A/N: Turn 9. Don't have much to say here. Just hope you all continue to enjoy.
Disclaimer: Niles: "Lord NinjaPenguin does not hold legal right to the anime Code Geas and it's associated elements; however, the original elements within this story do belong to him."
Richter wore a frown as he walked around, admiring the royal castle. An advisor's job was limited when the one whom he advised was not present. It wasn't like his advice had much sway. The Empress may have conceded that maybe Richter was right about the fates of Schneizel and Kururugi, but Richter knew that that woman would never issue the order. She was too kind. She didn't realize the crippling fear one could inflict with death.
"Oh my, I don't remember seeing you before," a high voice hit Richter's ears. He turned from the massive portrait of Empress Nunnally he faced to find its source. She was a woman, late thirties, somewhat attractive, though in an artificial way, dressed in frilly clothes with an oversized, fancy hat. She looked to be the annoying sort of person Richter detested.
"I'm Richter Novak, the Empress' personal advisor," he said putting on a slight smirk. This woman was clearly a noble of some sort. It was best to act the gentleman.
"Oh my, you don't say? It's a pleasure to meet you Lord Novak. I am Arienette mi Britannia, the second-- er, first-- er, I'm not really sure any more-- princess of Britannia," the woman said in a haughty tone.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, my Princess, but you are mistaken. I am no lord," Richter said, forcing politeness into his voice.
"What?! Really, but why in heavens would little Ava let a commoner on staff?" Arienette started with a heavy gasp, her hand going to her mouth.
"Business sense, milady. I am owner of an exceptional mind, cultivated in one of the best environments for such a mind. My father is the chief executive officer of one of the most successful businesses the world over," Richter said charmingly. Arienette gave a girlish giggle.
"My, you don't say? What business is that?" the woman asked, smiling.
"Pizza Hut," he said, trying not to frown as he said it as was usual.
"Never heard of it," the woman said, shaking her head. Richter was strangely impressed. "But I like you, Richter, you're a very distinguished, charming young man."
"Thank you kindly, milady," Richter said with a soft bow.
"Yes, my opinion of the commoners has certainly increased. An upright, fine young man like you, I'd even consider introducing to my Jacquelyn," the woman said with a nod.
"You don't say," Richter said, giving a short laugh.
"You don't already have someone do you, sir?" the princess said, head tilted.
"No, not at the moment," Richter replied. He wasn't entirely interested in romance, but entertaining princesses could get him places he wanted to go. The princess Jacquelyn mi Britannia was also rumored to be quite beautiful.
"Good to hear it, Richter," the woman said with a nod. "You'll be pleased to know you made quite the strong impression."
"Thank you, my princess," Richter said as the woman began to walk away. Richter's impression of the princess wasn't so high. He figured that if the world had lost Arienette mi Britannia in addition to the majority of the royal family at Pendragon, it wouldn't be out for much.
---
Xuemei wore an expression of content as she entered the small room beside her mentor, Zhou Xianglin. The Japanese Battleship was a suitably impressive vessel. She was certain it would aid when they tried once more to best the Britannian forces.
"General Tohdoh, it is a pleasure to see you once more," Xianglin started in a level voice.
"Yes. We got here as quick as we could," the man said with a quiet somberness. Xuemei had never been in the presence of the famed general, but she could tell at once that he was every bit the man she imagined him to be.
"Hitokage looks to be a sturdy ship. Minami's Hikyuu took some serious damage in the initial fight, so its good to have another ship. It and its crew will surely be an asset to us," Xianglin spoke in a heavy voice.
The fight had been a difficult one. The enemy had two ninth generation knightmares, the Knight of Three's Lamorak and the new model built for the recently appointed Knight of Eleven, Agravain. The battle had been a complete rout. Despite the Japanese General, Minami's skill at piloting his battleship, and Xianglin's superiority in her knightmare, those two machines were just too much to handle. Battleship Hikyuu had been forced to retreat from the lines, allowing the Britannians to move forward.
"I understand Rakshata has flown some new machines in. What exactly did we receive?" Tohdoh asked, looking stern and serious.
"Four custom model knightmares. Two intended for use by the Federation forces, two for use by the Japanese forces," Xianglin explained.
"I see, I suppose we'll take one of the Japanese models and leave the other one in General Minami's hands," said Tohdoh deliberately.
"No need for that, General Tohdoh," said a voice from behind Xuemei. She moved to the side to allow the man to pass by her. It was general Yoshitaka Minami. He gave a nod to the other Japanese General.
"Should you really be away from your crew right now, General?" Tohdoh started, nodding back at the other man.
"I had to come greet you, General Tohdoh, and thank you personally for answering our distress call," said Minami graciously.
"It's only natural. For a Japanese victory, we could not let Hikyuu fall," Tohdoh responded.
