Disclaimer: I do not own Code Geass or any of its canon characters.
Milly Ashford leaned back in her chair at the head of the empty student council meeting room's table as she waited for the others to arrive. She began to drift away into thought, trying yet again to make sense of the past week. The more she thought over the massive collection of puzzle pieces in her head, the more sense it began to make.
The door slid open, breaking the complete silence. Shirley and Rivalz, the remaining two active student council members walked in together on time. Although Suzaku was still technically a member of the student council, they had not seen him in over a week due to the new viceroy's military buildup. As they were sitting down they both noticed that the table was clear. Rivalz quickly figured out that this was no ordinary student council meeting.
For once, the thought of Milly not handing them a large stack of paperwork didn't feel so alien. Even after a week, the shock of having their quiet, frail friend revealed as Zero's red grim reaper hadn't worn off. Out of all the numerous historic events that had occurred, the seemingly least significant one had hit them hardest.
"Shirley, Rivalz, we need to talk." Their president began.
"It's about Lulu and Kallen isn't it?" Shirley asked her. Milly nodded silently.
"I've figured out what's really going on here."
"You mean why Lelouch, Nunnally, and Nina disappeared after Kallen gave that interview? I heard a few students saying that they transferred to a school in the mainland, but I don't believe for a second they wouldn't have told us."
"Yeah. I don't know of any easy way to say this, but please try not to hate me." Milly told them, knowing that they were unlikely to easily accept it.
"Lelouch is our friend too. I want to know." Rivalz assured her.
"Shirley, go lock the door. I need you both to swear that you will never repeat what you hear in this room." Milly commanded in a much more serious voice.
"Is this like one of those 'this message will self destruct in five seconds' moments?" Rivalz joked.
"This isn't a game Rivalz. Now I'm not saying anything more until you both swear to keep it a secret." Milly then proceeded to make them both swear to secrecy. After they both finished, she slowly began. "Lelouch and I, we've been...lying to you. For as long as you've known us." Shirley and Rivalz sat silently on the other side of the table, wondering how they had managed to lie for years without a single slip. "Lelouch isn't who you think he is. Lamperouge is just an alias. He's gone through a lot of trouble to make sure the world thinks that he's dead." Ashford began to explain.
"What do you mean? Why would Lulu do that?" Shirley asked. Milly closed her eyes and exhaled before putting on the most serious face they had ever seen from her.
"Eleventh prince of the Holy Britannian Empire, Lelouch vi Britannia." She paused for a few seconds to let her words sink in. "Seven years ago, Lelouch and Nunnally were sent here officially as imperial representatives to the Kururugi government of Japan. Unofficially, they were little more than political hostages. The truth is much worse. The Emperor sent them here to die."
"Lelouch is a prince? And his own father wanted him dead?" Shirley wanted to know. It was obvious to anyone that knew her that what she was hearing had clearly not hit her yet. Milly nodded.
"The Emperor tried to have Lelouch and Nunnally killed during the invasion in order to blame it on the Japanese and use them as martyrs. But they ultimately evaded all the assassins sent after them until Lelouch managed to fake their deaths. The Ashford family helped him do that, and hide in plain sight as students in our new academy. But the oath is what really puts this all together."
"What oath?"
"I overheard him talking about it with my grandfather one night, years ago. He blames the Emperor for all the terrible things that happened to them. He swore to kill the Emperor and destroy the Empire. At the time, my grandfather probably thought it just an outburst of an angry child. But knowing Lelouch..." Rivalz cut her off.
"He would do anything for Nunnally. It's going to take a while for all this to really sink in, but I... think I understand now."
"Exactly, Rivalz." Milly stood up.
"Did you know...about Kallen too?" Shirley hesitantly asked their blonde president.
"Not completely Shirley. I knew that she was half Japanese, but not that she was part of the resistance. But now that we know that Kallen is effectively part of the Black Knights' leadership, there are a few ways this could have worked out." Milly started to slowly walk around the table. "Kallen could have figured out who Lelouch is, and recruited him into the Black Knights. Or Lelouch could have found out who Kallen is and used her to join. But there's always the third option."
"He isn't exactly the most willing follower." Rivalz pointed out, forming a smile from Milly.
