Realized I've been sitting on this chapter too long... Sorry. Between finals and a job interview and getting sick I've been a bit busier than I normally am, so this chapter just kinda sat on my netbook until I remembered I hadn't finished it up and posted it... sooo here it is!
Enjoy,
-C1112
Monday December 3, 2017 a.t.b. 0650 hrs Black Knight Base: Saitama
Cecile was humming to herself as she crawled into what would be the cockpit of one of the scariest things she'd ever heard of. A trade between Rakshata and Lloyd. I wonder just what Lelou had to offer to get Rakshata to allow Lloyd to touch the Guren... and for Lloyd to let her touch his Lancelot.
She shuddered involuntarily. What she and Lloyd were doing to the Guren was insanity. No pilot should be able to handle the performance that they were working into it with the modified, and yet in simulations, Captain Kouzuki had been able to push the operating system they'd developed into utilizing the machine at 92% efficiency. Shaking her head at her thoughts, she tugged on the wires she was running and plugged the runs in before bundling the wires and tucking them carefully away before replacing the HUD panel.
Pulling herself up, she looked around the hatch, nodding in approval as black-uniformed engineers installed the second generation float system. The Empire may have used the system first, but with Rakshata, Lloyd, and I working on it for the Black Knights, we'll show them something unimaginable, even if we're still having trouble completing the Ikaruga, though with the chaos in India and the Federation beginning to die down, it should be finished soon, and then we'll be able to face off against the Avalon.
She glanced down at the monitoring station. At least Lloyd is entertained and I don't have to watch over him. The eccentric Earl was seated with his feet up on the desk, and the Guren's technical manual open in his lap as he devoured everything that Rakshata had done with it. And from the sounds of half-maniacal glee, he was also seeing where it could be improved and was making plans to increase the machine's specs beyond what their new collaborative OS and elements of the Lancelot's drive already had done.
"Major, you've been working on this for the past eight hours. You need to take a break. We're in a ceasefire right now anyways. Even Zero thinks that it will hold, we'll finish up installing the wings and the control runs. Go get some sleep."
Cecile blinked at the engineer that had spoken. "I suppose you're right. Make sure that Lloyd doesn't tear anything vital apart even so. I know he'll want to improve this monster even further, but I want to keep her combat capable at a moment's notice just in case."
The engineer gulped at the unspoken implication of what the Major would do if Lloyd wasn't kept away from it. I suppose it is a good thing that I have a... more imposing reputation than Lloyd. It means that I can actually leave him alone under the watch of others while I take care of things.
She slid down the ladder before waving the engineers goodbye and exiting the subway-station turned hangar. The 'base' if it could truly be considered that was light on amenities, but given that they would be relocating to facilities within the Settlement when the withdrawal was complete, she wasn't about to complain too much. Lelou had had running water and electricity restored at least. She sighed as she reached her 'quarters' really just a semi-private partition in the tunnels that had a cot and a hand held television.
She turned it on, deciding to watch the news before getting some sleep. It was always an interesting dichotomy that was shown. An agreement had been made between Lelou and the Viceroy that the Black Knights would be allowed to run news on the Britannian television network for the whole of Japan. Britannian stories would generally follow that worked to make the Black Knights out to be the vilest of terrorists and the temporary government they supported an abomination against the will of the people. Now that's humor.
What did surprise her was Lelou appearing on the screen when she flipped to the news, alongside a young teen in a kimono. "-of Japan. I bid you good morning and hope that you are doing well as the day of Japan's rebirth draws ever closer. I have a few announcements to make before the news will be run."
"We must have a temporary government to be able to handle the current... situation. I am Zero, freedom fighter, not Zero, tyrant. I have no interest in political power, and so I have turned to those who supported the resistance before my appearance and asked them to form a temporary government, bound by the Constitution that was scrapped by Britannia. Allow me to introduce Sumeragi Kaguya, Prime Minister of Japan."
Lelou nodded to the short girl before backing away. The girl, no the Prime Minister gave a diplomatic smile before stepping forward. "Thank you, Zero. People of Japan, we are at a crossroads in history. We are the first Area to have ever thrown off the yoke of Imperial occupation. I know that there will be those among you who think that I am just some puppet set up by Zero so that she may control Japan without appearing to be a dictator. Nothing that I say will be able to convince some that feel that way otherwise. All that I can do is say that I have supported the resistance from the shadows for nearly four years now, and that the Black Knights were only able to free us with the assistance that 'Kyoto' provided."