"Right. But, I want you to have both the knightmares General. General Zhou here and her forces are currently stationed aboard Hikyuu; it's only natural that your Hitokage would get the Japanese machines," said Minami, rigidly.
"If you insist, General. I'll find pilots for them right away," said Tohdoh, with an understanding nod.
It was at that moment that an out of breath soldier arrived at the general's door. Again Xuemei moved to the side to allow the man to pass.
"G-general Tohdoh, General Tohdoh, sir…" the man stammered.
"Yes? What is it man? Is the enemy on the offensive?" Tohdoh asked, concern in his face.
"No, sir. It's Sergeant Major Tohdoh, she's just returned," the man said after a moment to collect himself.
"That's good news, sir," the General said smirking a little. "Was she successful?"
"She was," the man replied. The stone-faced General actually broke into what could be called a smile.
"That is excellent news. Is the Lieutenant well enough to be brought here, or must I go to her?" he asked, his expression not fading.
"She's well enough sir, I'll bring them both immediately," said the man, as he left.
"Sergeant Major Tohdoh? That's your Hiromi, I take it?" Minami started, smiling.
"Right," Tohdoh nodded.
"I'm glad my kids aren't the right age yet. I wouldn't be able to take seeing them off to war, even if I had them under my command," said the younger General.
"It's hard seeing anyone as young as them fight, whether they're kin or not," Tohdoh said. He then stared directly at Xuemei. "You look to be around my daughter's age, soldier. I'm don't believe we've met."
"Lieutenant Hu Xuemei, sir. It's humbling to be in the presence of a General so legendary in skill," Xuemei started in a strong voice.
"If only all Lieutenants your age had the fire I see in your eyes, Lieutenant Hu," praised Tohdoh. Xuemei felt proud.
"Xuemei is a prodigy, General. She was abandoned as a child at the palace in the Vermillion City. She's been training to fight for years now. Though she's a Lieutenant and I'm a General, she's a better pilot than I am; her skill is strangely reminiscent of him," Xianglin explained.
"I see. Most impressive," Tohdoh said, smirking again. "I'll be very much excited to see what you can do, Lieutenant Hu."
"Of course, sir," Xuemei replied, readily.
"Hey, General! Look who's back!" a loud, excited voice called from behind Xuemei again. She stepped once more to the side of the door.
"Lieutenant Ohgi, I am so relieved to see you alive. You don't know what relief this will bring your parents," Tohdoh started as the girl entered the room. Her hair was a similar color to Xuemei's own, but the woman had much darker skin, was taller, and much more fuller in figure. She looked more Britannian than Japanese actually.
"Come on, you didn't actually think I was dead, did you, General?" Ohgi challenged, head tilted to the side.
"Hey, Chiharu," Minami waved, seemingly used to the strange personality.
"Oh, General Minami, you're here too?" Ohgi started, looking over at the other. "How's the battle going?"
"Not well. We lost the first round handily. But we've just received four new customs knightmares, so we hope to win the second," said the man, looking down.
"Wow, cool, can I have one?" the girl asked. Xuemei simply couldn't believe the girl's behavior.
"Chiharu, don't you know how to behave in front of three important Generals?" another voice said from behind Xuemei, she let this girl pass too.
"Oh, she's a General too, Hiromi?" Ohgi started looking back at Xianglin.
"General Zhou, Lieutenant. I once fought alongside your father just like these two," the female General introduced herself with a very slight smile.
"Nice to meet you," she said with a nod. She then moved toward Xuemei. "You too… uh…"
"Lieutenant Hu," Xuemei said coldly, not taking the hand that was extended to her.
"Right... well, I'm Chiharu," Lieutenant Ohgi said. Xuemei shook her head. Whereas her opinion of Tohdoh and Minami was high, apparently not all the Japanese military had worth.
"You did a good job in finding her, Hiromi," Tohdoh spoke in a warm voice to the second girl to enter, obviously the aforementioned daughter.
"Yeah, well I knew not to give up on her. She was pretty easy to spot, actually," Sergeant Major Tohdoh addressed her father.
"Right, well must say I am surprised you look so well, Lieutenant. Tell me, how did you survive so much almost unscathed?" asked the General.
"I was saved," said the Lieutenant, looking down and smiling.
"Saved? By who?" asked Tohdoh.
"It was a phantom," said the girl with a soft smirk. "A certain phantom from the past."
"Phantoms? You don't say…" Tohdoh said, curiosity in his eyes.
"Phantom?! You told me it was a warlock, Chiharu?!" the Sergeant Major stammered.
"It can't be both?" the silver-haired girl responded with a snicker.
"I really wonder what you tried to eat in that wilderness…" the girl's friend sighed loudly.
"Nothing strange, just pizza," the Lieutenant responded.
"You're just trying to be strange now!" the Sergeant Major said defiantly.
"Regardless of the details, it's best you contact your parents Lieutenant, they are horribly worried," Tohdoh reminded. The girl nodded.
