AN: THE STORY IS NOT DEAD!

But seriously, sorry for the nearly two-year wait. I've been working on this chapter the whole time, but a combination of my chaotic work schedule and writer's block has meant that it just ended up taking this long to get done. Thankfully, I'm starting a new job, which pays better, but more importantly, is a regular 9-to-5 style job, and I get my weekends back. So you can hopefully look forward to more regular updates. Especially since we're getting into the more interesting parts of the story.

Without further ado…Chapter 8! Enjoy.


1st April, 2017 a.t.b.

10:22 am

Tokyo Settlement, Area 11

Viceroy's Palace of Area 11

Struggling to suppress a yawn, I elected to keep my gaze focused on the relatively thick folder in front of me. At least that way, it was easier to keep the obvious signs of my discomfort from everyone else. And besides, the contents of the folder weren't the tiresome part; in truth I was actually finding them rather interesting. The true sources of my boredom were seated around the large table at which I myself was currently sat. Looking back up, these were revealed to be a collection of seven Britannian noblemen, each wearing an outfit more at home in a Shakespearean tragedy, sat around a long rectangular table within one of the palace's administrative rooms. Cornelia sat at the head of the table, of course, with Darlton and Guilford seated on her left and right sides respectively. I myself was located next to Guilford, with the nearest nobleman having positioned himself two seats away, leaving a singular empty seat between the two of us.

"Not that I mind. These nobles have their heads so far up their own asses it's a wonder they don't have back problems!" I thought, wishing I could say as much to their faces, just to see their reactions.

"What do you intend to do about this, your Highness?" one noble asked, drawing my attention from the folder I was studying to a slightly heavyset man sat opposite me, one place further down the table. The noble in question, whom I had so far learned to be one Baron Hadley Granger, could hardly have been mistaken for anything other than a noble; he sported a monocle over his left eye, and his outfit was a hideous combination of lace, gold, and various shades of red.

"What I intend to do, Lord Granger," Cornelia replied, levelling her piercing gaze at the noble. "Is to stamp out this infection once and for all." The princess spoke in simple terms, as if she were stating the most obvious thing ever.

Like everyone else in the room, it was no mystery to me what "infection" Cornelia was referring to. Refrain, a powerful psychotropic drug, which caused users to relive past happy memories as vividly as if they were actually happening. Unsurprisingly, many Elevens had taken to using the drug, as a means to escape the pressure of persecution by Britannians. However, like any drug, Refrain use brought with it a number of pretty heavy consequences and side effects. The most immediate effect of taking Refrain was that a person exhibited temporary behavioural abnormality, and in fact this made Refrain a very effective truth serum. However, after the drug wore off, the user was rendered unable to speak for some time, and appeared largely unresponsive. And things only got worse from there. Long term usage generally caused down-regulation and disruption in these systems, often causing cognitive disturbances such as psychosis, amnesia and delirium, amongst other things. Eventually, continued usage typically resulted in users becoming invalids. As Refrain was known to be incredibly addictive, this outcome was the result in around 85-90% of cases among Elevens. As a result, in the five years since the drug had first been observed being used in Area 11, the number of confirmed and suspected cases of Refrain use had skyrocketed, with productivity plummeting as a result. Clearly, something had to be done, and fast.

"But we have done everything we can, your Highness, and we've been unable to stop them." Lord Granger pleaded.

"You may have failed to stop them, but that doesn't mean that I will." Cornelia replied.

"M-My apologies, your Highness." Lord Granger replied, leaning back in his chair, a visible sheen of sweat having developed on his forehead.

"Needless to say," Cornelia continued, leaning forward in her chair and lacing her fingers together. "I fully intend to close off the Kyūshū Route and stop the trafficking of Refrain in to Area 11. Guilford?"

"Of course, my lady." Guilford replied, rising to his feet before politely clearing his throat. "As you know, for the past five years the Chinese Federation has been smuggling large quantities of the drug Refrain into Area 11 via the Kyūshū Route, which operates out of the Korean Peninsula. As of yet, we've been unable to determine exactly where the Refrain is being manufactured, however it's likely that the location for this is further inland." As Guilford continued his explanation, I turned my focus back to my folder, turning over to the next page. This revealed a map of the southern region of the Sea of Japan, focused on the southern end of the Korean Peninsula, the Korea Strait, and Kyūshū Island. A large red arrow began at the Korean Peninsula, leading across the strait, and ending just before the Kanmon Straits, which separated Kyūshū from the main island of Honshū.

"Makes sense that they'd use that route." I mused. "The strait is narrow, so there's always a lot of shipping traffic; a few extra boats wouldn't be noticed. Not to mention it's the shortest possible way of getting into Area 11."

"As you can see," Guilford continued. "Through a combination of information from captured smugglers as well as the analysis of the known distribution routes within Area 11, intelligence has determined that the city of Kitakyushu is the most likely distribution point. However, the difficulty thus far has been ascertaining the exact location, or more likely, locations where the Refrain is being off-loaded. As you'll note, we've identified several possible locations, but have yet to verify any of them; otherwise, we'd have dealt with the situation already. Unfortunately, that isn't the case…as proven by Lord Granger's ineptitude."

"Now wait just a minute…" The baron began angrily, before a stern glare from Cornelia made his change his mind.

"Lord Guilford is correct." Darlton added. "It is due to your actions, or rather inaction, that we've made so little progress. If I was a more suspicious man, I'd say that you were deliberately impeding this mission."