"We always thought our vice president was just lazy." Milly looked at Shirley. "You always pointed out how he never seemed to apply himself." She then shifted to Rivalz. "Have you noticed that Lelouch's attendance has dropped from bad to the very edge of passable since Shinjuku?"
"Yeah, actually now that I think about it. After that he's barely asked me to do anything with him. Illegal or not." Rivalz pointed out.
"Think back to the day Shinjuku happened. Does it really seem like just a coincidence that the resistance manages to go from running and hiding to win such a decisive victory merely two hours after Lelouch loses you?"
"He called me..." Shirley whispered. "He called me that morning, asking about what the news said was happening in Shinjuku. I... thought I heard gunfire in the background."
"I guess our favorite prince has been applying himself after all." Milly commented with a grin. Rivalz followed up.
"Lelouch said it better himself that morning. If the king does not lead..."
The sniper clicked the red button on the top of his rifle's large scope, switching the view from visible light to black hot thermal to see through the morning fog. He scanned the road to the east while his spotter checked the visible end of the park at the end of the road to their north.
From their well concealed position on the 22nd floor of an abandoned office building, the team of two had an excellent view of the surrounding area. On the same level of the office building's twin structure behind them, Shinkirou team was covering the west and south approaches.
The sniper, callsign Ghost 1, checked the time on the small computer next to him. Thirty one minutes until the deadline. He motioned to his spotter, Ghost 2, and tapped his wrist as if he were wearing a watch. The spotter nodded and moved back into an interior room.
"Ghost team reporting in. Our sector is clear. No enemy presence detected in the last twenty hours." The spotter informed over a secure channel.
"Good to hear." Zero's altered voice replied.
"Shinkirou team reporting. A black limousine has stopped on the road to the south. There is a man wearing a suit standing outside of it. He appears to be unarmed."
"Excellent, that is the signal I was expecting. Maintain eyes on target. If this is a trap you will need to stop that vehicle." Zero instructed his sniper team.
"Understood, sir." Shinkirou 1 replied as he looked over to the massive AM145 rifle next to him. Short for Anti Materiel 14.5mm, the weapon was not actually a rifle, but instead a smooth bore sniper system chambered in 14.5x114mm. Utilizing a discarding sabot system to fire what was effectively an ultra high velocity armor piercing fin stabilized dart, the AM145 could penetrate lightly armored vehicles such as APCs from ranges in excess of three kilometers. The weapon was actually overpowered for the job at hand, capable of over penetrating and killing the limo's occupants if the sniper failed to hit the engine block from the correct angle.
Twelve hundred meters away from the sniper teams, Zero, Kallen, and Ougi prepared to break cover and move to the limo. Although now very sure that this meeting was in fact real, and not a Britannian trap, Lelouch was still taking no chances, especially with the two people he chose to bring with him. All three of them were equipped with the latest in light weight personal full body armor, recently acquired through supernatural means.
All three were equipped with integrated tracking devices and a pistol each. Bringing assault rifles or CQB modified battle rifles to a meeting would not appear very friendly. Lelouch looked over at his two companions as they double checked their weapons and armor.
Although he rarely wished to be in the spotlight, Ougi was a solid fighter and a naturally talented leader, not that he would ever admit it. He always tended to bring a calm and collected point of view to the situation.
Kallen on the other side, was easily one of the most deadly warriors in the world. As dangerous as she was beautiful, and she had few equals in either department. Together, they brought an excellent and diverse skill set.
They exited the safe house and began walking toward the street with the waiting limo. Aside from two stray cats, the back alleys they were moving through were deserted.
"Why isn't CC coming with us?" Kallen asked Zero as they neared the target location.
"She's already there, setting up plan B in case something goes wrong." He replied.
"You know where we're going? I thought Kyoto went through a lot of trouble to keep their bases hidden."
"Not as good as we do. I've determined that their main base is located within the Mt Fuji sakuradite mines." Zero revealed, getting looks of surprise from his companions.
"So you sent her to infiltrate the base. Do we get a plan C?" She asked. Zero tapped the pistol on his right side.
"You're already wearing it."