"Of course," she said with a smile. "But about that new knightmare…"
"We'll see, Lieutenant. We'll see…" the General responded. He seemed somehow serious. Xuemei hoped he wasn't. A girl like that one couldn't be of any use to them.
---
"It's great to have you, Lady Weinberg," said Niles from the seat of his Agravain, a giant, heavily armored fortress of a knightmare.
"From what I hear of the initial struggle, you won't need my help so badly," the girl said in a bright voice from her Viviane.
"I wouldn't be so quick to say that, Lady Weinberg, there are reports of them getting some pretty heavy reinforcements," said Lady Enneagram, the Knight of Three from her Lamorak.
"No matter how many of those boorish worms there are, we'll just crush them. Our machines are simply better," said Lady Winfield, Knight of Six, piloting a Vincent Ward.
"We can't count on that, Lady Winfield. We much treat this fight as one which we may lose. If we go in there overconfident, we will become sloppy. If we become sloppy, we will fail even if our machines are better," Niles spoke in a strong voice.
"He's right Rowena. I remember in the war twenty years ago, the second we got too confident, they'd come up and surprise us," Lady Enneagram said in an excited voice.
"I know that! Still, we Britannians are superior. Victory is surely on our side," said Lady Winfield with confidence. "We'll ride to victory for our glorious Empress!"
"Calm yourself, Lady Winfield. There's no reason to get so ugly," said Niles, slightly bitter at the woman's words.
"I don't need to be berated by some barbarous convict," the woman scoffed.
"Is it really necessary to say that, Lady Winfield?" asked Lady Weinberg, shaking her head.
"I can say what I want, Knight of Nine. I think highly of your little friend, but the decision to put knaves straight from our prisons onto the Rounds is not something I can condone," Winfield replied with a firm nod.
"Say what you will of that Cross, Rowena, but Lord Moore seems a fine soldier," Lady Enneagram said in a sigh.
"Cross isn't even worthy of mention. Lady Blackwell is a woman of character though, Princess Arienette and I have had some quite engaging conversations with that woman," Winfield conceded what she apparently could. "But this man is a simple murderer; a brute who has somehow got the idea he is something more."
"If you're trying to bait me into a fight, Lady Winfield, give up now. Fighting amongst ourselves will get us nowhere," Niles said in a unfazed voice. "I have no issue with you."
"Yes, let's just focus on the battle," Lady Enneagram insisted.
"Hmmph, if you insist," Winfield huffed.
---
Ava shook slightly as she approached the home she left behind. She hadn't been back since she had claimed the throne. It had only been a number of weeks, but now the manor built by Brighton Ellesmere seemed like something from a past life time. She knocked at the door. The door was promptly answered by Ava's one time personal servant, Padriac Princeton.
"My lady, you've returned…" he spoke in a heavy voice.
"Yes, Padriac. Father has requested a talk with me," Ava said in a sad voice.
"So I have heard," the man said. "Please, come in."
Ava walked in, staring around at the familiar sights. The place had lost its comfort.
"Hello, My Lady. It's good to see you again," said Anne Levine, the head maid, shortly after Ava was inside.
"Yes, Anne, it's good to be back," Ava lied. She was filled with unease by this place and these people.
"Your father is waiting for you in his study," Anne said in a solemn voice.
"I see. I shall not keep him waiting then," Ava said as she walked past Padriac, Anne and the rest of the staff and down a long hall. She stopped at a large door. She knocked as she opened it and stepped inside.
Father was sitting at his desk in the very dimly lit room. He was as thin and pale as usual. He stared down at the table through the thick, dark sunglasses that protected his nearly completely degenerated eyes. A half-depleted small vial of liquid attached to a sort of applicator device rest on that table hidden clumsily under some papers.
"F-father… are you…" Ava started, tears already entering her eyes.
"I know what day it is, Empress," the man replied in a tired voice.
"F-father…" Ava muttered, unable to look at the man. "Please don't… I'm still just… I'm still just your daughter… I'm still just Ava…"
"My Ava wouldn't have chosen such a path to take?" the man asked, a coldness in his voice.
"I'm just doing what I believe in, father," said the girl meekly.
"Then I am disappointed in you, daughter. You've destroyed the world's peace and left it in the hands of chaos. Can you truly call actions so selfish and vile what you believe in?" said father. Ava felt her heart fall.
"I can, father. I believe that it is a price to pay in ridding the world of its lies," said Ava, her usual rhetoric sounding so forced in front of her beloved father.
"My child… I wish now I were stronger," the man said in a very sad voice. "I've fallen, daughter. Without your mother, I've let myself, I've let you down. I understand this… and I am sorry."
"It's not your fault father, it's not…" said Ava shaking her head.
"Even so it is inexcusable. There's no hiding that I am a broken man, living in the past. These six years, I've let you go, my child, while I lost myself in behavior most shameful," the man said. "I've been selfish, Ava, and I can understand no other reason but this selfishness bringing about your actions."
