Part VII: the hill garden part I
Murmilos position, training ground.
Shirley was practicing knightmare combat with her squad unit, when the regimental commander came into the room.
"Listen up men, Prince Lelouch and sir Kururugi will be returning within the week from Asia minor, and we have been ordered to prepare to move out at a moment's notice, looks like we will have our first taste of battle soon" the men replied to the cheers of those around.
Shirley also joined with them in cheering, since now she would show to Lelouch what she can do, that she wants to be besides him no matter where he goes.
(Lelouch's private plane)
"Shirley has managed to pass the test to join our knightmare corps, and Nina is now a member of the Purists!" Lelouch said to Suzaku who sat next to him.
"I'm afraid it's true, I just don't understand how all this could have happened, we've only been gone three weeks from Japan" Suzaku replied to him..
"Good thing we didn't stay a whole month" Lelouch said and they both shared a chuckle.
"By the way Lelouch why are your siblings Castor and Pollex and Guinevere coming to Japan, don't they think you're doing a good job by yourself?" Suzaku asked him.
"That's the problem I'm doing a too good a job, they are trying to find flaws in my accomplishments and steal some of my thunder after I did most of the hard work" Lelouch replied disgust was in his voice.
"Do you know of an incident that happened to Nunnally a few days ago?" Suzaku asked him attempting to brighten his mood.
"What happened?" Lelouch asked him.
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Nunnally who was temporary governor while Lelouch was away was in a meeting with Euphie and the officials who governed Japan.
"In conclusion I suggest we devote our resources to the immediate construction of the prospected project" one of the officials said and the other agreed.
"Wait, that project you referred to contains disadvantages to the Japanese population, we do not approve of it and want it rewritten until the disadvantages are gone" Euphie said to them and Nunnally agreed with her.
"Princesses Nunnally, Euphemia, I know that this seems to have flaws in it with regards to the eleven population, but I assure you that it is only in the short term, thrust us and leave the development of this country to us advisers who have experience in these matters" the official replied.
"Mister Benedict, I-I am the acting governor and if you do not obey my command, then I-I will have you arrested on the charge of defying the royal house!" Nunnally barely managed to say and this mad the man jump along with the other officials
Xxxxxxxx
HA ha! She actually said that to them, good for her!" Lelouch replied as his heart swelled with pride for his little sister
"I'd expect nothing less from one who bares your blood!" A voice was heard coming from the bathroom, and Lelouch and Suzaku's latest comrade came from it.
"You seam extremely happy to come with us Mustafa" Suzaku said to him as Mustafa said next to them and gave each of them a hug.
"Of course! After a year of killing European dogs who only know how to run away I have the opportunity to fight alongside my two friends and face the fearsome Zero in combat" Mustafa replied to them.
"You'll get your chance my friend, believe me you will" Lelouch said to him as their flight continued to Japan.
(Black Knight base)
"Inoue you will take the 1st battalion and position yourselves in the eastern pass, Sugiyama you will take the 2nd and remain hidden in the forest to the north, Yoshida will do the same with the 3rd battalion to the west, Minami will take the 4th and guard the south, Tamaki you will take the 4th battalion and guard the Summit of the mountain along with Kallen and the infantry" Zero said to those assembled.
"What will I be doing Zero?" Ohgi asked him.
"You will be at my side and act as my chief of staff from the JLF command room, I suspect that is where we will find ourselves once the attack begins" Zero replied to Ohgi.
"Shouldn't we warn the JLF of the impending attack?" Kallen asked him.
"That is the purpose of us going there" Zero said to her.
"Hey Zero, in this coming battle we will fight Britannia, so why don't we join forces with the JLF, instead of just positioning ourselves close to them" Ohgi said to him.
"The JLF have for the past eight years done nothing except feed the anti-Japanese sentiment of the empire through terrorism which didn't even hit major targets, we in eight weeks have defeated a fielded army in Shinjuku, killed a prince, stolen 300 knightmares, made a fool out of the Empire, and despite all that this is the offer they have presented to me" Zero said to him and motioned for C.C to read a letter from them.
"The rank of colonel and command of a knightmare battalion, along with the showing of your face to them" C.C replied.
