoning off the surface at an incredible rate. It would take a machine of enormous size."
"Like the size of a planet?" Akira asked.
"Yeah…" Anya realized the implications of her own words.
"We'd better hurry up and meet the count as quickly as possible," Jason said with concern. "I think this whole situation just got a lot more complicated."
"You failed!" Adad addressed Gilgamesh with scorn as the Babylonian warrior stood upon the command deck of the Tiamat class warship Hammurabi before his mistress, Ishtar.
"Don't be too hard on him, Adad," Ishtar cooed. "He did disable their fold drive without destroying the vessel. That's a feat worthy of him."
"But he was charged with capturing the Gaeaen warship," Adad protested, "and he failed miserably. He should be put to death."
Gilgamesh stood stoic before his mistress as Ishtar inquired, "Is this true? Have you failed me to such a degree that you deserve death?"
Gilgamesh was emotionless as he responded, "If it pleases you, my mistress, then I will submit to such a penalty, but first allow me to inform you of the dangers of this ship's crew."
"Dangers?" Adad tittered. "What danger could mere mortals pose to us? The only danger here is your pathetic incompetence—"
"Enough!" Ishtar scowled at Adad before turning back to Gilgamesh. "Tell me, my champion, what dangers lay within that ship."
Gilgamesh looked directly into Ishtar's eyes as he spoke, "Enoch."
Her expression flashed with fury. "What? Impossible."
"You dare to lie!" Adad yelled at him.
"It is no lie," Gilgamesh stated sternly. "I fought him myself."
"Then how is it you still live?" Adad interrogated him.
"Enkidu forced Enoch to choose between us and his vessel," Gilgamesh replied, never taking his eyes off Ishtar.
"A wise move," Ishtar stated in a low tone as her ice-blue eyes probed Gilgamesh. "I believe you, my champion."
"If what he says is true, then we must destroy that ship now," Adad demanded. "Enoch Apsu is too dangerous an adversary to allow free movement. We may not be able to kill him, but we can strand him here in space."
"Under normal circumstances, I would concur with you, Adad, but our orders are from Marduk himself." Ishtar eyed him. "You will not harm that vessel unless Marduk gives his blessing to do so. For now, you will tail that ship and send out interception squadrons all around her, but make sure our craft keep their distance."
"Even with the full force of our armada they still might slip through our net," Adad grumbled.
"Then be sure they don't," Ishtar glared at him. "Herd them towards the twelfth planet in this system. It contains numerous moons and a large debris ring in which they will find irresistible hiding places."
Adad was confounded. "Hiding places? Why would you wish to give them a place to hide?"
Ishtar regarded him like she would a child, "Because, my dear Adad, their ship is damaged, and they'll need someplace to hide to repair her."
"I see," Adad feigned to understand. "What shall I do when they set down to repair their warship?"
"Leave that to Gilgamesh," Ishtar said as she offered her champion her hand. "Come, Gilgamesh, let us retire to my bedchamber to discuss what it is you shall do when these mortals find a suitable nook for us to corner them in."
Gilgamesh took her hand. "Of course, my mistress."
The pair left Adad standing on the bridge brooding over the fact that Gilgamesh had bested him yet again.
"Are they still following us?" Cornelia asked Darlton form where she stood at the center of the bridge.
"Yes, Captain, but at a considerable distance from us," Claudio stated as he watched the mass of blips on his tactical screen. "It would seem we're surrounded on all sides by their forces, yet they don't attack."
"We need to shake them," Guilford said as he brought up a map of the Beta Centauri star-system on the overhead monitor. "The twelfth planet is the closest to us. It's a gas giant with thirty-five moons and six dense debris rings in differing orbits around the main planet."
"Sounds like a good place to shake them." Cornelia put her hand to her chin. "Still, it would also make for a good place to ambush us if they choose to."
"Something on your mind, Captain?" Guilford asked.
Cornelia smiled, "Yes. They have the upper hand in this, yet they don't attack us with anything except eight Sargon-Vs. Then they back off and keep their distance."
"You think they mean to capture us rather than destroy us?" Guilford inquired.
"That would be my guess." Cornelia looked up at the map of the star-system. "Darlton, give me a close-up of the twelfth planet's sphere."
"Yes, Captain." Claudio tapped away at a few digital icons on the screen of his station. A moment later, the overhead monitor displayed a map of the gas giant and its orbiting bodies.