The room filled with silence as all present stared at either Darlton or Granger, the latter beginning to sweat profusely. A loud bout of laughter suddenly broke the silence, all present turning to look at the man laughing heartily. Looking down the table, I saw that the one responsible was a slim man in a dark blue jacket and silver lace, with a monocle over his left eye, smiling broadly as he clapped his white gloved hands together.

"Is there something funny, Lord Strickland?" Princess Cornelia asked, annoyance plain on her face.

"Apologies, your Highness. Just the idea that Hadley, that is, Lord Granger, could be involved in the drugs trade." Lord Strickland replied, wiping his uncovered right eye. "You'll have to forgive me, but I find the notion quite absurd." Several of the nobles nodded, muttering agreements, glad that the situation had been diffused. "Now, I dare not question your intelligence officers, or their sources, but I am afraid to say that finding these smugglers is simply a difficult task. The Kanmon Straits are a large body of water with lots of areas to hide in. If we knew where to look, we would find them."

"So why haven't you?" Princess Cornelia asked testily, which brought a shrug from Lord Strickland.

"Unfortunately, Prince Clovis didn't deem it important at the time."

Cornelia 'tsked' in reply. "Carry on Guilford."

"As you wish, my lady," The bespectacled Knight said, "Now, our intelligence operatives have succeeded in narrowing down the suspected area of operations to be close to Kitakyushu proper although, as I said earlier, finding the true point of origin is a bit difficult. However, using common sense rules and previous experience with the drug trade, we have eliminated several areas as being unlikely."

"Such as, my lord?" I asked. I could tell that, since this was the first time I'd spoken during the meeting, that my question had drawn nearly everyone's attention, but I ignored it.

"Well, the inlets further from the city for example, since common sense dictates that the time to transport them would be too long." Guilford replied.

"So it would have to be somewhere where containers could be off-loaded quickly, but not in such a way as to draw too much undue attention." I mused looking back at my map.

"Like the docks for example." Lord Strickland replied offhandedly, as he looked over the map.

"Lord Strickland, while I respect your position and appreciate the suggestion, I don't appreciate being insulted." I replied in a stern tone. "I don't care if these pompous assholes like me or not. But that doesn't mean I'll take insults about my intelligence lying down!"

"Excuse me?" Strickland replied incredulously, raising one eyebrow.

"With all due respect, anyone with half a brain could tell you that the last place someone would try and offload large shipments of drugs would be the docks." I explained, fixing the man with a stern gaze. "Firstly, the amount of Refrain entering Area 11 is estimated to be roughly one hundred metric tonnes every month. We've managed to learn that the shipments occur on a weekly basis, which means at least twenty-five tonnes in each shipment, hardly a small amount. Secondly, any unscheduled or additional cargo wouldn't exactly go unnoticed. So don't insult my intelligence by giving such a frankly stupid suggestion."

Silence filled the room, everyone clearly shocked by my slight outburst, even though I hadn't raised my voice at all. Strickland didn't respond, but it was evident from his clenched fists that he was nervous, maybe even panicking on the inside. This took me by surprise; I'd guessed he'd be angry, given what I'd just said, but he was acting as if I'd flat out accused of something.

"He's hiding something, but what? Let's try pressing him a bit further and see where we get." I thought. "Now, I'm curious to know exactly why you suggested the docks, my Lord. After all, you don't strike me as the type of man who makes foolish suggestions without thinking. And looking at this map, I can see at least a dozen or more places where a few small boats could easily off-load cargo without being detected."

Again, Strickland remained stubbornly silent. I continued.

"So Lord Strickland, I'd love to know why you suggested the docks." I said, leaning back in my chair. The air in the room seemed to have dropped a good few degrees, as all eyes were on the two of us. Cornelia and her retinue had their eyes fixed on the lord in the blue jacket, while the nobles had their attention split between myself and Strickland.

"Well...I...Uh..." Strickland began stammering, his gaze shifting between the occupants of the table and the room. The others at the table were simply confused, while Cornelia and her entourage looked at Strickland with minor contempt.

"Now, I don't like to accuse people, and I'll gladly apologise if it turns out I'm wrong," I began. "But I'm starting to wonder if the reason that you mentioned the docks…is that you know about the true off-loading point of the Refrain. And I'm starting to think that you're in on the operation itself."

As soon as I said that, Strickland's entire body appeared to tense up. A stunned silence filled the air, everyone in the room seeming to hold their breath.

"Am I wrong, my Lord?" I calmly asked. As I did so, I carefully reached down and placed my right hand around the grip of my pistol. If I was right, then Strickland was cornered. And a cornered animal was dangerous and unpredictable.

What happened next was a blur of activity like I'd never seen before. Strickland, his face suddenly morphed into a snarl of rage, jumped to his, drawing an ornate pistol from his jacket, which he immediately trained on Cornelia's head. At the same time, I leapt to my feet as well, while the nobles around Strickland frantically clambered out of their seats to get out of the way. As time seemed to slow to a crawl, before Strickland could pull the trigger I managed to draw my own gun and fire.

Time seemingly returned to normal, as Strickland's gun tumbled to the floor, the noble now howling in pain, clutching his right wrist. The hand itself was somewhat mangled, copious amounts of blood staining the formerly pristine white glove. My shot had severed both the thumb and forefinger, effectively rendering the hand incapable of holding onto the gun, much less pulling the trigger. To her credit, Cornelia appeared only mildly surprised at what had just transpired, as if she'd been expecting the whole thing.

"Thank you for proving me right, Lord Strickland. Most generous of you." I said, before turning to Cornelia. "Apologies for the mess, your Highness." I added, holstering my gun.

