A/N: Well here it is the next chapter with a lot more going down and a few complications as the title suggests. Enjoy *grins evilly* Once again thanks to Holyknight and Tomcat for their help.

Chapter 25

Further Complications

Aboard the Mikagami,the Devil Princess of Jurai, Seto Kamiki Jurai continued her chess game with Lelouch vi Britannia, former and exiled prince of the Holy Empire of Jurai and now the leader of its greatest threat since the conclusive Battle of Gettysburg over a century before. The young, former Britannia prince was now discovering that the woman he was facing was probably better at chess than even his elder brother, Second Crown Prince Schneizel el Britannia. There was no doubt that Seto was a very difficult opponent as no matter how he made his moves Lelouch or how far he thought ahead the Devil Princess was at least twenty more moves ahead of him and could match his moves easily to the point of superiority.

Though there were moments when he did actually catch the mother of the Second Empress of Jurai off guard, such as when he briefly chose to simply imitate her moves and had deadlocked them before very briefly taking an advantage.

There was no doubt in Lelouch's mind that Seto was without doubt much more devious and cunning than he in her own way. Then again, she also had centuries more experience and a much more complicated arena to cut her teeth on. Those were factors that Lelouch did not have and admitted so readily as he decided to try and draw out his opponent a little. Not much mind you, for that could be dangerous, but if you somehow managed to even briefly cause them to pause, you can gain the advantage and not lose it easily. Something he had no doubt that Seto know just as well and was being cautious since he did manage a small surprise on her.

Yet it was clear she had a sadistic streak in her as Seto had slowly claimed chess piece after chess piece from Lelouch until after a very long match, that he had managed to prologue with a few swift tricks, between them the masked revolutionary was left with his king surrounded by what remained of Seto's pieces which sadly very badly outnumbered Lelouch's King having cornered the young man.

It was checkmate for Lelouch, except for...

"Check," Lelouch said and Seto actually blinked, looking down at her king, being challenged by the bishop Lelouch had brought back.

Though Lelouch was in defeat, so was she. Lelouch had somehow managed to slip through her defenses and force her king into a corner by which he could not escape. Then she saw Lelouch's master plan.

To fall upon her blade as she fell upon his, a sacrificial death of the leader and his army to deny the enemy their leader. It was telling, but in he was obviously prepared for such a thing. Yet, Chess did not convey if one were truly ready for such a grand sacrifice, to achieve a victory at the cost of your own life.

Never the less she could break out of it and then to her surprise...

"Check," a knight stood watch, she then realized three of his pawns had slipped through to win the day, the next pawn was positioned well, so that was the trick to his strategy, he would die, but so would his opponent to leave those who were fit to lead in his stead.

She didn't know when, but he used her own strength to leverage against her like in a martial arts technique. Though the deal was also clear, though neither had won, he still lost. His objectives were to win and survive the victory. Since neither survived, neither won, Lelouch most of all, but in the real world, he was probably already ahead in that game. Yet she had to tell him the truth of the matter.

"I still win I believe."

"And you do…" Lelouch simply shrugged, but there was an internal grimace as well, but so was respect for the woman before him, "You are a lot better than Washu and my older brother who I never won a chess game against."

"Thank you for being so modest," Seto nodded, he reminded her a little of both Tenchi and Seina, both were modest themselves, "but I suppose I will tell you who you will be marrying. After all I suppose it would be unfair if I withheld this information from you," Seto said kindly before a grin appeared on her face, the kind that had you praying to a higher power that is, "You'll be marrying… ME!"

"WHAT!" Sasami, Kallen, and Lelouch exclaimed as the three teenagers fell out of their chairs and Inoue Naomi did a spit take with her tea, but Seto wasn't amused as she calmly asked.

"Are you implying that I'm not attractive and old?" looking indignant and more than a taddy bit frightening.

"NO!" the four quickly shouted not wanting to incur Seto's wraith.

"It's just that I thought you were already married," Lelouch said opting for an honest opinion and quick escape route.