Three minutes later, they appeared from an alley way directly opposite the limo. The man opened the rear door for them. As they entered, he shut the door and returned to the forward passenger seat. He pressed a button on the forward console, and a set of armor plates rose between the windows and the interior.
"My apologies, but we must maintain secrecy. The armor doubles as a sight blocker." The Kyoto driver informed them through the comms system. The interior of the limo darkened as external light was denied entry. Zero pressed a tiny green button hidden on his neck to send a highly encrypted signal, indicating that everything was proceeding as planned just as the limo began to move away.
Many miles away from the pickup point, CC sat in the cockpit of her captured Burai bored out of her mind waiting to execute the third part of her mission. The first stage was to infiltrate the base itself, not a problem with all the ways in and out of the vast Mt Fuji sakuradite mines. The second part was much more challenging.
Once inside the base, CC was tasked with identifying and sabotaging any knightmares inside the facility. Zero had provided her with an excellent way of doing this without a massive amount of noisy explosives. A simple USB stick loaded with a virus created to neutralize the common operating system of Glasgow based knightmare frames, including the Japanese Burai. The virus had to be inserted manually in each unit however, and that meant gaining physical access to the cockpit of every frame without being detected.
And now, twenty seven hours, five sabotaged Burais, and three well hidden and thoroughly tranquilized bodies later, CC had nothing to do but listen to her hungry stomach and wait for the guests to arrive. She looked over and saw that it was almost two hours past the pickup deadline. She saw what appeared to be Kirihara arrive in the large room, flanked on both sides by armed bodyguards. He took a seat behind a concealing screen on the far end of the room.
Suddenly, the lighting above the six tan knightmares went out, shrouding them in darkness. The familiar sound of a heavy elevator and a large blast door opening reverberated around the room. The black limousine slowly rolled off of the elevator into the bright side of the room near the large windows overlooking the mining operations below.
CC activated her unit's factsphere sensor and moved her view up to 2x zoom, just in time to identify Zero, Kallen, and Ougi step out of the back as a man wearing a black suit held the door open for them. They walked forward, Zero in the center, before stopping ten meters from Kirihara's guards.
"Ah, the famous Zero. I am glad that we finally have this opportunity to meet in person." Kirihara began from behind his screen.
"As am I. Kyoto's support thus far has been greatly appreciated." Zero replied. "I believe my Black Knights have passed your test."
"My test?"
"Yes, that was the intention of supplying us with advanced weapons, was it not? You wished to find out if we were worth your time and resources."
"Very good. It appears that your reputation is not exaggerated, Zero. Yes, it was a test, just as you said. And with the few knightmare frames and Naginata tanks I sent, you surpassed all expectations. You have given the Britannians the first taste of true defeat for the first time in seven years." He paused for a few moments. "You have proven yourself an enemy of Britannia. However, that is all I am certain of. You have killed a prince, and then befriended a princess. You fought with the JLF at Narita, and against them at Kawaguchi. You recruited our oppressors, and then freed a Japanese hero. And you continue to hide your face from the world. Your true motivations and loyalties are unclear to me Zero. I will not entrust the hopes of the Japanese people to those that I cannot trust. To trust you, I must know who you truly are. Now, Zero, you will show me your face!"
To their right, lights flashed on, banishing the shadows to reveal the six Burai frames, their weapons trained on the Black Knights. And then Zero did the one thing they did not expect, he began laughing. Zero raised his right hand and snapped his fingers, giving CC the signal to activate the virus in Kyoto's Burai frames. Five of the six Burais suddenly had their ejection mechanisms activate, without igniting the rocket boosters. Their cockpit blocks disconnected from the rest of the units, rendering them completely useless. The sixth Burai in the middle turned its assault weapon to the right, putting Kirihara and his bodyguards in the line of fire. CC shifted the chest mounted machine gun to cover the men in the limo behind the Black Knights before slowly moving close enough to shield them if necessary. Kallen and Ougi pulled their pistols from their holsters, their fingers hovering close to the triggers.
"Taizo Kirihara, It was unwise to threaten me with such an insignificant force. As you can see, your security is laughable, and your tactics outdated. I will not be manipulated, and I will not be controlled." Zero informed them with commanding fashion.