"I can't blame you father. I've had this in mind all that time. You were no part of it," Ava fought, not wanting to hear her poor father blame himself further.
"You strike for vengeance for your mother than? While I took to destroying myself in grief, you take to destroying the world?" said father in a cutting voice.
"You're wrong!" Ava insisted in an emotional voice. "I've said it before, father, I don't think she's gone. She's still out there. I've seen nothing that tells me otherwise," she added, her heart full of pain.
"You don't know how painful those words are, Ava…" the broken man said. "You assault lies yet you continue to refuse the horrible truth yourself."
"What makes you so confident then, father? How can you say with so much certainty that Mother is no more? I was told that no recognizable remains were ever found…" Ava said, the subject tearing her spirt even further to shreds.
"Once long ago, your mother disappeared, and though everyone had lost faith in her survival, I alone remained certain that she would return to us," said father. "This is not the same as that, my daughter. I wish it was, but it is not…"
"How can you say that with confidence? Is there something you're hiding from me, father?" Ava asked with a slight shake.
"Why don't you use that cursed power of yours to find out?" father challenged. Ava grew pale.
"I couldn't, father! I could never use Geass on you… it just wouldn't be… it wouldn't…" Ava cried, feeling so miserable.
"In all of this it is that curse within your eyes which I have the most disdain for," father said. "That you would take that power into your body… it pains me to a degree you could seldom understand."
"Y-yeah… and why's that, father?" Ava asked innocently, feeling very small.
"Geass is your mother's killer, Ava," the man sad simply. Ava froze as she was filled with an incredible misery.
"What do you mean? How can you blame her supposed death on an abstract power?" Ava asked tentatively, though she already understood.
"Geass robbed your mother of her most precious sister. She blamed the chaos it wrought for not just her death but that of many others with whom she was close. She could never forgive it for what it took from her and sought to rid the world of it. It was amidst this quest that she met her end," said father, his voice heavy.
"But I don't see how… it's up to the individual what something like Geass is used for. The power of Geass can't be blamed itself," said Ava in a shaky voice.
"Then you have a fundamental disagreement with your mother," father said directly. "She believed that that power corrupted men, that it was a blight on their hearts that led them on a path of darkness. She wanted that blight to be destroyed."
"I did not know that, father," said Ava looking down, feeling somewhat ashamed.
"Every time you use that power, it is a disrespect to your mother's memory," the man said in a weary voice, looking at the girl.
Ava closed her eyes. She knew this was hard. She knew the truth could be cruel; that was the basis of her power. She didn't know it could feel so painful to learn a part of that truth.
"I'm sorry father, but even knowing that, I cannot turn back now," said Ava earnestly.
"So, you've made your choice then, my daughter…?" the man said in a low voice. "I realize there is nothing I can do to dissuade you… I just pray that you do not forget all that I have told you… that someday you may realize the mistakes you are making"
"F-father…" Ava choked out emotionally.
"The Empress of Britannia must be busy… I'll waste no more of your time," said father.
"I'll visit you again, father… I promise…" Ava said with tears in her eyes. Her father didn't respond. "I love you, father," she began to cry in full. "good bye…"
Father still didn't respond as Ava turned from him, trying to conceal the fact that tears were now streaming endlessly from her eyes. She exited immediately, not stopping to exchange goodbyes with the servants, before leaving the manor altogether.
As she entered her limousine and gave the driver the simple order to "drive" the tears did not stop still. She felt so broken and emotional. Part of her wanted to be comforted, part of her doubted she deserved comfort.
---
It was daybreak over the Chinese Federation's western border. A force of roughly one hundred Britannian knightmares spearheaded by three ninth-generation machines advanced rapidly, as they had since pushing the opposing force back days before. Meanwhile the combined, Japanese led forces, led by two aerial battleships, remained stationary just within the border, regrouping from the heavy losses they had incurred in the initial battle.
"Enemy force approaching, Miss Xianglin," Hu Xuemei said readily to her mentor, flying her new machine, Tianlong back from a scouting mission.
"Understood, Xuemei," the older woman replied flying the knightmare she had chosen for herself, Shenlong forward to meet the other.
These two knightmares were compliments. The Tianlong was a swifter machine, lithe and agile. It was pure white in color, with pink complimentary effects and wings, giving it a very beautiful, elegant appearance. It was equipped with a long sword as its primary weapon. The Shenlong, contrarily, was slower and bulkier. It was deep red in color though also with pink effects and wings. It's main weapons were two heavy cannons, one held in either hand.
"General Tohdoh, are your forces ready?" Xianglin asked of her fellow General.
"My forces are deploying now," Tohdoh responded, as his Zangetsu Tensai flewout from within the battleship Hitokage. It was soon followed by two other unique machines.