"Are any of these moons habitable?" Cornelia asked Darlton.
"Yes, ma'am." He brought up the images of three of the moons. "The twenty-third through twenty-fifth have atmospheres that are capable of supporting life. However, only the twenty-fourth is Earth-like; the other two are closer to a Mars/Earth hybrid."
"Well then, looks like we know where we have to land for repairs," Cornelia scowled. "Which means our enemy knows as well."
"We could attempt to break through their blockade," Guilford suggested.
"No." Cornelia studied the map. "We're like rats in a cage and they know it, but that doesn't mean we can't bite when they reach in to grab us. Get me Lloyd."
The communications officer called down to engineering, and Chief Engineer Asplund's image replaced the map of the twelfth planet.
"Yes, Cornelia?" he asked in a bored tone. "Let me guess, you want to know how long the fold drive needs for repair?"
Cornelia's brow raised. "Yes, Lloyd."
"In space…about a week," he said nonchalantly. "If I had a decent planet to work on…with raw materials, about three days."
"I've found a suitable planet, but I'll need to know what materials you require so we can set down near them." Cornelia was impressed with his timetable. It was better than she had hoped.
"Oh, one step ahead of me, eh?" Lloyd adjusted his glasses. "I'll send you up my wish list pronto. In the meantime, I'll see what I can do while we make our way to this planet of yours."
"Actually, it's a moon," she grinned, "but it should suffice."
"Will she be alright?" Rai asked a nurse as Kallen slept peacefully in a medical bed with sensor pads on her arms and head.
"Yes," the woman reassured him. "She just overexerted herself and needs to rest. Other than that, she's in tip-top condition."
Rai was relieved. "Thank you." He took Kallen's hand in his as he watched her sleeping. "Don't worry, Colonel, we're headed for a habitable moon where we can fix the ship. If all goes well, we should arrive at Hadar in a few days."
Kallen's eyes fluttered open. "Hey."
"Colonel," Rai blurted out ecstatically as he let go of her hand. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to wake you."
"That's okay," she replied as her eyes widened. "Where is everybody?"
—Excerpt from the personal diary of C.C., dated March 2nd, 2035 a.t.b.
Rai hung his head. "They're helping with the repairs of the fold-ring."
"And you're not with them?" Kallen smiled.
"No," he said sheepishly, "I couldn't concentrate not knowing how you were doing."
"So Enoch sent you here?"
Rai wore a confused expression. "Actually, it was Lelouch that relieved me so I could see how you were doing."
"Lelouch?" she asked with a weak smile. "I see."
Rai put on a grin and changed the subject. "Hey, Major Croomy says that she and Lloyd were able to recover some of Guren. She says they should be able to fashion a custom Type-21Z for you in the next few days."
"Tell them I don't need a new model," Kallen said somberly. "The standard Type-21Z is good enough. Besides, it isn't the machine that makes the pilot, it's the pilot that makes the machine."
"Don't be too hard on yourself, Colonel." Rai gave her a sympathetic look. "We had to stop the Babylonians from destroying the ship. You just reacted faster than we did, that's all."
Kallen scowled, "No, Rai…I acted on impulse. I should've waited when Enoch asked me to. I was reckless because we were cutting the Sargon-Vs down so easily. It hadn't occurred to me that these Babylonians would throw their soldiers' lives away without a care."
"I guess the old imperial Britannian sentiment is alive and well in these Babylonians," Rai lamented.
"Or something like it," she replied with a dark expression. "They obviously want us alive for some reason, and I doubt it can be for anything good."
"I suppose you're right," Rai agreed, "but what could they be after?"
"That's a good question," Kallen replied as she started to get up.
Rai tried to gently push her back down. "Oh, no, Colonel. You need to stay in bed. Doctor's orders."
"Don't give me that crap, Rai." Kallen brushed his arms aside. Rai fell forward onto Kallen's face and their lips met.
Kallen blushed and smiled at him.
Rai jumped back. "Uh, sorry, Colonel…I didn't mean—"
Kozuki grabbed him by the shoulders. "Rai," she cooed, "shut up." Kallen kissed him passionately.
"I'm not sure I completely understand what it is you're saying, Count Amontillado," Jason said as he and the Yamato no Orochi walked alongside the masked man on the bridge of the Arcadia where the vessel and its large fleet of Earth warships hung above the metallic surface of Nibiru.