"Apology accepted, Colonel. Guilford," Cornelia replied, before addressing her Knight. "Arrest Lord Strickland at once. Have his injuries treated, then take him to interrogation."

"As you command." Guilford replied. He then instructed two of the guards to escort Strickland out, after which the now disgraced man was somewhat roughly removed from the room. As the three men left, Cornelia coughed lightly into her hand, drawing the attention of those remaining.

"Well, it seems our little meeting was interrupted so rudely, so for brevity's sake, I will consider this meeting finished. All agreed?" A chorus of 'ayes' sounded around the table. "All right then. Good day to you, gentlemen." Cornelia said putting on a disarming smile.

The six remaining noblemen quickly vacated the room, clearly eager to put the incident behind them, leaving Cornelia, Darlton, Guilford and I alone in the room. I let out a breath I didn't realise I'd been holding in, as I leaned back in my chair.

"Well…that was a thing." I remarked.

"An understatement if ever there was one." Guilford replied, adjusting his glasses. "But I never would've expected Strickland to react like that. It's a good thing you reacted as quickly as you did."

"I'm curious, Matthew. What made you suspect Strickland in the first place?" Cornelia asked. I could feel Guilford and Darlton fixing their gazes on me as well.

"Mainly the fact that he just happened to suggest the docks, which anyone could've seen was the last place any smuggler would use. That, and he was clearing panicking on the inside, even though I'd yet to accuse him of anything. It seemed obvious he was hiding something, so I decided to press him a bit more and see what happened." I explained. "Just didn't fully expect him to pull out a gun."

"In any case, thanks to you we're advancing our timeframe. Darlton, once we get the information we need out of Strickland, I want an operation ready as soon as possible." Cornelia ordered.

"Understood, my lady." Darlton replied, nodding his head in response.

"Good. Until then, you're all dismissed."

"Yes, your Highness."


12:14 pm

"The EU is starting an offensive along the El Alamein front. We can't go on dragging our feet around here." Cornelia said. "I want to solidify domestic affairs. It's high time Area 11 was made a satellite nation."

A couple of hours later, I found myself standing next to Guilford on the palace's railway platform, watching Cornelia talk with her sister. Darlton was absent, as he was remaining behind to oversee the Tokyo Settlement in Cornelia's absence, especially keeping an eye out for the Black Knights. On both sides of the platform, a number of Sutherlands, as well as Guilford and Cornelia's Gloucesters, were currently being loaded onto an armoured maglev train, in preparation for our impending departure. Once the train was loaded, it would begin its journey, while a second train carried us along with all the soldiers who would be taking part in the operation.

It was to be a joint operation, utilising both Knightmares and infantry, a decision born out of the fact that while we knew where enemy would be, we had no clue what kind of equipment they might have with them. Guilford had also suggested that I accompany one of the infantry units, thereby providing a direct communication link between the infantry and Knightmare commanders. Unexpectedly, Cornelia had initially objected to this idea, but had relented after Guilford explained that he believed I was capable of looking after myself, and that I wouldn't get myself into trouble.

"For that to happen, we need to stamp out terrorism of course, but another major problem is the rampant abuse of Refrain amongst the Elevens." Cornelia continued. "Productivity is plummeting. It's coming in on the Chinese Federation's Kyūshū Route and we have to put an end to it."

"Yes, but be careful." Euphemia replied, her hands clasped in front of her. I'd learned by now that Euphemia was the type to always worry about others, no matter how skilled they might be when it came to protecting themselves. It was that same caring nature that made it nigh impossible to get angry at her.

"You as well. I don't want you leaving the settlement." Cornelia replied.

"Cornelia, what about the Black Knights? And Zero?"

"I'll let them roam free a bit longer. I owe them that much for saving your life." Cornelia replied, and I swore I could practically hear her smirking as she said that. "However, upon my return…" she continued, gently cupping Euphemia's cheek in her gloved hand.

"Once I've cleaned up this Area, I'm entrusting it to you. Try to stay out of harm's way from now on, alright Euphie?" Princess Euphemia nodded, and Cornelia let her hand drop. Almost simultaneously, the train carrying the Knightmares departed, with the second train arriving moments later. Cornelia jerked her head in the direction of the train, indicating that it was time to board.

"Guess we should get moving, then." I muttered, as Guilford and I fell into step behind the princess, making our way towards the open carriage door. As soon as we were on board, the train pulled away from the station, the only indication being a light jerk, before the train quickly got up to speed. According to what Guilford had told me, the journey would be about four hours, and I pretty much had free reign to do as I saw fit until we arrived.

"Might as well relax while I have the chance. Once we arrive, I'll be getting thrown straight into the thick of it." I mused, heading off in search of a good seat.


1:21 pm

Thus far, the ride had been pretty silent. After a short search, I'd found a car that had private booths, where I could utilise the computers built into the tables to surf the net to keep myself occupied, when I wasn't enjoying the scenery as it flashed by the window. That said, I hadn't been able to properly take in the outside world until we'd left Tokyo behind, not wanting to have to look at the ghettos that lay just beyond the settlement area. Deep down, I knew that ignoring the ugly truths didn't exactly make me a great person, but there wasn't anything I could do about it at the moment, and I certainly wasn't the cause of any of it.