"Ha ha, now this thing kicks ass," Chiharu Ohgi said excitedly from within one of these machines.
"Don't let yourself get overly excited, Chiharu. After almost dying last time, you should be thankful that father was susceptible to your begging for that thing," said Hiromi Tohdoh from within the other custom machine.
"You can't blame me, Hiromi, Jinketsu's just such a beautiful machine. I can't help but be excited to finally it. Don't you feel the same about Hokurei?" Chiharu asked, smilingly.
These two machines were not so clearly a match. Jinketsu was a machine colored silver and black. It was mid-weight and fairly balanced in terms of offense, defense, and speed. Its left hand held a massive polearm. Hokurei was an entirely different machine. Forest green and yellow in color, it was a more defensively skewed machine, equipped with a heavy shield in its left hand, and a large blaster in its right.
"I've said it before, Chiharu, I'm not like you…" said Hiromi. "I'd actually prefer had Dad given Yasuko Hokurei instead…"
"Sister…" Yasuko whined from the cockpit of her Akatsuki.
"You tell her, Yasuko, you can handle yourself without a fancy knightmare," said Chiharu.
"Yeah… " Yasuko said, enamored with the sound of the voice. "Please be careful this time, Miss Chiharu."
"I'll try. Though if I need to step in to save you again, I won't hesitate," said Chiharu coolly.
"I simply won't allow that. Next time it will be me saving you, Miss Chiharu," said Yasuko, in a soft voice.
"Cool! It's great to hear you have my back, Yasuko. I'm counting on you," Chiharu said. The younger girl blushed.
It was then that the first shots were fired. Soon Britannian Vincents locked with both Japanese Akatsuki, and the latest Federation mass production models, the Huabing.
"Prepare for a fight, Britannia," the icy Federation warrior, Xuemei said as she charged readily toward the largest and most imposing Britannian model, the Agravain. As it was more than twice the size of Tianlong, Xianglin followed her young protege into combat against the Knight of Eleven.
"Which one of you miserable brutes wants to take on I, the great Knight of Six," Rowena Winfield started as she flews into the skirmish with her golden Vincent Ward.
"If you're so great, maybe I'll give you a shot," said Hiromi, flying before the other and readying her cannon.
"I guess, I'll take you as my opponent, Knight of Three," said Tohdoh, staring down the Lamorak, a solid machine with a red and white color scheme, somewhat heavy armor and a Master Vibration Sword in the shape of a gigantic battle axe.
"Suits me, 'Tohdoh of Miracles'," Nonette Enneagram smirked, as she flew forward, launching an upward sweep with her axe.
"So I guess, for the third time, we meet in battle, Goldie," Chiharu snickered as she set her sights on the opponent left for her.
"Is it? I don't recognize your machine..." said the pilot of the Viviane, Astrid Weinberg. Finally hearing the pilot's voice, Chiharu was surprised it was that of such a young girl.
"This machine's newer than yours, Britannian. I lost one Akatsuki to that red machine the day your Empress took the throne and another to the tiny blue one over the Southern Federation," said Chiharu, excited for this fight.
"I see. If fate has seen our paths cross so many time, may I ask you name, miss?" Astrid started in a soft but intense voice.
"Chiharu. Chiharu Ohgi," Chiharu said with a small laugh.
"I am Astrid Weinberg. It's a pleasure to meet you, Chiharu," said Astrid. "May the one of us with the strongest conviction be victorious." She pulled her short sword out and held it rigidly.
Chiharu readied her spear. "Bring it, Astrid." Their blades soon crossed.
Niles Moore, Knight of Eleven readied his two handheld blasters as the gigantic missile launchers hidden in his shoulders deployed. Soon the two Federation knightmares were being bombarded by heavy fire.
"Knights of the Federation, you will not survive the fury of my Agravain!" the older man shouted, the excitement of battle coming back to him as his knightmare remained stationary, deploying weapon after weapon.
"We'll see about that!" Xianglin called back as she launched a very heavy blast from her handheld cannon, a miniature version of the Baryon Cannon at the core of the Shenhu twenty years ago. The blast didn't even break the massive shield generated by the equally massive Agravain.
As the smoke cleared from the blast, Tianlong had appeared in front of Agravain. The quick machine began to slash ruthlessly at the dwarfing juggernaut with its sword, but to no avail. Soon, slash harkens were deployed by the Agravain to capture Xuemei's machine. Shenlong began to assault the massive machine again in hopes of freeing the other. Eventually Tianlong did break free in the struggle.
"Xuemei, this time, let's try together," said Xianglin in a heavy voice.
"Yes, Miss Xianglin," Xuemei said with a nod.
At the same time, Rowena's Vincent Ward was flying circles around the more advanced Hokurei, launching grenades at it at random intervals. Hiromi did her best to maintain her Radiant wave-surger shield as she tried to find a clear shot. She figured she'd only need one. Rowena, just wouldn't stay still.