"How? How is this possible?" Kirihara asked, with a mix of anger and shock.
"My best assassin has been in your base for twenty seven hours. She sabotaged each and every one of your knightmares without being detected. Had I wished it, she could have killed you a dozen times over." Zero slowly began walking closer. "Make no mistake Kirihara, I will kill Emperor Charles, tear his empire to bloody pieces, and free Japan. With or without your help. But I came here today seeking an ally, not another enemy." Zero reached behind his head and removed his mask. Kirihara sat in stunned silence as his eyes recognized a face he had not seen in the seven years since Japan's final hours.
"You...I should have known you would not stay in hiding forever. Do they know?" Kirihara asked, motioning to the two Black Knights behind him.
"The three I brought with me, and several others know. My identity is not yet common knowledge, and I would like to keep it that way for now."
"As you wish. Now, shall we get started?"
"Certainly. There is much we need to discuss." Lelouch said and he motioned for everyone to lower their weapons.
"So, when are you going to be joining us?" Jeremiah asked across the table. Cornelia looked up from the book she was reading, several strands of amethyst hair hanging over the left side of her face.
"It's not that easy for me, Jeremiah. The...Japanese want their country back, and your loyalty is to my brother first. Even if all the terrible things I've heard about my father are true, my loyalty is to Britannia, the nation I have spent half of my life fighting for." The captured princess tried to explain. Toudou, still wearing his tan JLF uniform, spoke up from the other end of the room.
"You don't quite get it, do you? Your sister is a known traitor, you are the first viceroy to be decisively defeated, and the first royal to be captured by an enemy force in living memory. Even if Zero were to let you go, your reputation is in tatters, and you would never be above suspicion again. You have no future with Britannia as long as Emperor Charles sits upon the throne."
"Besides, you don't seem to understand exactly what we're trying to do. Lelouch wants to destroy the Empire as it is, that means killing the Emperor and a lot of political change." Jeremiah continued. He looked his former commander in the eyes. "Your brother isn't going to literally incinerate the entire western hemisphere. The Britannia you helped build will still be there when this is all over." Cornelia said nothing in response. Instead, she closed her eyes and lowered her head, her mind hard at work trying to figure out her place in a very different world.
Suzaku let his eyes wander as he walked through the base under the midday sun. Just to the north of the Britannian section of Tokyo, this old Japanese air force base had been taken over by the invading armies during the first days of the Second Pacific War. Renamed Starlight Field, the Britannians quickly expanded the installation with additional runway space and five massive hangers. When the new Viceroy needed a staging area for her massive upcoming operation, this was the obvious first choice.
He looked right as he walked through the base's main road. Row after row of blue Panther tanks and Badger APCs were lined up. Ground crews and several of their white Glasgow frames hauled masses of bullets, fuel, 20mm and 130mm cannon shells, and any replacement parts the vehicles needed over to them.
On the other side of the road, more white Glasgows hauled energy fillers, weapons, and even more ammo of all types to rows of assembled Sutherland frames. Close by, fifteen standard model Gloucesters were being fitted with their lances and assault rifles.
Suzaku walked past the four guards at his destination hanger's side door and into a sea of activity. Closest to the door were the Glaston Knights and their five recently upgraded Gloucester frames, which were being further customized with the help of two white Glasgows. He looked closer at what they were doing and saw what appeared to be small wings being fitted to the sides of their cockpits.
"What is that...?" Suzaku asked to himself, oblivious to the fact that Guilford was walking up behind him.
"The Glaston Knights watched the recorded news footage from the battle at Chiba. They liked the setup of that custom Black Knights Gloucester, and decided to attempt to copy it. Unfortunately for them, we don't have anything like those boosters they have on it, so they tore the wings off of some derelict Shortswords and mounted them on the same spots." Guilford explained.
"How are they going to make it fly though?" Suzaku wondered, assuming their intent was the same.
"It won't fly, but they can mount all kinds of extra ordinance on the hard points." He explained
"Hey Suzaku, over here!" They heard a familiar voice call out from the other end of the hanger. And there was Lloyd, waving to them from the roof of the custom transport truck parked next to the good as new Lancelot. But Suzaku's eyes did not stay on the truck or the Lancelot for very long. Close by stood the black monstrosity known as Gawain that he had last seen on Shikinejima. During the brief test at the naval base, the Gawain had no external armaments, only the weapons built into the system. The gigantic MVS scythe in matching black and gold was certainly a recent addition.