On a side note, I'd discovered, having gotten so used to trains making a fair amount of noise as they traveled along, that riding on one that made almost no noise at all was…I wouldn't say uncomfortable, but at the very least it felt weird. Eventually, it got to the point where I felt the urge to get up and take a walk around, a habit I'd always had, at least as long as I could remember. And it didn't hurt that I was also getting a bit thirsty too. Having finally decided on something resembling a plan, I hauled myself to my feet, grunting slightly as the feeling came back in my arse and legs, a direct result of sitting down for about an hour without really moving around at all, and proceeded to make my way through the train towards the dining car.

Making my way towards the middle to the train, I passed through four other cars, all of them filled with officers and regular soldiers preparing for the coming operation, before arriving at the dining car itself. Weirdly, every time I'd passed through an occupied car, all of the soldiers and a few of the officers had ceased conversing amongst themselves and saluted me as I walked past, which I assumed was because of my rank, given how the only ones who didn't seem to react where those that I could tell ranked higher than me. Upon entering the dining car, I was surprised to find that it would've been better described as a full-blown restaurant, rather than the café that I was expecting.

"Then again, this is Britannia." I thought, taking a seat on of the barstools, a worker appearing in front of me almost immediately. "Coffee please. Cream and three sugars." I asked.

"Of course, my lord." The man replied, before attending to my request. In what seemed like only a few seconds, he returned with my order, placing it on the counter in front of me. "Your coffee, sir."

I nodded, indicating my thanks, taking the cup in hand and walking over to one of the windows, watching the landscape fly past as I brought the drink to my lips. Letting out a contented sigh, the coffee was delicious as always, I soon became lost in my thoughts.

As a result, when I felt the sudden and unexpected presence of someone's hand on my shoulder, I reacted the way I usually did; by jumping. In response, I heard what I could only describe as the most elegant and beautiful sound I'd ever heard. I was never one who enjoyed being laughed at, but somehow I couldn't bring myself to be annoyed, nor could I keep a smile from creeping onto my face. Turning around, I was greeted with the sight of Cornelia, her right hand covering her mouth in an attempt to conceal her own grin, an act which certainly wasn't fooling anyone.

"So glad I can provide you with some amusement, your Highness." I stated, being sure to keep my words and tone respectful. After all, though the carriage wasn't very full, we were still in the presence of outsiders. "Was there something you needed?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact." She replied, walking over to the counter and placing an order, which was brought to her in what appeared to be a matter of seconds. As this was taking place, I looked on slightly confused. Once the princess had collected her drink, she started walking towards the far end of the carriage, motioning for me to follow her. Obliging her request, I followed her as the two of us entered a large booth, which was separated from the rest of the carriage by walls and a door, and featured a pair of rather plush-looking seats and an ornate table between them. Cornelia took her seat, while I elected to take the seat opposite her, both of us setting our drinks down on the table. While I doubted that she would have had any problem with me sitting next to her, from the outside a soldier sitting beside a princess was the kind of sight that would make others suspicious. "There, now we can talk freely again. And I don't have to worry about anyone coming to me with complaints."

"How often do they do that?" I asked.

"More often than I'd like." Cornelia admitted, sounding slightly exasperated. I nodded, setting my cup down on the table in front of me.

"What was it you wanted talk about, your Highness?" I asked, as I had no real idea why she'd called me in here, and my mind wasn't being very helpful on the idea front.

"Nothing in particular, Matthew." She replied, using my name as opposed to my rank. At least I could now be certain that this wasn't a 'You're in trouble' moment, although that just made the situation even more confusing.

"So, you just wanted to talk?" I teased. "I wasn't aware I offered such riveting conversation."

"Hm, don't get too full of yourself, it may just cost you." Cornelia shot back, the smirk on her face indicating she was just teasing as well. "But you're at least partly right. Compared to every other conversation I've ever had, talking with you is certainly a breath of fresh air. After all, it's not every day you get to talk to someone from a different universe."

"True enough." I replied.

"In any case, is everything alright? I noticed you seemed a little restless earlier."

I couldn't help but shrug. "It was probably the silence. Back home, even electric trains could be fairly noisy, at least on the inside. It just felt weird to be in a train that made no real noise. Just decided I needed a bit of a walk around." I explained. At the same time, I couldn't help but notice that Cornelia was now looking at me with almost rapt attention. That, combined with her earlier comment made me assume that it was because I'd brought up my old life again. Given that I'd only ever talked about before when asked, she was probably intrigued when I started offering up stuff freely. In fairness, I'd always assumed she had better things to do than listen to my life story.

"I hope I'm not being too intrusive, but I'd like it if you could tell me more about your life. Before you came here." She asked softly.

"Honestly, I thought you'd never ask." I replied, leaning back my seat as a small grin crept onto my face. "What would you like to know?"


2:36 pm

"And that pretty much it. Not much else, at least nothing worth mentioning." I said, bringing my story to an end. I hadn't gone into too much detail on everything, only where I felt it warranted it, or if Cornelia wanted to know more. "Not the most interesting life, but it is what it is."

"Nevertheless, I appreciate the willingness to share it with me, Matthew." Cornelia replied, setting her now empty cup down. "I don't exactly get to learn about people's lives as much as I would like. Everyone's always very tight-lipped around me, either because of my status, or because they're afraid of me, the latter being partly my own fault. It certainly seems like you enjoyed your previous life."

"True enough. But I'm not exactly upset that I ended up here. If I hadn't, I'd never have met you, Guilford, or anyone here." I replied. "And I certainly wouldn't be on my way to help take out a drug smuggling operation." This elicited a chuckle from Cornelia, covering her lips with one hand, hiding a smile that I honestly wanted to see more of.

"Yes, I imagine you wouldn't. You certainly were lucky in where you ended up." She replied. "There are far worse places you could've appeared."