"Zero has not forgotten who is truly responsible for our freedom, and that is you, the Japanese people. Your Government, Zero; those are merely expressions of your will. We are your servants. And so we will be drafting a new Constitution and, should it be approved in a referendum, holding free and open elections for the Government that will be detailed within it. For now, however, there are things that must be dealt with immediately. I must ensure that we are able to defend ourselves against any further aggression from Britannia. There is precious little time to rebuild the Japanese military, so we have decided to contract the Black Knights for our defense with the stipulation that the contract will be reevaluated upon the ratification of the new Constitution."
"Zero has agreed to these terms, and the Black Knights are already stationed around the country and will take up the task of defending this nation's people. We must also look to our immediate neighbors. The Chinese Federation is in turmoil as their government has clearly lost the consent of their people. Their Empress is in the hands of those loyal to her, while the High Eunuchs have been rounded up by their own guards in some cases. India has expressed its desire for independence from the Federation, and I intend to support them given that much of the support I was able to provide our resistance with was due to India's assistance."
"Information on how to contact the temporary government will follow, I wish you all a good day in the land once more known as Japan."
Cecile blinked. That little girl is the new Prime Minister? Well, not that it really matters to me. My home is with the Black Knights, though from the sounds of it we're no longer a resistance group, but private military contractors. Mercenaries... She shrugged at that as she pulled off her uniform before flopping down onto her cot and pulling the blanket up over herself. Honorable ones that fight for a cause rather than money with Lelou as our leader.
Speaking of our leader... I need to see to it that Suzaku is still making progress with her...
Monday December 3, 2017 a.t.b. 0705 hrs Fuji Mine, Temporary Government Facilities
"I'm not sure why you wanted me to be the Prime Minister, Kirihara's much better suited for the position. You know that as well as I, Lelou-nee-sama." Kaguya frowned as the cameras cut off before turning to look at the uniformed leader of Japan's contracted military.
"Because Kirihara wouldn't be accepted by the people, Kaguya. You and I both know how he was only acting as a turncoat to be able to salvage something after the former Prime Minister's death and the subsequent surrender, but the average person on the street doesn't. I'm wary of even having you in the position for the time being because you'll be seen as being easy to manipulate. A figurehead for my rule, if you will. You'll have to move decisively in this position, and I meant it when I said you were the Prime Minister, and everything that entails. You have the power to order me within the bounds of the current Constitution. What we need now is for you to get a new Constitution drafted and approved. Then we will be secure, or at least as close to it as one can be when pitted against the most powerful nation on the planet."
Kaguya nodded somberly at that. "I've already signed off on the first shipment of Sakuradite to Vladivostok, and we've gotten the trade agreements with the Union and India finalized. And I've spoken with Adenauer about the... arrangement that you had set up before Cornelia agreed to withdraw. They've managed to get it through Parliament, and the Commission seems almost bloodthirsty in their eagerness to approve of the notion as soon as it makes its way up their agenda." The 14 year old girl gave Lelou a little smile. "Japan is free... And we're going to make it to where it will remain free. Let me guess, you're going to want me to run for office when the constitution is approved?"
Lelou grinned. She's astute enough for the position even if she's young. And Adenauer liked her, something about the oldest statesman and youngest Prime Minister in the history of the world working out details for the destruction of an Empire was entertaining for them I suppose. "I'd hoped that you'd find it in you to do so, you know the eventual plan. And while I'm sure I could get another Prime Minister to agree to it eventually, it might take time and resources I cannot afford to waste. But that's another reason that I need you to hurry with the Constitution. We may only have weeks to stabilize Japan and build the United Federation of Nations around it. I've been speaking with the de-facto leader of the Chinese Resistance, Li Xingke, and he seems amenable to the idea provided that the Empress is preserved within China at the very least, or at least is allowed to make her own decisions on the direction that government within China takes."
"Other members of the Chinese Federation have already been asking me about a potential alliance with the Black Knights through our members that have been working with them, but from now on I'm going to direct inquiries to you. This United Federation of Nations is going to be yours. You thought of it and you will bring it into existence. I don't want to be seen anywhere near it other than as its eventual defender."
"Nee-sama... You know that conspiracy theorists are going to say that this is all your idea to build an empire of your own anyways, why would you be hands off in the creation of your own brainchild as long as you don't manipulate it in the end?"
"Because, my brother will recognize what I'm doing, but the longer it takes the rest of the Empire to realize what's happening, the better position we'll be in when it all goes up. Schneizel can make preparations all he likes, but if the people carrying out his orders don't truly view us as a threat until we're in position, the better we'll fare. Now then, I know you have a full schedule today, go do the politician thing. I think I am going to go visit my little sister so that she can deliver a very well earned scolding to me."