As Suzaku and Guilford approached, they saw the five Glaston Knights walking over from another direction, and the Gawain's two seat cockpit open. The Viceroy roped down from the unit to stand before the seven assembled knights. She noticed them glancing at the huge black knightmare behind her.
"After we got the Hadron Cannons aligned properly, Schneizel let me keep it on the condition that I give it a proper field test. And that is why we, and this entire army, are assembled here." Secilia handed each of them a folder containing detailed mission objectives, operations maps, and an overview of their future force deployment. "I have seen how these Elevens fight. I have studied their weapons, their tactics, and even their environment. With the exception of the Black Knights, they are nothing more than weak vermin who know how to hide in their ruins. They are an infestation in need of an exterminator." She motioned for them to open the folders. "Operation Wildfire is my plan to systematically erase their resistance to imperial rule. We will surround each of their ghettos with our vastly superior army, clear them of all resistance, and then, once they have been secured, our combat engineer teams will begin work to level them. Finally, once we have ended this insurgency, we can start expanding our city." She explained as six of the seven knights began looking over the details in their folders. All except Suzaku.
"To grow a new forest, you must first burn away the old one. That is why you named it Wildfire." He said to nobody in particular.
"You catch on quickly Kururugi. Most soldiers only care about who to kill, when to kill them, and where they are, but you think deeper than that. It's a shame that more of your people aren't as bright as you." The Viceroy told him.
"They are. How else could they have fought on against such overwhelming odds for so long?" Secilia pondered his words for a second.
"You have a point, actually. The resistance in Area 11 has been the longest and strongest. You are the son of their last independent leader. So tell me Suzaku, why do they so stubbornly resist when everyone else would have accepted their fate years ago."
"The spirit of the Japanese people is unconquerable. Destroying their ability to fight will not change that."
"So what will?" She asked.
"Nothing. You are trying to solve the wrong problem, excellency. Instead of looking for a way to subjugate them, we should be thinking about how Britannia can incorporate the Japanese people to build an even stronger empire. But that is long term thinking. First we must end this senseless conflict.
"You are one interesting man with some interesting ideas, Suzaku Kururugi. Tell me more later." She turned to the rest of them. "The operation starts right here at 1100 hours tomorrow morning."
"So tell me Zero, how did your meeting with Kyoto go?" Toudou asked his new leader as he saw them return.
"Better than anticipated. Kirihara promised us their full support. Right now that translates into seven of their brand new Gekka knightmare frames, all the Burai frames and tanks they can make, and even our own one of a kind stealth submarine." Zero informed him.
"We have a submarine?" Another member of the four holy swords asked in amazement. Zero nodded.
"Equipped with six torpedo tubes, a cargo hold, the most advanced anti sonar design features available, and most importantly, a battery of eight vertical missile launch tubes that can fire while submerged."
"What's so important about the missile launchers?"
"Nina can use them as a medium to get her weapon to the enemy."
"You gave her the title of strategic weapons researcher. What exactly has she been slaving away on over there for all these weeks?" Toudou inquired.
"The most powerful weapon in human history. We have decided to call it Project Mjolnir."
"Britannia made the same claim about the knightmare frame. As good as they are, it still didn't quite live up to all the hype."
"Nina is developing a sakuradite enhanced nuclear fission bomb. The weapon theoretically has the power to vaporize an area approximately the size of central Tokyo. Multiply that by eight on board a submarine with a thousand kilometer launch radius and I think it will definitely meet expectations." Zero's synthetic voice detailed for them. "Kyoto just so happens to have the means to acquire the raw components we need to build those bombs. Imagine the ability to simply erase entire Britannian armies with the push of a button."
"I don't know if I should feel happy or terrified at the prospect. Should Britannia manage to get a hold of a weapon with that kind of power, I can barely imagine the atrocities they would commit." Toudou commented.