Similarly, Nonette wouldn't let up in her assault. Despite the size of her weapon, she swung it around with ease, and the force behind it kept Tohdoh on the constant defensive. Zangetsu Tensai let its machine guns blaze at it deflected Lamorak's axe.
"You live up to your reputation, General. Not many could keep up with a barrage this heavy," Nonette commented with a smirk as she refused to relent.
"And you're every bit the skilled warrior, I've heard you were, Knight of Three," Tohdoh commented, struggling to keep from being overpowered.
The struggle between Viviane and Jinketsu was perhaps the most intense. Jinketsu was able to move it's spear effortlessly at incredible speeds, and made many lunges at the golden frame. Viviane was not so easily overpowered though. It deflected each strike with a swipe of sword, as the two young pilots remained evenly matched.
"You're pretty good, Astrid," Chiharu laughed. She was enjoying this. It seemed an evenly matched fight, more similar to her video game than the previous, frightening excursions.
"You're a worthy opponent as well, Chiharu," Astrid said in a quiet voice.
"But I'm going to win this. I've made a promise now, one I have to keep," the Japanese girl started, backing up and spinning her spear slightly before pointing it back at the other.
"There's someone very important counting on me to be victorious as well. I don't intend to let that person down," Astrid replied gravely. She readied her bow hand and suddenly launched a MVS arrow at the Jinketsu. Chiharu quickly bat it out of the air with her polearm, then closed the gap.
Soon their blades were clashing at rapid pace once more. Coming off of Chiharu's sword, Astrid launched one of her three slash harkens after the other, creating another gap as the young Lieutenant worked to deflect them in quick succession. She then readied her bow once more and fired from it, this time a powerful explosive. It created a massive cloud of smoke, which was soon followed up by a flash of light from her energy wings that further obscured Chiharu's vision. Before she knew it, the Viviane was behind her.
"I have nothing against you, Chiharu, but I mustn't fail," said Astrid as she fired from her bow one more. This time the projectile was something else. This time it would be the same Gefjun Bolts she had used to take out the Zangetsu Tensai. Her bow was held rigid as the high velocity bolt flew from it, ready to pierce Jinketsu's defense with ease and bring it to a screeching halt.
But just as the bolt was seconds away from contact, it was stopped in midair. Despite it's incredible speed and miniscule size, the Jinketsu had somehow caught it in its hand. It crushed it.
"How-- how are your reflexes so good?" Astrid stammered as she flew forward with her sword, to meet the Jinketsu again. By the time she got to it, it was behind her.
"I already told you, I don't plan on losing!" Chiharu shouted, as she stabbed her massive spear straight into Viviane's wing pack. Viviane, began to fall rapidly.
"I'm sorry, Ava…" Astrid muttered as she pulled her ejection switch.
"Lady Weinberg losing to a Japanese! How?!" Rowena Winfield stammered as she turned to watch Viviane crash into a nearby hill.
"Don't let your guard down if you don't want to die!" Hiromi shouted as her Hokurei's giant cannon finally fired, piercing straight through the Vincent Ward.
"Curse you!" Rowena screamed as she too ejected. Her machine soon exploding behind her.
"Ladies Weinberg and Winfield have been defeated, Lady Enneagram, and our forces are thinning rapidly in the face of their battleships. Retreat may be our best option now," said Niles, as his shields continued to be tested by the two Federation knightmares.
"If we can take out their Generals, we can still come out on top, Lord Moore. We can't give up yet," Nonette said as she finally got past Tohdoh's defenses, catching Zangetsu Tensai's left arm and cleaving it. She was ready to deliver a more critical follow up, when interference arrived.
"How did you--?" Nonette started. Jinketsu was right in front of her, having moved form the sight of its own fight in just seconds.
"Need some help, General?" Chiharu said with a high laugh.
"Lieutenant? How are you...?" Tohdoh started, surprised. Before the girl could even respond, Chiharu had the Lamorak's axe suspended above it's head.
"She's all yours, General," chimed Chiharu.
"Thank you, Lieutenant," the man said with a smirk as he let his Seidoutou find it's way into Lamorak's middle, prompting a chain reaction. Nonette promptly ejected.
"Looks like you were right, Lord Moore..." she said as she did so.
"Heh, so I'm the last one standing," Niles said, as he was soon flanked by Tianlong, Shenlong, Zangetsu Tensai, Hokurei, and Jinketsu. "I know when I'm outmatched."
Soon, Agravain began to change. The massive knightmare folded its head forward and its shoulders back, slowly taking the shape of a large bomber plane.
"Shoot him down!" Tohdoh shouted as Niles began to make his mistake. Shenlong and Hokurei let their guns blaze while Tianlong and Jinketsu pursued hotly. Chiharu overtook Xuemei quickly and came close to catching up with the Agravain. Chiharu's spear would have found a mark had Niles not launched some missiles to distract her.