1330 hrs Ashford Academy Underground
Lelou winced. Clearly the reunion wasn't going quite as well as she'd hoped it would. Though I suppose when your little sister finds out that you're an evil terrorist mastermind, some level of irritation should be expected.
For her part, Kallen was having trouble keeping herself from showing her amusement at the scene. On one side was their leader, who hadn't so much as hesitated when jumping into a prison cell block with bullets whizzing around them, hanging her head and wincing at the accusing finger from the tiny girl in the wheelchair. I'll give Nunnally this, she wields guilt like a master.
Lelou had explained the situation to both her and Suzaku, who would be accompanying her on this little journey. She'd had Nunnally hidden away somewhere by their maid, Shinozaki Sayoko, who was also her bodyguard and apparently a member of the Black Knights. Kallen had just shrugged that off, she'd gotten pretty used to the fact that she knew remarkably little about what was happening around Lelou aside from the parts she actively participated in. And while it was a bit irritating at times, she understood the purpose operational security had been a pretty big thing even with Naoto. And the necessity had been amply proven with Tamaki around to muck things up.
Tamaki... She gave a quiet sigh, ignoring the sibling strife as she crossed her arms under her uniformed breasts. We still haven't gotten the chance to have any sort of ceremony for him or for Senba. Toudou and his Holy Swords seem to be dealing with it alright, but they were with the JLF for years. They've had to deal with this more than us. And Tamaki... he seemed like the type that wouldn't be able to die... too stupid to die.
"Why Lelou? Why are you doing this? I'm not about to pretend that I like everything about the Empire, but was it so wrong to just enjoy the life we had? I don't care about anything other than being with you and our friends in Ashford!" Kallen watched as Lelou flinched again.
"There are things that everyone deserves, that same right to happiness, the ability to make their own decisions in life that we had. Nunnally, I'm not doing this because I want to, at least not solely because I want to. I'm doing this because someone has to. And this world has gone far enough without someone intervening."
"You're not! This is all about revenge! That's why you're fighting. Because you want revenge on the Empire for what they did to us! This is all for you, just a selfish wish for revenge!" Nunnally's shoulders were shaking as she gripped her chair. "Sayoko. I don't care if you are a member of my sister's Black Knights. Take me to my room. I want to be alone."
Sayoko's expression was unreadable as she looked to Lelou, who only nodded as her shoulders slumped. Suzaku stepped over as the door shut behind Sayoko, placing a hand on Lelou's shoulder before she threw her arms around him, trying to squeeze the life out of him from the looks of it. And here's where I try to exit before this gets any more... interesting.
Kallen gave a little cough at the scene before speaking. "I'll just ah... leave you two alone to think. If you need me, I'll be going for a walk on campus... You're sure that Cornelia won't touch us while we're here?"
"You'll be fine, Cornelia knows what happens if the ceasefire is broken before all of her troops are safely shipped back to Area 7." The red-head nodded before quickly taking her leave, not terribly comfortable with Lelou's tone, or lack thereof.
A short elevator ride later and she found herself stepping into the library, the row fortunately empty. Ruben, as Lelou called the superintendant when she'd called to request use of the academy for her meeting, appeared to be more eccentric than his granddaughter had been during the short experience she'd had under the blonde's thumb in the student council. At least if the revelation of a secret meeting and coordination center under the Academy library.
Looking down at herself, she frowned. Yeah, brilliant idea, Kallen. Let's take a walk around your old school wearing a uniform most of them probably view as one of a terrorist. She sighed at that, exiting the library into the hallway. She promptly decided that going for a walk was a mistake.
She found herself face to face with the person she least wanted to run into. That never to be sufficiently feared blonde dervish. Her expression was one of displeasure, and while that wasn't entirely uncommon even when she'd been a student; it was almost frightening right now. "Kallen Stadtfeld."
Kallen gave a little smile as the President paused dramatically. Milly did have a sort of sadistic style you couldn't help but find amusing even when being on the receiving end. Her eyes roamed up and down Kallen's form, noting her left arm in its sling. "Your attendance had been... lacking recently. Even for your norm. Not to mention you're on campus out of uniform, and not in class."
She simply shook her head. "I'm sorry about that Milly, but I'm afraid there are a few things you have wrong about me. My name is not Kallen Stadtfeld. And I'm not terribly concerned with schooling at the moment. I am Captain Kouzuki Kallen, Commander of the Black Knight's Zero Squadron."