"Funny you should mention that, because the Britannian army was to be her first choice for a source of funding had I not discovered her working on it. She's a very disconnected scientist. Nina only really cares about her work, not what people use it for." Zero lied, knowing that without the influence of his Geass, Nina was a firm believer in Britannian superiority, and would have been happy to work for the Empire.
"I guess we got lucky then." He commented as Zero began to walk toward Nina's makeshift research lab. "Zero! You should talk to Cornelia when you get the chance, I believe she might actually be thinking about joining us."
"Getting her to fight for us, and making her believe it is the right thing to do are very different. Having Euphemia on our side makes it effortlessly easy to manipulate her. The real challenge is getting Britannia's warrior princess to fight her own people for more than just protecting her sister. That will take some time."
"I see you have already thought it out in detail. I should have expected as much." The former JLF officer observed.
"One last thing. You and your swords need to strip those custom Burai frames of anything personal you want to take with you. The first five of our seven new Gekka frames have your names on them."
Nina's corner of the Black Knights' warehouse base had grown a reputation not unlike Area 51. Behind the high metal dividers was a secret place where secret experiments were conducted. Sitting within a mess of papers, boxes, and high tech computer equipment was one of the smartest people in the world.
It was by dumb luck that Lelouch had figured out what she was trying to create in her spare time in the student council room. Using the power of his Geass to effectively enslave someone he once thought of as a friend was not something he was proud of. But it was a minor sacrifice to make compared to the thought of a Britannian Empire capable of vaporizing any city they wished. In a way, Lelouch almost felt that she was better off this way. Nina was free to conduct the research and development that she loved, and would hopefully never have to find out how it feels to enable the annihilation of millions of innocent people.
"How are you doing Nina?" Zero asked as he approached from behind. She took another sip of the now cold coffee next to her keyboard before turning.
"I'm certain that I have perfected the weapon." She announced in a happy, if very tired tone. Nina motioned to the third screen on her right as she began a simulation. "When uranium 235 is forced into a self sustaining chain reaction, it releases massive amounts of radiation. If we made a bomb based upon this sequence alone,it would generate a titanic explosion, but the subsequent radioactive contamination would poison the target area for years. However, if you surround the chain reacting uranium with a layer of pure sakuradite, something amazing happens." Nina pointed out the effect on the screen. "The nuclear chain reaction generates heat sufficient to begin splitting the sakuradite atoms. When this happens, the otherwise released radiation is absorbed into the sakuradite reaction, dramatically increasing the speed and intensity of the process. More simply, the uranium's radiation reacts with the sakuradite reaction to cause a massive increase in explosive yield. This two stage hybrid weapon would have be nearly 60% stronger, and leave virtually no radioactive contamination." The scientist explained.
"What kind of damage could something like that do?" Zero asked her.
"The yield would be determined by the size of the weapon, and the ratio of uranium 235 to sakuradite. If I left the physical size the exact same as my earlier designs, the blast would leave a crater larger than the Britannian section of Tokyo. The blast wave and thermal pulse would extend far beyond the actual fireball. I cannot accurately predict how far these effects would reach without a real test detonation, but if I had to estimate, the weapon would incinerate everything within at least a ten to fifteen kilometer radius from the point of impact." Nina predicted.
Lelouch was nearly stunned by what she was telling him. It was still hard to grasp that a weapon of such unimaginable destructive power was almost within his reach. What Nina was describing to him made even the largest conventional ordinance look like tiny fire crackers in comparison.
"Kyoto has agreed to provide us with a one of a kind submarine, complete with an underwater ballistic missile launcher. As it turns out, they are able to acquire all of the raw materials that you asked for to build operational Mjolnir warheads. I had them load the submarine with the material shipment, where you will be able to assemble the weapons and load them onto missiles. It is inevitable that we will eventually have to engage full strength Britannian armies in the open if we hope to win. The ability to remove entire enemy formations on demand could determine the outcome." Zero informed her.
"I'll do my best for you." She replied, faint red rings still visible around her eyes. She reached for the nearly depleted cup of coffee, but Lelouch grabbed it first.
"You've been doing your best ever since you got here, Nina. Now go get some sleep, you look absolutely exhausted."