"Men, scramble and recover my fellow Rounds," Niles commanded to some of the remaining Vincents he had nearby. Soon Agravain's powerful engine saw it disappear on the horizon.
"We won today, soldiers. We pushed the enemy back and maintained the border," Tohdoh said, contented.
"Winning feels pretty good doesn't it Chiharu?" asked Hiromi, a wide smile on her face.
"Heh heh, it's awesome; amazing; wonderful... yeah…" Chiharu said, very high and quick, a bizarre level of excitement in her voice.
"Whoa Chiharu you okay?" Hiromi started, finding the sound of her friend's voice peculiar.
"I'm amazing; perfect; never felt better…" Chiharu chirped, not slowing down or taking normal tone of voice.
"Miss Chiharu… you don't sound so normal…" Yasuko, who had managed to best a couple Vincents on her own, said with concern.
"Let's return to the Hitokage," said Hiromi, also concerned.
---
Ava sat in the command room, a dour look on her face. She was face to face with Lord Niles Moore, her Knight of Eleven.
"A loss you say?" she started, the news bringing her mood further down than it had already been.
"Yes, your highness," Moore replied, looking equally displeased. "The enemy was reinforced by a second battleship and four cutting edge custom units, one of which with specs like which I had never seen."
"Hmm… that doesn't make sense… if they were designing four units at once, why would they make one unit so far superior…" Ava pondered aloud, looking down.
"I don't know, Empress. i wonder this myself," Lord Moore said in a low voice.
"Was Astrid recovered?" Ava asked immediately a serious look on her face.
"Aye. And Lady Winfield and Lady Enneagram as well," Moore said. "I double backed with Agravain and picked them up. With the stealth technology and using a few of our Vincents as decoys, I got to them all undetected by the enemy.
"That's wonderful to hear, Lord Moore." Ava smiled. "Is Astrid well?"
"All three suffered only minimal injuries," Moore assure his Empress. "From data I've collected the Viviane and Lamorak, though highly damaged, may prove salvageable."
"Good to hear. I'll deploy the transport plane I have stationed nearby to head toward you. See if you can't move them somehow," Ava ordered with a calm nod.
"That may prove difficult with the enemy all around, but I'll do what I must. I won't let either fall into enemy hands," Moore replied with a stony expression.
"You are a true soldier, Knight of Eleven," Ava praised, smirking. Her expression becoming more subdued, she then asked "Could I speak with Astrid?"
"Of course, Empress," the man said before he opened the small cargo hatch behind him, and called Astrid forth. Ava smiled as the girl emerged.
"It does my heart good to see you well, Astrid," Ava said, smiling.
"I'm sorry… I failed you again…" Astrid started at once. There were tears in her eyes. She looked quite distraught.
"Not all battles can be won, Astrid. You fought your hardest for me and you survived. For that, I am pleased," said Ava in a soft, placating voice.
"That's not good enough for me! I want to win, Ava, because I want you to win! I can't fail you anymore! I won't, never…" Astrid cried, looking broken.
"Astrid… you silly girl...I-I…" Ava smiled and shook her head not knowing what to say. "The bright part of this is that, sources indicate that the Japanese put all their effort into reinforcing this front. Mr. Cross might prove enough to tip the scale in the East. Your father's machine is almost refurbished and the ones we are building for Lord and Lady Granville are almost complete as well. This is a minor set back, Astrid. I have not lost this war yet."
These words brought a quiet halt to Astrid's tears. "I want Viviane repaired quickly. I won't be able to handle not joining in."
"I understand, Astrid," Ava said in a soft voice. Just hearing the other girl's voice had done so much to set her spirit at ease.
---
"Okay, Chiharu, time to get out of there…" Sergeant Major Ohgi called up to her friend as Hu Xuemei watched. "You'll be able to get out, ri---"
Before the brunette girl finished her words, the hatch of the Jinketsu had already opened and the other girl had come down with an acrobatic flip.
"Since when can you do stuff like that, Chiharu?" the young Tohdoh stammered, wide eyed. Xuemei was likewise impressed; it was a flip every bit as elegant as she was capable of.
"I don't know; I feel kind of strange; I feel real light; everything seems so fast," Lieutenant Ohgi said rapidly, twitching horrible. There was something even stranger about her than that though.
"Chiharu?! What happened to your eye?!" the girl's friend shouted, looking at it. The Lieutenant's left eye sure enough looked far from normal. It was glowing an ominous red and the pupil seemed strangely triangular.
"My eye? What's wrong with my eye? It feels normal; well, not normal; everything feels lighter; but I feel normal; well not normal; I could use some water." The girl continued to twitch and behave all together bizarre.
Private Yasuko Tohdoh, who stood close by jumped at this. She ran out of the hangar swiftly, and returned just as swiftly with a bottle of water. With concern in her eyes she said, "here you go Miss Chiharu."