"I am only going to say this once…Ohgi you are my right hand, and through that you have more power and more influence than either Todoh or Katase, you are not their inferior, you are their superior, neither you nor any of us will take orders from them, but they may take orders from us, they will join us and not the other way around and the reason for this is that a prince of the Empire himself admitted that the Black Knights are the biggest threat to the Empire, not the JLF!" Zero said and a round of applause and cheers came from those assembled.
(Tokyo, Government planning room)
"And in conclusion we will have the third regiment stationed on the mountains north side." Pollex said as he finished his briefing.
"What of the Murmilos?" Euphie asked her brother.
"They will be kept in reserve to guard the edges of the area and guard the city, unless their commander objects to this?" Castor said and gestured to Lelouch who was pretending to be asleep in his chair.
"That settles it meeting adjourned then" Guinevere said and with Castor and Pollex left the room.
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A few moments latter Lelouch opened his eyes after they left.
"Why didn't you object to where they placed our troops? The first battle against the terrorists and we are left out of it!" Mustafa asked Lelouch as he was angry at this.
"Would you prefer they also die in the landslide?" Lelouch asked him unfazed by Mustafa's anger.
"Landslide? What landslide?" Suzaku asked him.
"The one which Zero will engineer at Narita, at least that's what I would do if I were him….and if I were Guinevere I would have spread our units in a longer circle around the mountain and advance into small groups in very loose skirmish formation, I would then fight a battle of attrition against the defenders, which I would win without the danger of having my army buried alive" Lelouch replied.
"You did voice the danger of that happening earlier today to them, but they wouldn't listen" Nunnally said to those present.
"That's why I was pretending to be asleep, our brilliant siblings believe the Japanese too stupid to engineer such a plan, and because of their idiocy many good soldiers will die tomorrow" Lelouch replied as he got up from his chair.
"Why didn't you try to stop this madness?" Suzaku asked him.
"I tried, but Guinevere is higher in personal rank, royal rank and court rank than me…Don't look so surprise or angry Suzaku, in this country it doesn't matter how right or wrong you are, only what title you have" Lelouch said as he left for his quarters.
xxxxxxx.
Once there he summoned Shirley to his room.
"You wanted to see me Lulu?" Shirley said to him as she arrived.
"Are you certain you wish to come to battle with us, regardless of what you may see, do or….loose…." Lelouch said as he poured himself something to drink.
"….Yes…..Shirley said determination in her voice and also a tone which said she understood all of its implications.
"Then have a drink with me before going to sleep, for tomorrow we do not know if we will ever see the star again" Lelouch said and he handed her a cup filled with nectar
(Narita, JLF base)
Zero and Ohgi along with a few bodyguards were brought into the JLF compounds entrance there they were greeted by Kaguya.
"Zero-sama, it is wonderful to be able to meet you so soon" Kaguya said as she extended her arm to act as Zero's escort, which Zero accepted.
xxxxxxx.
A few minutes later he was sitting on a pillow mattress with Kaguya and Ohgi on his flanks, Katase sat in front of him with Todoh and the four holy swords behind him.
"Greeting to you Colonel Todoh it is an honor to be in the presence of a soldier of your caliber" Zero said to him, the fact that he ignored Katase was well observed by everyone.
"So tell me Zero what is the purpose of requesting this meeting?" Katase said to him a bit offended by his action.
"An alliance against the Empire of course, surely you can see that we have a common foe" Zero replied.
"Our offer still stands, with our condition "Katase replied.
"And let's say I accept to be your subordinate, what would you have me do then? Burn down a church? Blow up a hospital? Like you had Katase do to that school" Zero replied the sarcasm in his voice clear.
"Why you!" Chiba said but she quickly restrained herself.
"Kusakabe's actions were not the best , but he was acting on his own we had nothing to do with it" Katase replied.
"But you don't seem to mind his actions or their effect, or haven't you noticed that anti-Japanese sentiment is all time high because of his actions." Zero replied to him.
"Colonel Kusakabe loved his country and he fought against it's invaders, it is a regrettable action, but it would have never have happened if the Brittannian's hadn't invaded this land, and you seem mighty quick to demonize a freedom fighter" Kusakabe replied.
"So let me get this straight taking innocent teenagers and children and threatening to kill them is consider fighting for freedom, it seems that I have a different dictionary than you, one that does not rewrite itself constantly" Zero replied which made Katase jump from his seating position, the implications made him reach for his sword and draw it close and hover it menacingly an inch above Zero's head.