The door opened on command, and Zero stepped up into the large vehicle. The usually active room was silent for once, and apparently empty. At least it was empty until Zero's vision reached the middle of the U shaped couch. Cornelia sat in the center, dressed in her complete Britannian military uniform. Her expression radiating an aura of cold seriousness.
"So I've heard that you might be interested in wearing a new uniform." Lelouch spoke first as he removed his mask.
"Tell me the truth Lelouch." Cornelia commanded.
"About what, exactly?"
"What are you really trying to do with this revolution you've started? You publicly said you just want to destroy Britannia, but what Jeremiah told me earlier amounts to little more than an elaborite coup."
"Direct to the point...very well. I formed the Black Knights to forge a better world." Lelouch began.
"I'm not interested in the politics and flowery speech Lelouch, I want the truth." The former Viceroy interrupted him.
"I am going to kill the emperor and all who would defend him. I am going to tear down this empire that he built upon the backs of those he conquered and enslaved. There will be no more Areas, no more Numbers, no more Darwinism." Lelouch told her, directly to the point.
"Now tell me why. Is it for revenge? Ideology? Or maybe you are really after the throne? I know you were never officially disinherited." Cornelia speculated.
"Honestly, all of it. But revenge is at the top of the list. For Nunnally, for my mother, and for the Japanese people. The easiest way to do that is to become the emperor, and I fully intend on getting to the top by whatever means necessary."
"So assuming you win, what happens to Britannia?" Cornelia asked her brother.
"There are several possibilities that I am considering. The first is that I simply free every Area from imperial rule. That is the easiest, but also the most risky approach. There is a real possibility that Europe and China will move to take over as soon as the Britannian flags come down." Lelouch explained.
"The second option is that I give every Area a choice of whether to remain a part of the Empire or not. This would most likely turn out exactly the same as the first way. The third option is harder to sell to the people than the first two, but would probably hold together better." He continued.
"And what would that be?" She asked with a mild hint of curiosity.
"Free the Areas without releasing them from the Britannian Empire. It would be in effect an improved version of the EU style system where independent nations exist within a larger entity." Lelouch detailed for her.
"How would you setup that up?" Cornelia inquired.
"The monarchy would continue to rule mainland Britannia. Each member nation would have a government type of their choice, and would have representation in Pendragon. Britannia keeps the benefits of having a global empire, and everyone else keeps the benefits of being a part of it, minus the oppressive colonialism." He explained.
"To me, that sounds like you have found a way to make a win win outcome."
"If fighting for justice and the freedom of billions still isn't enough, may I remind you that Euphemia will be on the front lines fighting the very best and brightest of the Britannian military. Do you really want to be sitting here on this couch when that time comes? You already know how it feels to have no control over her fate. And of course I could always pass that video on to my good friend Mr Ried, who would be more than happy to beam it around the world in seconds." Lelouch reminded with a smile.
"You really are one cold, manipulative bastard. Even more so than Schneizel." She paused for a moment. "I never really had a choice, did I?"
"You always have a choice Cornelia, I just worked hard to make sure that only one was worth it."
It was a cool, clear autumn morning in the Shinagawa ghetto of southern Tokyo. The area's Japanese residents had little time to appreciate the natural beauty however. A massive Britannian military force was in the process of surrounding this section of the old city for their search and destroy mission. Panther tanks and squads of Sutherland knightmare frames raced to cut off the area's surface escape points, even though their commanders were well aware of the fact that the majority of enemy movement would be through the old subway tunnels.
The sprawling tunnel networks throughout the Tokyo area had thus far proven practically impenetrable for Britannian forces. Complete and up to date maps of the tunnels simply did not exist. The resistance forces that used them had every advantage over enemy troops brave enough to venture underground.
The local Shinagawa resistance was counting on this fact to evacuate everyone that they could before the main assault began. With only small arms, aging anti tank weapons, and a few remaining tanks from before the war, they stood little chance against the hundreds of factory fresh Britannian armored vehicles and attack aircraft arrayed against them. As much as they wanted to stand and fight, the memories of Saitama were fresh in their minds. Although most opted to retreat underground to fight another day, there were always the diehard few that refused to abandon their homes, and they worked to prepare what little defenses they could muster.