The bottle of water immediately crushed as Chiharu's hand closed around it.
"Is everything all right in here?" General Tohdoh appeared on the scene.
"No! Something is totally up with Chiharu… she's become super strong and athletic and she won't stop twitching," Hiromi started, looking scared.
"And she piloted Jinketsu at the absolute maximum of it's potential, according to the specs Rakshata sent us." General Nagisa Tohdoh, the other General's wife, started from behind the group, she was holding some papers. "it shouldn't be possible for a human to maintain these levels for any real duration."
"And her eye…" the male General Tohdoh said staring at it, shocked.
"What is it father?! Have you seen it before?!" Private Tohdoh demanded, looking upset.
"Was your phantom a woman with green hair, Chiharu?" asked the lead General.
"There might have been someone fitting that description," the Lieutenant said in a single chirp.
"You fool, taking something like this into your body…" the man growled, looking dismayed.
"Kyoshiro, it's not.. it's not what he had, is it?" his wife asked, blinking.
"I recognize the shape from the reports…" said Tohdoh.
"You can't just turn it off, can you, Chiharu?" asked, the Sergeant Major, staring her friend over.
"I don't know; haven't tried," Chiharu said readily. She closed her eyes briefly then opened them. Suddenly they looked normal.
"There! That's better, it looks normal now, Miss Chiharu!" the Private said, looking relieved.
"Whoa… yeah… it feels more normal now… that was easy…" said the Lieutenant, smiling.
"What is this? I don't understand. Do you know something, father?" the young Private started, still concerned.
"What happened, Lieutenant?" asked the head General, with a slight nod.
"I was fighting that girl. She was gonna beat me, and then it just sort of activated. I was suddenly able to react a lot quicker… push the controls harder… it was like my brain was giving me full access to everything my body is capable of," the girl said, looking to be in thought. With a smile she then said. "It was like I was in Hyper Mode!"
"There's a Federation base not far from here. I'll see about getting you some sort of doctor to analyze it," said the eldest Tohdoh, looking troubled
"Cool… now, I thing I need to crash…" Lieutenant Ohgi said, her eyes flickering as she yawned. "I'm getting really… really tired..."
The girl suddenly collapsed after that. Sergeant Major Tohdoh caught her before she hit the ground, but it was immediately apparent that she was fast asleep.
"Someone really needs to look at her…" the Sergeant Major said while holding her friend.
"Do you know what this is, father?" the Private asked again, looking at the man.
"A manifestation of the power known as Geass," Nagisa Tohdoh said in a dark voice. Everyone's eyes, even Xuemei's went wide. That was the Empress' power.
"But it's completely different from the Britan--" the Sergeant Major started.
"And the Britannian Empress' was completely different from Zero's," said the head General looking at the girl.
"Lieutenant Ohgi is this girl's name…" Xuemei spoke as she decided to walk forward, looking down at the girl.
"Y-yeah…" the Private said hesitantly, looking as if she were afraid.
"If what you say is true, she has taken on a heavy burden," Xuemei said, walking to the other side of the sleeping girl. "I never would have imagined it on my first impression of her, but this girl now has my full respect."
"Well, that's good to hear," the Sergeant Major said in a highly sarcastic tone, scowling childishly at Xuemei. Xuemei ignored this.
A/N: An interesting chapter. I suppose Chiharu's Geass was the most notable part. You don't know how hard it was to decide on her ability. I was still debating what her power should be just days ago. I knew I wanted it to be something that would aid her in combat, but it was hard to find something that worked for her character. I decided in the end that what r was better for our slacker than a power that forced her to exert herself at her limits. It will be better explained next chapter, but in case you're concerned that this doesn't seem like a Geass power, it's still about her mental state. In short her power, removes mental blocks on brain and muscle usage allowing herself to act and think more quickly, as well as augmenting her strength.
Aside from the Geass thing, we have a bunch of new knightmare introductions, Agravain is a particular favorite of mine. A few characters introduced as well. Princess Arienette had been mentioned priorly a couple times, but made her first appearance here; she's impressed by Richter and has never heard of Pizza Hut; that's about all you need to know of her character. More interesting is Xuemei, our mysterious, elegant Chinese warrior girl. With her name, and all other Chinese names, I have to give a big thanks to Rabukurafuto; he assisted me in coming up with them. So this was an important fight; had to show that this is a two sided war now. Speaking of sides, I'm quite pleased in my reviews to see you all splintering off into sides in a fashion reminiscent of Death Note; we have those who like Ava and those who don't. I'm glad, but I'll chose to remain always neutral. I'm rooting for them all (except the bitches like Richter and Rowena).
Items to be added to the info page with the next update:
Arienette mi Britannia
Hu Xuemei
Battleship Hikyuu
Agravain
Lamorak
Tianlong
Shenlong
Huabing
Jinketsu
Hokurei