"Given what I know now, I can't argue with that." I agreed. "I'm just glad things turned out as well as they did. I've ended up with a fulfilling job and some of the best friends I could've asked for."

"Good to hear. You were quite the wildcard when you first arrived, but since then you've proven to be quite the potent asset to myself and Britannia. You've turned several battles that seemed lost into outstanding victories, and even proved yourself a match for Zero." Cornelia added, although I felt my heart sink slightly at her words. Despite her praise, the fact that she referred to me as an "asset" hurt more than I thought it would.

"I…see. I guess that's all I am, huh? An asset." I replied, surprised at how quiet and sad my voice sounded, even to me. I'd dropped my gaze, so that I was now staring down at the table, instead of the woman in front of me.

"Matthew…" I heard Cornelia softly say, before she reached forward and I felt a gloved hand gently under my chin, lifting my head so that I met her eyes once more. "I shouldn't have said that the way I did. While you have been a great asset to us, you are more than that. Guilford sees you as the son he never had, and I know for a fact that Darlton thinks just as highly of you. And…you've become a good friend to me. I don't get close to others easily, but I enjoy the fact that when I'm with you, I can stop being a Princess of Britannia and just be Cornelia. And I promise that I will never think of or treat you as anything less than a dear friend."

I couldn't help but feel myself swell with pride at her words. Here was a Princess, swearing that she would never treat me, a civilian, as being anything less than a friend, an equal. Now I just felt like an idiot for ever thinking anything else.

"Thanks, I…I guess I needed that." I said, my voice now possessing its usual energy.

"Again, I apologise for making you feel that way." Cornelia replied, finally removing her hand from my chin. As she did, I couldn't help wondering how soft her skin might be…and what it would be like to have those gentle hands caressing my own. Unfortunately, before I could enjoy imagining that any longer, I was distracted by something pressing on my right leg, just above where the boot ended. Then whatever it was started moving lazily around, never applying very much pressure, drawing random patterns as it went. Without even looking, it didn't take a genius to work out what it was. For some unknown reason, Cornelia was playing footsie with me. As I did my best to pretend that I hadn't noticed, I looked back her, only to see her with a slight smile, although the look in her eyes made it more of a smirk than anything else.

"Okay, I don't know why you're doing something to me that can only be considered flirting, Cornelia. However, teasing me isn't that easy." I thought, smiling back at her. "Will that be all, your Highness?" I asked, my voice not betraying anything…at least I hoped it wasn't.

"Yes, at least until we arrive. I would advise you review the operation plan again, just to make sure you're familiar with it." She answered, removing her foot from my leg.

"Of course, your Highness. Thank you again for a most welcome distraction." I replied, retrieving my cup from the table before exiting the booth. After leaving the empty cup back at the bar, I made my way through the train to where the operations room was. Once inside, I sat myself down at one of the desks, opening the folder that was sat on top.

Initially, the plan put forward by some of the members of the Royal Guard had called for the operation to consist entirely of a large-scale assault by Knightmares alone, without any involvement by other units. However, I was quick to point out that such an attack was exactly what the smugglers would be expecting. And in such heavily forested terrain, enemies on foot could easily outflank our Knightmares and destroy them from concealed positions. Not to mention the fact that there was virtually no chance of us being able to deploy Knightmares without the smugglers being alerted to their presence.

Instead, I suggested that we conduct a far more stealthy operation, using just a single infantry company. Britannian Intelligence had determined that the enemy personnel at the base numbered roughly a hundred men, all untrained civilians, so a company consisting of eighty highly-trained professional soldiers would be more than adequate. We would also be deploying our troops some distance away from the base, and not utilising large vehicles like the G-1, hopefully allowing us to approach the base undetected. In the event that the infantry required assistance, a dozen Sutherlands, along with Cornelia and Guilford's Gloucesters could be deployed to provide additional firepower. Darlton would be in overall command of the operation, while I had elected to accompany the infantry, despite Cornelia's protest. I told them that, after Kawaguchi, I wouldn't ask men to do anything that I wasn't willing to do myself. Besides, I would be wearing the same combat armour and gear as the rest of the infantry, so there was no danger of me being singled out as a high-value target. In the end, largely thanks to Guilford's assurance that my skills were up to the task, Cornelia agreed to my decision.

"Honestly, it's not a bad plan, if I'm honest." I thought, still a bit surprised that this was something that I had come up with. "Then again, they do say that no plan survives first contact with the enemy. Here's hoping that isn't the case today."

Satisfied, I closed the folder before exiting the room. We'd be arriving at our destination in less than two hours, and I wanted to try and relax as much as possible before then, seeing as we'd be heading out as soon as everything was off the train. It would then take another hour or so reach the actual operation area, a trip where relaxing would be next to impossible, owing to the fact that I'd be wearing full combat gear by that point, and be riding inside an APC.

"Yeah, that's going to be fun…not." I said to myself.


[Note: During the combat portion of this chapter, any dialogue in bold, e.g. "xxxx", indicates soldiers in combat gear speaking to each other directly. Dialogue in bold italics, e.g. "xxxx", indicates radio communications.]

5:25 pm

T-minus 5 minutes until operation start

To say that I was feeling a bit nervous would've been a gross understatement. Having finally arrived on site, our forces had separated into three separate platoons, labelled A, B and C respectively. A Platoon numbered some forty men, while the remaining forty were divided between Platoons B & C. The idea was that A Platoon would attack the smugglers' base head-on, while the other two platoons would attack from the flanks, in an attempt to divide the enemy's fire as much as possible, without spreading our forces too thin. I would be joining C Platoon, commanded by Lieutenant Haywood, and would thus be responsible for attacking the northern flank. The Knightmare Frames and command units would be stationed two klicks east, far enough away to be hidden, but still close enough for the Knightmares to quickly provide support if necessary.