"Yes, well, all of that may be true, but that doesn't mean you aren't still the Kallen we knew." She smirked playfully. "You weren't all that great at hiding that you were more fit than that sick girl act would lead me to believe. Which makes me think that you aren't much of an actress, and so who you were with us is who you are, only a different name and context." She frowned, a little melancholy look on her face. "So where is she? She's got something coming if she thinks that she can come into my domain after disappearing and hiding Nunnally away where ever she managed to convince Sayoko to take the poor girl and just leave without getting a lecture in proper manners."
She cut Kallen off before she could answer. "On second thought, you don't have to answer that. I imagine you coming out of the library, and the lack of a fuss about a Black Knight wandering around the Academy means that Grandfather must have let Lelou have the underground for whatever reason."
Damn. I was hoping she didn't know about that. "I won't say yes or no to that. I'd only recommend... not going to go see for yourself. Not yet anyways. Lelou might have had some troubles with a certain someone who is... unhappy with what Lelou has done recently. I'd recommend giving Lelou and Suzaku some time to come out on their own. And while it would hurt to have to forcibly stop one of the people I considered a friend in my time here, I will prevent you from disturbing them."
"Oooh! There's the fiery sort of loyalty you don't see every day. Fair enough, but she's going to show herself to her friends before I allow her off this campus. Evil mastermind and terrorist leader Zero or not, she's still Lelou. She owes us that much after all the worrying we had to do when you all disappeared. Now, to kill time, you're coming with me. There are more than a few people that have missed you as well, though we heard it was because you were sick, not because you'd vanished and joined up with a... What do you call the Black Knights anyways?"
Kallen just chuckled at that, following Milly down the hallway. "That's a question that I may not even know the answer to myself, Milly. I just know that the ideals that Lelou speaks of, as well as the fact that she has freed Japan from the Empire, are proof enough that I should be following her for now. But, if you must put a label to the Black Knights now... I suppose you could call us the new Japanese Military. The Prime Minister contracted us to defend Japan for the time being anyways."
"Huh... well, whatever. It's not often that we find a student so desperate to escape classes that they resort to joining an army... I take it that means that you aren't just carrying that for show?" Kallen followed the line from Milly's finger to her right hip, and the heavy pistol strapped into a holster.
She blushed, realizing that she was breaking one of the ultimate rules regarding weapons in the Academy. "Uh... Well, yes. And I apologize for bringing this, but... Plenty of people would like to see Lelou dead, and when she only brings Suzaku and I along as guards... Well, let's just say I'm not about to let my leader die because I wasn't properly prepared."
Milly gave a little smile and shook her head. "I'm not worried about you doing something stupid with that while you're here, I'm just worried about your well-being if you remain in the Black Knights, Kallen. I don't want to see any of my friends hurt is all."
Good to know that she doesn't hate me at least. "Thank you, Milly. For the thought, and for placing me among your friends still. But... There are some things worth fighting for. And while I may have achieved my goal of seeing Japan free once again, the Empire won't allow that to stand for long without a strong enough deterrent to keep them from returning. And so, I fight with Lelou."
The President nodded, giving a little sigh before responding. "I won't tell you that you shouldn't do what you're doing, but promise me you'll be careful at least. Though I suppose if you're now part of an army it could be seen as a little less dangerous than being part of a resistance group. And when you throw in the fact that Lelou has gotten the EU to acknowledge Japan's status as a nation given a negotiated Britannian withdrawal..." She broke off with a shrug before continuing. "Well, I'm hopeful that you'll be able to stay mostly out of harms way from now on."
Kallen gave a wry smile at that, deciding to not reply directly to that. "What about you and the Academy? How are you taking the transition from being a Britannian Area back to Japan?"
"Well enough. It's not like the Ashfords are nobility anymore, so the stab at them doesn't affect me personally. We are losing a few students though, including Nina." She gave a smile, visibly ridding herself of her dismay at one of her personal servants leaving over something silly like a change in management. "But, that's life. We all go our separate ways at some point, some just sooner than others."
The red-head couldn't help but grin at the not-so-subtle stab at her last words. The next thing she knew, she was being pushed through a door that had just been opened. A teacher raised an eyebrow at the sudden interruption of class. Kallen blinked, recognizing the woman as one of her teachers. Oh... This is just evil, Milly.