Perched atop one of the Tokyo Settlement's many outlying spires that overlooked the ghettos, the Viceroy sat in the top seat of the re purposed Gawain. Although it was originally designed as a two seat technology demonstrator and testbed, the Gawain was fully operational from one set of controls.
Secilia looked over at the real time strategic map next to her, made possible by the huge knightmare's still experimental Druid command and control system. The Druid system gave her practically every advantage of commanding from a G1 mobile base, while remaining at the front of the battle. The combination would provide her a level of tactical and strategic awareness previously unheard of.
She watched as the various blue icons representing every individual unit of her ground army finished moving into their assigned start positions. Seconds later, brigadier general Kururugi appeared on screen in his fresh new uniform from the bridge of the G1 positioned on the north end of Shinagawa.
"Viceroy, all of our forces are in position and are awaiting the orders." Secilia glanced over to see that it was 11:53 AM.
"You have made excellent time in getting our army into position Suzaku. You are to remain on the G1 and command the battle. I will be leading from the front."
"Understood, Excellency." Suzaku replied.
"Take this opportunity to learn the difference between leading from the front and commanding from the rear. That is the reason I am the Viceroy and you are not. You must learn to wield an army as well as any weapon." She advised.
"Operation Wildfire has begun, all forces move in and engage per your orders." She ordered over an open channel.
"I don't think they are holding back this time." Kallen commented on the news feed being watched by the assembled Black Knights leadership. Just like during the battle at Chiba, a HiTV news aircraft was floating above the battlefield with its extremely high quality forward mounted camera. The eye in the sky had an excellent view of the Britannian tanks and knightmares as they shattered the hastily organized defenses before them.
"It appears that their tactics have improved." Toudou observed, pointing to a spot on the screen where three Panther tanks moved down a road with the close support of a pair of Sutherlands. "Those Sutherlands should be able to keep infantry from easily disabling the tanks."
Suddenly, the formation of blue armor on screen began taking sustained rocket fire from the 13th floor of a building further down the road. Flames roared out from within the barrels of the Panthers' 130mm cannons as they returned fire. The first three AP shells slammed into the building, but did not silence the barrage. Just as the woman at the news desk finished making a comment about the "Elevens' inability to aim properly", twin beams of red destruction impacted the target floor at each end. The searing hot plasma beams moved from the edges to the center, incinerating the entire floor with temperatures in excess of five thousand degrees.
The nose mounted camera quickly traced the bright beams back to their source, just in time to see the Gawain's twin shoulder mounted hadron cannons cease firing as it hovered over Shinagawa approximately 900 meters from its target.
"We need to move our main base out of Tokyo. With a force that large, it will be only a matter of time before they find us here. And I don't believe we will be able to hold this position against such a sustained assault." Ougi predicted.
"I agree. Using a warehouse as our main staging point made sense when the enemy's smaller force had its attention split between us and the numerically superior JLF. We need to find a more secure location. " Zero agreed.
"No need to go shopping." To everyone's surprise, the voice came not from the group assembled around the TV, but from the stairs behind them. They turned to see Cornelia, dressed in a black version of her old uniform.
"What do you mean?"
"The mountain fortress at Narita. After the battle, a special ops team went into the base and found that the JLF had taken what high value items they could and destroyed the rest to cover their tracks when they abandoned it. We were too busy digging bodies and equipment out of your landslide to actually destroy the base. It should be just as the SF team left it. Abandoned, but otherwise intact and easily repairable." As Cornelia reached the bottom of the steps, everyone was still just staring, trying to absorb the sight of her wearing what was clearly a personal Black Knights uniform. "Besides, even with their vastly superior army, you should be able to defend that mountain again."
"Should I send a team to scout the base out?" Ougi asked.
"Don't bother. I'll go myself. I have been in and out of that base for the past fifteen years. I can provide the most accurate assessment of its condition." Toudou volunteered.
"Consider that my first contribution to the Black Knights." Cornelia announced as she moved to sit down next to her sister.
"I was beginning to think you were just going to be stubborn." Euphemia said with a smile.
"I love you too much to leave your fate in the hands of others again. Treason is a price I am willing to pay to protect you Euphie. I never had a choice, I just had to realize it."