While we waited for the signal to start the operation, I couldn't help fidgeting just a tiny bit. Although surprisingly, it had little to do with what I was wearing, despite what I'd expected. As it turned out, the standard Britannian infantry combat gear was remarkably comfortable, despite its full-body coverage and the inclusion of multiple armour plates above the waist. The helmet, in particular, somehow managed to fit snugly without seeming suffocating, given how it fully enclosed the solder's head. It was even able to accommodate my glasses far better than anything I'd used previously back in my world, a fact I was very grateful for. The sensor strip located in the forehead area of the helmet functioned much like a Knightmare's Factsphere Sensor, displaying a view of the environment inside the helmet, allowing the soldier to see clearly despite it having no actual transparent eyeholes. It would also display a reticule that indicated where my rifle was aimed, thus allowing for relatively accurate fire without using the sights, but still allowing me to switch to using the sights if I wanted to.

"Lieutenant Colonel, a word please?" A voice behind be asked. Turning around, my helmet's HUD identified the soldier addressing me as First Lieutenant Haywood.

"Of course, Lieutenant. What did you need?" I asked. In the short time that I'd been around Haywood, I'd been able to learn that he was a fairly laid-back soldier, not too strict with his men as long as they followed his orders properly in combat. So I knew he likely wasn't going to be difficult with me unless he absolutely had to.

"I just wanted to clarify how this little arrangement of ours is going to work. Given how you technically outrank me and all." He explained, resting his rifle on his shoulder.

"Just drop the 'sir', and call me 'Gavin' instead, And while we're in the fight, consider me as just another one of your men. In return I'll do my best not to make things difficult for you."

"Sounds fine to me. Although, given how we're only taking on some smugglers, I can't see us running into too much trouble."

"That's the plan, anyway. We'll just have to see how things pan out." I replied. Haywood nodded in agreement, just as our comms crackled into life, every man in the group snapping to attention, those that had been crouching or kneeling jumping to their feet.

"Attention all units! All preparations complete! Commence operation!" Darlton announced.

"Alright men, you heard the general! Move out!" Haywood ordered, pointing in the direction of the smugglers' base.

"Yes, my Lord!" The rest of us chorused, as all twenty of us broke into a run, following after the lieutenant. As luck would have it, we'd been on the move less than a minute, before a series of rapid gunshots rang out.

"Contact! Hostiles in the open! Hundred metres to our front!" Haywood yelled. Sure enough, I spotted a group of roughly ten or so men dressed in civilian clothes, scattered throughout the forest just ahead of us. As soon as they'd spotted us, every one of the smugglers had opened fire, filling the air with gunfire and lead. Thankfully, none of them seemed to grasp the notion of aiming, which gave each of us precious moments to get to cover, with me choosing to crouch down behind a large fallen tree. Without waiting for Haywood to give orders, I immediately shouldered my gun and lent over my cover, centering the reticule on the torso of the enemy closest to me. But as I went to shoot, I-I couldn't do it. I couldn't pull the trigger.

Until now, I'd never actually had to shoot to kill another man before. Sure, I'd shot Strickland, but only to wound him and prevent him from shooting Cornelia. Thankfully, before I could struggle with my conscience any longer, I remembered some advice Guilford had given me during our time training together. He'd stressed the fact that, in battle, hesitation would only get me a hole in the head. To stay alive, I needed to focus on the task at hand. These men we were fighting wouldn't hesitate to kill me, so I couldn't afford to worry about doing the same to them. Swallowing my concerns and doubts, I shifted my point of aim upwards, before letting off a burst. The rifle barked sharply, sending five, full-metal jacket, 7mm bullets straight into the head of the smuggler. All five rounds impacted on target, tearing into the man's face, producing a small cloud of crimson blood as he collapsed to the ground.

"Tango down!" I shouted, informing the others of my successful kill. As I did, the rest of the smugglers attacking us were quickly dispatched as well.

"Good work, Gavin!" Haywood replied. "Hostiles eliminated, everyone move forward, on me!" On his order, we all broke from cover and continued forward. This time, we spread ourselves out more, in an effort to make ourselves less noticeable, and we also slowed down our pace. Hopefully, we would now encounter the enemy without them realising we were there, allowing us to get the drop on them. However, the gunfire from our recent battle would surely have been heard, so the enemy would now know that we were in the area. A few minutes later, one of the men on our right flank called in, just as we were cresting a small rise.

"Lieutenant, I have new contacts. A dozen men, total. It doesn't look like they know where we are." The man explained.

"Understood. Hold fire until we're in position. I want to get this done quickly." Haywood replied. Slowly, the rest of us moved over the top of the hill, weapons ready. As we came over the top, I could see the group the soldier had reported. As expected, the men were alert, scanning the forest around them, unsure of where we were. If we did this right, we'd take them out without allowing them time to fire back. "Everyone, pick your targets. We do this quick and clean."

"Ready." The rest of us replied.

"Fire." Immediately, the area echoed with a short burst of gunfire, as twenty rifles fired in unison. The smugglers all collapsed to the ground within moments of each other, none of them managing to fire off even a single shot.

"All targets down, sir." I said.