Zero did not flinch, this made Ohgi, Katase, Todoh and even Chiba surprised, the man seemed to not fear death.
"Now now, let's just all calm down, we are here to fight a common enemy not each other" Kaguya said and that released the tension, and Katase retracted his blade.
"I apologize for my outburst" Kusakabe said to Zero.
"There is nothing to apologize for, we all have moments when we lose control" Zero said to him.
"Our offer to you is not unreasonable or petty, you would still command your forces, and you're rank would make you Todoh's equal so why are you refusing it?" Katase asked.
"Let me ask you a question general what is your objective?" Zero asked him.
"The liberation of Japan of course!" Katase said to him.
"And then what? Let's say you manage to do just that, do you have a plan that will allow you to do that with minimal casualties, and one to face the hoards of China and Legions of Europe after that, or better yet to strike at Brittannia to ensure its ultimate downfall?" Zero said to him.
"It's sounds like you have more installed than just simply liberating Japan" Kusakabe replied to him.
"That is just one step of my plan" Zero replied.
"What plan?" Kusakabe asked.
"Do destroy every corrupt regime on this planet" Zero replied which surprised everyone in the room.
"It seems I've overestimated you, you are delusional and I have no need of a useless subordinate" Kusakabe replied with a mocking chuckle, but this did not get an answer or even a flinch from Zero much to the older man's changing.
"As you wish, but I feel that since we have a common foe I must warn you that the Rose Prince is planning an attack on your base" Zero said to him.
"Tell me something I don't know?" Katase said to him.
"The attack is scheduled for today" Zero replied non calmly as he looked at his watch on his wrist
"T-today!" Kusakabe said and this made everyone else in the room jump.
Just then one of the generals staff officers came in the room to inform them that the enemy has suddenly appeared and has surrounded the mountain.
(Murmilos position)
"Look at this! What could possibly the decisive battle against the terrorist is being waged in front of us and we are constricted to staying here and evacuating the civilians when we should be the vanguard!" Jeremiah said as he was frustrated with the current situation.
"You're telling me! I came all the way from Asia Minor so I could fuck some Black Knight Iron ass, I am very proud of my 'private equipment', but even I can't fuck them from this distance" Mustafa said out loud.
"Don't worry this is just the beginning of the battle, it doesn't matter who is winning the battle when it starts or who is winning it when it is at its peak, only who wins when the battle is over, and I fully intend for us to be them" Lelouch said and this calmed his men down.
"Shirley when the battle begins you stay close to me and Suzaku, Mustafa or Jeremiah, whatever you do don't go hunting alone, OK?" Lelouch said to her through the private com.
Shirley only managed to give an 'uhm', she was very nervous and this was understandable, experiencing battle for the first time was always a scary experience.
(JLF command base)
"We have detected at least seven enemy regiments surrounding the mountain, with report from our outpost of more troops within the vicinity, the enemy is broadcasting a surrender message, should we reply?" One communications officer said to him.
"Of course not, have all troops to go out to meet the enemy, break the encirclement, Go! Knowing that the pride of Japan goes with you!" Kusakabe ordered his men.
"Keh" Zero let out a discrete wail that meant he disagreed with the tactic.
"Something wrong?" Ohgi asked him.
"Nothing, except for the fact that his order was the equivalent of telling men to do jumping jacks while enemy snipers are on the loose, this is not an equal battle, he should have kept them in the defensive inside the mouth holes of the facility, still wished we joined them?" Zero said to Ohgi and he bowed his head in dismay.
Unknown to him Todoh also overheard this and silently agreed.
(Murmilos position)
"Looks like things are going well for our side" Euphie said as he watched the battle's flow on the radar map.
"Wait until things get serious, how's our situation with the civilian evacuation?" Lelouch asked Nunnally who was managing it.
"The evacuation has been completed and we are transporting them outside the Narita region" Nunnally replied.
"Good, Euphie, Nunnally, take this mobile center and escort the civilians to our location at the edge of the region, Jeremiah get the Murmilos to reposition themselves a few hundred meter behind the city, I have a feeling the mountain is going to come tumbling down soon and we can use the buildings as shields against the mudslide" Lelouch ordered his men.