The class exploded with a flurry of noise, questions hurled first in normal conversational voices and then steadily growing louder to the point of barely being quieter than shouting. The teacher simply sighed as she looked to the Student Council President and shook her head slowly before sitting down and waiting for the clamor to die down.
"That's enough!" Milly's command was perfect, some of the drill instructors that Suzaku had been training could have learned a thing or two from the blonde. Almost as one, the class went silent. "Now then, today we've got someone a little interesting, she managed a rather serious error on her application to Ashford Academy, so I've taken the liberty of fixing her records and now she's going to properly introduce herself so you can resume class as normal. I promise, she'll be here at least until the end of the day, so you'll have plenty of time to bombard her with questions, particularly those regarding her failure to wear the proper uniform." Milly chuckled before nodding to Kallen.
Sheesh. She probably means every word of that too, I'm still going to be enrolled here even when serving as a Black Knight? Well, I can manage it. It's not as if I was that far off from graduating anyways. She walked over to the whiteboard and took out one of the markers, writing in romanji for the sake of the students that couldn't read kanji or katakana.
"While most of you know me as Kallen Stadtfeld, I have to apologize for having deceived you. My name, is Kouzuki Kallen, and as you can see... I have something of a part-time job. I am a Captain in the Black Knights as well as apparently still being a student despite my... questionable attendance status."
"I'm not sure how frequently I'll be able to attend for the time being, but I imagine that I'll be here as often as is physically possible. As for the other members of this class that have recently disappeared, I can't speak for them, but they might be making a return at some point as well."
She gave a little grin to the teacher. "I'll go ahead and take a seat so as to not interrupt class any further for now."
Milly chuckled as Kallen took her seat. "Now then, Ms. Kouzuki, I'm sure you can manage to remain in class until the day is out. I'll come to collect you once... Well, later. Enjoy!"
1500 hrs
This walk... Might not have been the best idea I ever had. She was feeling even more trapped now than she had when Clovis' troops were closing in on her position before Lelou managed to force the ceasefire out of him.
The whole class was crowding around her seat, questions flying left and right, most of them regarding her arm still being in a sling. Others asked why she was in the Black Knights, and a few were in regards to the pistol she was wearing. The eager eyes of some of the students that had a bit of a reputation as military nuts were enough for her to keep a hand on the strap holding the weapon in its holster while she looked for an avenue of escape.
Fortunately, an opportunity presented itself as Rivalz waded into the mass of students, shouting them down. "Alright! Give her some room, she'll stand at the front and answer some questions." He gave a quick jab to one that looked as if he was going to grab at her as she stepped through the aisle that had finally opened. She passed by him with a nod of thanks.
She cleared her throat as she glanced out at the class. "Okay... So, to answer some of the common questions, let's start with, 'Why are you a Black Knight?' As I explained earlier, my real name is Kouzuki Kallen, and I'm half-Japanese. I just happen to identify with that side of me a lot more than my Britannian side. With the oppression the Japanese have faced since the invasion, it's not hard to understand why I fought the Britannians as a member of a resistance organization before the rise of the Black Knights, and now as a member of the Black Knights."
"Did I know that Zero was Lelou? Not at the beginning, no. My first introduction to Zero was during the massacre at Shinjuku where she saved my life. Why is my arm in a sling? Being a Black Knight isn't the safest job around. I was wounded covering Princess Euphemia when one of our Knightmares was destroyed while capturing her." That drew some gasps from the class, along with a few more shouted questions which she mostly ignored.
"How did I get the rank of Captain in the Black Knights? I don't know. I'm a pilot, Lelou is the one that decided on our organizational structure and assigned ranks to members. And last but not least... Will I be answering any other questions... No, partly because I shouldn't have said even half of what I did, and partly because I don't like talking about it. You'll notice that I was pretty quiet about this before now."
And fortunately for her, Rivalz was there to step in and run interference as she left the classroom. She found herself face to face with Milly though, with Lelou and Suzaku following behind. "I see she found you as well."
Milly only grinned at Lelou's tone. "Yes, well, however well that uniform might serve to hide you amongst the company you've been keeping recently, I think you'll find that it doesn't do much good here. Now then, I expect you all will be returning to school as soon as things settle down with Japan becoming Japan again."
Kallen only smiled as Lelou blinked. She seemed to recover quickly though. Probably because she's had to deal with Milly longer than I have. "Probably. I imagine that Tokyo will remain the center of government, and probably serve as the Black Knight's headquarters for the time being. I won't promise that we'll be able to show up every day, but we should be able to show up often enough at least for us to be graduating on time."