"Alright, let's move. We keep it quiet from here on out. No chatter. Only call in if you spot more targets." Haywood ordered. The group continued on, passing the bodies in front of us, continuing to move slowly through the forest, which remained dense as we moved forward. Surprisingly, despite the two firefights, we encountered no additional enemies over the next few minutes. Eventually, forest ended just ahead of us. Crouching down behind a line of thick bushes that marked the edge of the forest, I could see our target ahead.

Located on the side of a small hill, a large reinforced concrete doorway and steel doors marked the entrance to a small, former military bunker. The smugglers were utilising three bunkers in the area for their operation, with the two smaller bunkers being used primarily as living quarters, while the larger main bunker, which was the only one with access to a nearby road, served as the Refrain storage facility. While the bunkers were interconnected, they were also far enough apart that once we attacked all three, the occupants of each bunker would be too busy to help their comrades in the other bunkers. Additionally, while our target bunker would contain more enemies than the main bunker, given its use as a living area, its smaller size meant that we wouldn't be in danger of getting overwhelmed. And luckily for us, the smugglers hadn't thought to post any guards to the entrance, likely an attempt to make it seem as though the facility was still abandoned. With a nod from Haywood, our group moved to take up positions on either side of the entrance. Simultaneously, the platoon's engineer proceeded to set explosive charges on each of the door's hinges. Once that was done, the engineer joined Haywood at his position to the left of the entrance.

"Charges are set, sir. On your call." The engineer announced.

"Blow it." Haywood ordered.

"Yes sir! Breaching now!" At the engineer's call, everyone turned away, making sure they were clear of the door, before a deafening explosion rocked the area, followed by the unmistakable thuds as the two doors fell to the ground. Immediately, Haywood led everyone inside, through the cloud of smoke and dust and into the first interior room, which thankfully was clear of any opposition. The room was completely empty, with a single corridor in each wall, leading off into the rest of the bunker.

"Alright everyone, we're clear for now, but that blast just woke up every damn smuggler in here. Split up, teams of two. Gavin, you're with me."

The group immediately separated into predetermined pairs, with four teams taking the corridor opposite the main entrance, while the remaining six divided themselves between the two side passages. Myself and Haywood went with the group taking the central corridor, which was thankfully wide enough to allow us to spread out somewhat, with two men side by side. Initially, we only encountered the occasional room leading off from the corridor itself, where we quickly dealt with the few smugglers that were lying in wait for us. But as we moved deeper, we were forced to split up further, into the individual two-man teams, as we encountered additional passages. Eventually, Haywood and I reached the end of the line; a single large room, which had likely been some sort of planning room, judging by the faded map covering most of one wall, and the large metal table that had been flipped on its side to give some improvised cover. We managed to quickly subdue the three enemies inside, allowing us to relax our guard a little. Taking the opportunity, Haywood ordered the other teams to check in with their progress. As the reports came in, it became clear that our job was done; the entire bunker had been swept through, and all the smugglers had been eliminated. A handful of the men hand been injured, but nothing serious.

"Good work, everyone. Regroup back at the entrance, we're pulling out." Haywood ordered. However, just he said that, I suddenly noticed some movement off to my right. One of the smugglers wasn't as dead as we'd thought, and was now shakily raising a pistol at the Lieutenant. Haywood has his back to the smuggler, and had no idea what was happening. Like something straight out of an action movie, everything seemed to slow to a crawl, as the smuggler managed to raise his sights to the back of Haywood's head. I didn't feel my body begin to move, nor did I hear myself shouting for Haywood to watch out, as my left arm shoved out of the enemy's line of fire. Simultaneously, my right arm aimed my rifle at the smuggler, and both of us opened fire at almost the exact same moment.

My burst caught the smuggler square in the chest, a crimson spray of blood erupting forth as the rounds tore into him. The next instant, the right-hand part of my vision went black, followed by the most intense pain I'd ever felt in my entire life. It honestly felt like someone had just driven a huge spike into my right eye, at which point I dropped my rifle and collapse onto my knees, screaming bloody murder. Beneath the agony, I was glad that I was wearing a full-face helmet, as my first instinct was to clutch at my face, right over where the pain was coming from. I could feel the hole where the smuggler's bullet had shattered the lens, which had obviously prevented it from being a fatal shot.

"Gavin! Talk to me!" Haywood yelled, kneeling down beside me, grabbing my shoulder to try and get my attention.

"HE SHOT ME IN THE FUCKING EYE!" I shouted, after which the only sounds I made were loud grunts of pain through clenched teeth, as I didn't trust myself to not accidentally bite my tongue.

"Come on, let's get you out of here. Can you walk?" Haywood asked. In response, I picked up my rifle by the carry handle with my left hand, keeping my right hand clutched over my helmet, and shakily struggled to my feet. However, after just a couple of steps, during which I could barely keep my balance, I started to fall forward, only being stopped by Haywood, who grabbed me by the arm and pulled me back upright. Without saying a word, he looped my free arm over his shoulders, keeping me from falling again as we gradually made our way back outside.

"Thank you sir." I gasped, the pain having eased a bit by now, though I suspected it only felt that way because my brain had decided that feeling that much pain wasn't helping me right now, and it would likely return in full force later on.

"Don't worry, you're not the first soldier I've had to help like this." He replied. "General Darlton, this is Haywood. I've got Gavin with me, but he's badly injured. I need a medical team standing by once we get outside."

"Understood, they'll be there soon. What's his condition?" Darlton replied.

"He got shot in the eye. Not fatal, but he can barely stand up right now." Haywood explained. By this point, the blood coming from my eye had formed a small pool inside my helmet, forcing my to keep my mouth firmly shut, since I didn't exactly relish having to drink my own blood.