(JLF Base)
Katase was by now sweating bullets, they had fortified the mountain, but the sheer overwhelming firepower of Brittannian army was plowing through them.
"Zero, you have 300 enemy frames, why didn't you bring them to assist in this fight?" Kusakabe asked him.
"I did bring them" Zero replied non-chalantly.
"Then why don't you deploy them?" Kusakabe asked now angry.
"Because the timing isn't right, order your men to withdraw towards the main entrance, if you do so then the timing will be right" Zero replied unfazed which made Kusakabe uneasy.
"O-order the men to withdraw to the main entrance" he hesitantly said to them, because what he did was basically handing over command to Zero.
"Ohgi inform Kallen to be ready to initiate phase one on my command, also bring my knightmare to the secondary gate, I will be joining the fray soon "Zero said to Ohgi and he relayed the message.
"Do you have a plan to break the encirclement?" Kaguya asked him as she was still clinging to his arm.
"I do not think in such small terms, total victory or nothing is my game" Zero replied, the stab to Kusakabe was evident as Zero and Ohgi made their way to the position were Todoh and the Shiseiken had their frames.
(Guinevere's position)
"We have detected based on the enemies retreat pattern were their main entrance lies, also we report that Prince Lelouch has withdrawn his forces several hundred yards behind the city" Pollex informed Guinevere.
"This is excellent, along with having the credit of destroying the theorist we can accuse him of cowardice in the face of the enemy!" Castor said to those present.
(Zero and Todoh's position)
"Tamaki reports that the JLF have fully withdrawn to the main gate, the Brittannian army has moved from their siege formation and have concentrated on the southern face of the mountain" Ohgi said to Zero and the two of them boarded their frames.
"Excellent, tell her to begin Phase One!" Zero ordered.
(Guinevere's position)
"A toast! T our great vic- *Rumble*Rumble*Rumble*Rumble*Rumble*Rumble*Rumble*Rumble
-what's going on here!" Guinevere said as the ground started to shake from the avalanche Kallen created.
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*Rumble*Rumble*Rumble*Rumble*Rumble*Rumble*Rumble*Rumble
"Rumble in the jungle I suppose "Loyd said as the avalanche was on its way in full force down the mountain.
*Rumble*Rumble*Rumble*Rumble*Rumble*Rumble*Rumble*Rumble
*Rumble*Rumble*Rumble*Rumble*Rumble*Rumble*Rumble*Rumble
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"Creating an artificial avalanche! How bold but what of the people within the town?" Todoh said To Zero as they were all in their frames.
"By now Prince Lelouch has most likely evacuated the civilians, you needn't worry about that" Zero replied to him, as Kaguya gave him a peck on the helmet for good luck.
"Did you know that he would do so, or were you counting on it?" Todoh asked him and waited for an answer.
"He's too capable for me to have known his plans, and too flexible to predict" Zero replied.
"Then how did you know this?" Todoh asked.
"I am Zero, that is why" Zero replied as he and Ohgi along with a few guard Black Knights
(Guinevere's position)
"What's the status of our forces?" Guinevere asked after the avalanche passed.
"We have only 15% percent operational, also we are receiving reports that almost 330 knightmare frames have appeared from the summit, and all four cardinal points" one of the com. Officers said to her.
"What of Lelouch's forces?" Guinevere asked.
"His forces have remained unaffected by the landslide, and are advancing to our aide" the officer replied "We have received an transmission form the Prince's forces"
"Well what is it?" Castor asked.
"It says" I have the sombrero with me" the officer replied, to which Castor and Pollex both had an angry outburst, the night before they had said to Lelouch that there was no way the eleven 'monkeys' could posses the necessary technology to do what Lelouch had suggested, and if they did they would both do a Mexican sombrero dance naked for two days.
(Murmilos position)
"The enemy are advancing from four different directions, we now have an opportunity to defeat them in detail, tell Guinevere to withdraw at full speed, I will take one third of the army and flank the enemy, the rest of you make a defensive line on these coordinates, we must hold the line long enough for Guinevere to escape and for Mustafa to finish his maneuver" Lelouch replied and they began to advance
To do their objectives.
And so it began, the first military clash between Lelouch and Zero, between light and darkness, between good and evil, but who was good or who was evil was still up for debate, for in their world the person who emerges victorious is good and the looser is evil.
Read and review , let me know if I should continue.