"What I'm saying is that Nibiru is now active." The count gestured towards the overhead monitor of the Kaminejima class warship.
On the screen above was a digital 3D image of the planet Nibiru.
"From what we can gather, only certain sections of the mobile planet have become active," the count informed them as various small sections of the digital image were colored yellow.
"The massive hole at the base of the planet is active?" Akira inquired. "Why?"
"We don't know exactly," a pale-haired woman said as she came up to join them.
"Ah, allow me to introduce to you Lucretia, our primary terrain analyst," the count informed them while the other members of the Irregulars walked up.
"Sancia, kindly give our friends what little data we have," the count said to the dark-haired woman at the front of the troop.
Sancia nodded. "The systems became active only a few days ago." The digital display above them changed to a bottom view of the Dyson Sphere. "The exact purpose of this large orifice is unknown, but what we do know is that it is stripping Jupiter of its atmospheric hydrogen at an alarming rate. It is sucking in hundreds of billions of tons of gas every hour, and if it continues at this rate, it will have consumed Jupiter's atmosphere in a little over four months."
"That still doesn't explain how or why Nibiru has started doing this all of a sudden," Mika griped.
"She has a point," Heracles said with his hand on his hip. "Planets, even artificial ones, don't just start sucking down the atmospheres of other planets for no reason."
"I agree," Count Amontillado confessed, "but unless we break quarantine and go down to the surface to investigate, there is no way for us to know who or what is causing this phenomenon."
"I think the who of this situation is pretty obvious," Anya said in her monotone, "the real question is why."
The others slowly nodded in agreement.
"It would seem Hel is up to her old tricks again," Alice said as she folded her arms. "I can't say I'm surprised. It was only a matter of time before she tried something."
Jason put his hand on his chin. "How much of the planet is active?"
"Only basic functions as far as my Geass can tell," Sancia told him.
"I haven't detected any significant movement on Nibiru except for the large orifice at the bottom of the sphere," Lucretia added.
"Well then," Gregor blurted out, "we know where to find out what's going on, so let's get our butts down there since just standing around here speculating isn't going to answer our questions."
"We can't just fly down there without authorization, there, Gregor," Mika scolded him. "We need permission."
"Actually," Count Amontillado paused, "I have the power to authorize an expedition to the surface should the situation require it."
"You do?" Akira asked. "On who's authority."
Jason snickered, "The Three Sisters I would imagine."
Count Amontillado laughed, "Yes…they insisted on me having emergency powers for just this kind of event."
"The who?" Lena asked in a confused tone.
"Nunnally, Kaguya, and the Tianzi," Heracles chortled. "We call them the Three Sisters after Atropos, Lachesis, and Clotho."
"More commonly known as the Morae, or Fates," Jason informed them.
"Ah…I see," Lena giggled, "those three do seem to mold the world into their way, so I suppose it is appropriate."
"Still, the simple draining of a gas giant doesn't merit the risk of being exposed to Hel's power," Jason said. "There must be another way of dealing with this."
"No," Count Amontillado said pleasantly, "there isn't."
"How can you be so sure?" Akira pressed him.
"Perhaps you should see for yourself." The count nodded towards Colonel Madd who in turn instructed the helmsman to move the ship towards the bottom of Nibiru.
The Arcadia made her way swiftly towards the underside of the mobile planet. As the craft came towards the southern pole, a large, spiraling mass of gas was swirling into the massive maw of the orifice at the bottom of the Dyson Sphere. The visage of the cosmic tornado filled the main viewports of the ship as it slowed to a stop hundreds of miles from the circular hole in Nibiru.
"It's horribly awesome," Tetsuo said in awe of the spectacle.
"There's more to this than just the funnel of gas," Amontillado informed them, "but this information must remain between us for now. Understood?"
Jason and his companions nodded in silence as the magnitude of Nibiru's power suck into their psyches.
The count nodded to Madd who tapped a holographic key on his control station. Instantly, a digital window appeared on the glass of the central window of the bridge, magnifying a portion of the spout of the stellar vortex.
"Oh, my GOD!" Anya shouted as the magnified image became clearer.
"What are they?" Akira asked as he saw the faintly humanoid forms within the gas as they plummeted towards the gapping mouth of Nibiru.
The count addressed them in a cold tone, "Souls."
Author's Note:
Next Chapter: Stage Four: Cave of Wonder