"At least he's alive. Once the medics take over, see to the rest of your men. Darlton out."

After a few more minutes, Haywood and I finally made it outside, where the other soldiers, as well as a field ambulance and several medics, were waiting for us. Two of the medics rushed over, taking hold of my arms and handing my rifle off to Haywood. They then led me over to the ambulance, lifting me inside and getting me to lay down on one of the beds. After making sure that I was keeping my arms down, one of them removed my helmet, which immediately resulted in the blood that had been pooling inside pouring out, staining the cloth around my neck, as well as part of the bed, a deep red.

"Lieutenant Colonel, just for your safety, we're going to put you under for now, at least until we can get you back to a proper facility, ok?" One of the medics asked. All I could muster in response was a weak nod, feeling completely exhausted and pretty woozy, now that I was lying down. On top of that, I couldn't stop shaking, likely due to shock. The pain was also starting to increase again, so I welcomed the temporary respite from it. Having gotten my "reply", the medic placed a mask over my face, and after a few seconds, my vision gradually went dark, before I fell into a blissful sleep.


"…lucky that he was wearing that helmet. Otherwise, the shot would've killed him instantly. However…"

"Yes?"

"It completely destroyed his right eye. He'll be fine, but he's no longer fit for front-line duties."

"Doctor, right now I can't afford to lose men like him. Is there any way to get him back to 100%?"

"Well, there is a new procedure that was developed for cases like this. However it's still relatively untested, so there are some risks."

"No matter. He'll survive, of that I'm certain. Do it."


3rd April, 2017 a.t.b.

8:20 am

Tokyo Settlement, Area 11

Viceroy's Palace of Area 11

When I finally came to, I knew immediately that I was back at the palace in the Tokyo Settlement. How'd I know right away? The truth was that I'd paid close attention to the palace's medical facilities while getting to know the place, since I wanted to avoid having to need them if at all possible. Unfortunately, fate seemed to have decided otherwise, because here I was; lying in a bed, still wearing the under layer of my combat armour, instead of the expected hospital gown, which was nice. Taking in my surroundings fully, I was confused by the fact that my vision was perfectly fine. Rather, it was even better than before, yet there was a decided lack of glasses in my field of view.

"Hang on, I got shot in the eye! Why can I suddenly see perfectly?!" I thought. Before I could continue my inward yelling, the opening of a door grabbed my attention. Two people, presumably a doctor and nurse, entered the room and came over to me.

"Good morning Lieutenant, I'm Doctor Stevens. How are you feeling?" the doctor asked.

"Fine, actually." I replied.

"Good. Now, I imagine you've noticed the difference in your vision?"

"Yeah, I did have a few questions about that."

"Not surprising." Stevens replied. "Well, after your injury, the Viceroy was insistent that you needed to return to your full duties as soon as possible. To that end, she authorised you to undergo a procedure that would replace the eye you lost with a miniaturised Factsphere Sensor. At the same time, we also corrected your left eye's vision as well, hence why you can now see perfectly. In addition, your new eye is also equipped with infrared and terahertz viewing, allowing you to see at night, through smoke, and even see through body armour and the like."

"Impressive. But I would like to see myself, please." Nodding in understanding, Doctor Stevens produced s small mirror, passing it to me so that I could finally see my new look. On the whole, my face still looked virtually the same. The only difference was the area where my right eye used to be. In its place was a roughly hexagonal device made of a silver-coloured metal, with a dark grey metal cover, resembling closed eyelids. As I concentrated on it, the 'eyelid' portion slid upwards, revealing the sensor behind, which lit up the same way that the ones on Knightmares did.

[AN: In case my description wasn't clear enough, which is probably the case, Matthew's new eye looks exactly like one of the Vincent's Factsphere Sensor units. Check out the Vincent's page on the Code Geass wiki, it has a picture showing what the sensors look like.]

"Well, everything seems to be working properly. Any issues on your end?"

"None so far, but I'll keep an eye out. Pun not intended." I replied, both Stevens and myself grinning a bit at my accidental humour. "I imagine that this is still fairly new."

"Indeed, so there could still be so-Oh, Viceroy!" Looking over, I could see that Cornelia had just entered the room, clearly taking Stevens by surprise.

"Is everything alright, Doctor?" she asked.

"Yes, of course. I was just explaining to the Lieutenant that there might still be some potential issues with his new eye and that he should be mindful of any that do appear." Stevens explained. "Other than that, he appears perfectly fine. Although I would recommend that he refrains from any combat duties for the next week. Any problems are likely to occur early on, and it would be best for him not to be in the middle of a fight if they do."

"I see, very well. I'll defer to your judgement on the matter, Doctor. You may go." Cornelia dismissed him, apparently satisfied with what she'd been told. The doctor and nurse both bowed and exited the room, leaving Cornelia and I alone. As soon as the door closed, the Princess turned to look directly at me, her expression completely impassive. "Well Matthew, it seems you had luck on your side this time."

Despite myself, I couldn't help letting out a small laugh, causing Cornelia to smirk in response. "I don't know if I'd call getting shot in the eye 'lucky', but I'm still alive, so I'll take what I can get."

"True enough, and your plan did succeed in the end, so I can hardly criticise you. Like the doctor said, take it easy for a week. You've certainly earned it."


AN: Aaaand…done! Finally! Hope you all enjoyed the chapter. As always, do feel free to tell me what you did or didn't like, and definitely suggest any ideas that you may have.

Anzac-A1, out!