A/N: Fun fact: the chess game played in this omake is an actual game. It was played between Bobby Fischer and Robert Byrne during the 1965 United States Chess Championships.

Disclaimer: Code Geass is property of its respective owners.

Checkmate

Despite never holding military rank, Schneizel el Britannia is credited with preventing the total collapse of Britannian forces in the confusion following the April Fools' Offensives. While Zero and Cornelia li Britannia rushed to meet the encroaching Chinese and European forces, Schneizel ensured that communications and supply lines remained operational. Empress Nunnally vi Britannia would eventually appoint him as chairman of the War Production Board, a position he would hold for the entirety of the Great War. With the death of Cornelia li Britannia during the Battle of Salt Lake City and the disappearance of the 100th Empress and Zero during the Siege of Pendragon, many expected Schneizel to make a bid for the throne when the war ended. For reasons unknown, he instead supported the UFN-backed Odysseus eu Britannia's claim and quietly resumed his duties as Prime Minister until his assassination in 2058 a.t.b.

Schneizel el Britannia leaned back in his chair, groaning as he alternated between massaging his neck and rubbing his tired eyes. His staff had long since gone home, and he had sent Kanon home an hour ago despite the man's heavy protests. Though the Prime Minister couldn't deny that Odysseus' levelheadedness and lack of imperial ambitions was perhaps exactly what Britannia needed after barely surviving a horrifically-destructive global war, he also couldn't deny that Nunnally was a much more capable politician and administrator despite her young age. As a result, the Prime Minister's workload had only marginally decreased when the War Production Board was finally disbanded.

Schneizel's train of thought derailed as he sensed somebody else in the room with him. He sat back up and briefly considered reaching for the gun in his bottom drawer but quickly decided it wouldn't make a difference either way. The former Crown Prince instead opened up another drawer and bought out a well-worn chess set.

"The building's empty, so you might as well come out," Schneizel invited as he began setting up the pieces, "I should have known something as little as a sword through the gut wouldn't keep you down for long."

Lelouch, clad in his Aquila outfit sans mask, stepped out of the shadows. The newly-minted immortal lowered himself into a chair across from his older half-brother.

"I don't suppose you're willing to tell me how? After all, I doubt I could tell anyone without being committed to an insane asylum," the Prime Minister let out a humorless laugh as he moved a pawn to D4.

"I don't completely understand it myself," Lelouch reluctantly admitted as he countered with a knight to F6, "It seems that the power of Geass is not yet done with me."

Several moves later, Schneizel watched as Lelouch captured his pawn at D5. The Prime Minister leaned back, fishing for his spectacles.

"Too many hours poring over tiny print under poor lightning," the blond grinned at his half-brother's surprised expression, "I'm not even forty, and my eyesight is already going."

"Why?" Lelouch asked as Schneizel moved a knight to C3, "I'm not deluded enough to think you wouldn't break my Geass eventually, but I didn't think you'd managed to break it just a few days after I 'died.' So why didn't you try to take the throne for yourself?"

"Because you were right," Schneizel admitted, "A false peace enforced by the threat of annihilation is no peace at all. When you died, I think we all realized that Britannia needed to change or die, and placing the former Crown Prince on the throne would have just led to the Great War starting earlier."

Lelouch seemed deep in thought as he moved a bishop to G7.

The half-siblings discussed little matters for the next several moves, with Lelouch carefully skirting around the topic of his newfound powers or the locations of his fellow immortals.

"So what happens to you now? I find it hard to believe that you want to just disappear into the pages of history," Schneizel asked as Lelouch shifted his queen to D7.

The amethyst-eyed immortal leaned back in his chair, as if carefully contemplating his answer. Both could see that the game was already over and only continued to play when one needed a pause in conversation.

"When I died, I saw visions of another war," Lelouch carefully began after a long silence, "A war so large that we can't even begin to understand the scale. A war so far in the future that our bloodline will have long since died out by the time the first shot is even fired. The power of Geass bought me back to prepare for that war, and I will do so. I have committed far too many sins to ever be allowed to rest in peace."

Schneizel nodded, satisfied. Without another word, he reached over and tipped his king over.

"Looks like it's my loss, Lelouch. I suppose it's fitting."

"That it is, Schneizel," Lelouch nodded.

Schneizel never saw Lelouch again.