"Yes I suppose you have a point my husband would be quite jealous," Seto joked as her mood quickly returned to her cheerful state much to Sasami's relief, "Anyway allow me to introduce her…" The Devil Princess spoke as she made a quick hand gesture for one of her handmaidens to fetch someone. A few minutes later Lelouch, Kallen, Naomi, and Sasami were surprised when Misaki Minaho entered.

Minaho hadn't clearly been expecting this and froze at the sight of Lelouch. She looked especially dumbstruck to the point she failed to notice Naomi was there as well. Though the red on her face made it clear she knew what was going on, but still felt embarrassment in some degree or was simply being shy like some heiress from a great clan of some other world and even more so when Seto set her up to marry the sole surviving, orange wearing male of another great clan with some long distance connection to the Kamiki Clan.

"Minaho Masaki will be your third wife," Seto stated with some happiness though she kept her tone under control, she often thought of Minaho like another daughter more than a step-granddaughter and thus was excited to finally being able to find her a good husband to marry.

Minaho was shocked that she was intended for Lelouch as the former prince could tell by her expression. It was clear to him that she had not been really expecting this. Then again, he got the feeling that Seto was known for bombshells like this. Yet, as he looked at Minaho, her look also told how she was perfectly willing to along with this. The two had become rather close as they had to work closely together and truthfully he could talk to her on some matters that he could not even talk to Sasami on, feeling that for all that Sasami was, she wouldn't really know how to talk to him on those subjects.

War and intelligence were really not Sasami's fields to begin with.

Oh, don't get Lelouch wrong, Sasami was a real fighter that was for sure, but Minaho was the more soldier of the two, especially in regards to intelligence matters which probably would have turned Sasami's stomach.

Some things in the intelligence world left you with a bitter taste, victory or not in that business; it was just to the right of criminal at times and left at others.

Seto was grinning as she had spoken with Minaho shortly before brining Lelouch aboard her ship, but what Minaho didn't know was what the meeting she was going to involve in entailed. This allowed Seto to completely catch her off her off guard and, in a sense, throw her to the wolves. Typically had this been a usual marriage interview Minaho could have easily have dealt with them, but for reasons she couldn't explain Minaho was frozen stiff at the sight of Lelouch being the husband Lady Seto was intending to pair her with this time.

'I finally got you…' Seto thought mischievously as the expression on Minaho's face was enough.

Lelouch for once in a blue moon wasn't sure how to respond to that as Minaho was clearly worried about something as well as shocked.

"Oh my Minaho did my choice for you this time leave you speechless?" The Devil Princess mocked while muttering something else under her breath that Sasami and Lelouch couldn't catch but suddenly Minaho panicked at the sound of Seto's voice before she collapsed to the ground having fainted on the spot.

"MINAHO!" Lelouch and Sasami exclaimed worried about the woman's condition as she lay completely passed out on the floor, Kallen and Inoue already rushing to the woman's side.

"Lelouch why don't you take care of her, after all you two are going to married in due time," Seto suggested with a laugh, though even she was very much surprised at Minaho's reaction. Seto had been expecting some kind of reaction, but the one she got there was not on that list. It would seem she would not be having a terribly dull time anytime in the near future.

"Grandmother! Please this could be serious!" Sasami admonished Seto as she gestured for Lelouch to help pick up the unconscious woman. With Lelouch lifting her up easily, Kallen had swung under the woman to let her rest on her shoulder as Inoue checked the back of Minaho's head. When Sasami joined her, they noted nothing wrong and the two carrying her proceeded to take Minaho away looking for a place to put her until she wakes up. They quickly found a soft sofa in another room that was large enough for her to be laid on and once they had deposited her on the sofa. Sasami had then disappeared and returned with a maid to keep an eye on Minaho. With that done, Lelouch, Kallen, and Sasami returned to Seto to finish the rest of their discussion.

"Oh my I wasn't expecting that in all honesty," Seto remarked casually as she remembered the short chat she had with Minaho before bringing Lelouch and Sasami aboard and really, it shouldn't have been that hard to doubt in the first place.

Flashback to 24 hours earlier

"Wait! You're introducing me to another suitor?" Minaho complained as she showed the usual resistance to the idea.

"Yes," Seto confirmed with a nod as well, "but of course..." the Devil Princess stopped briefly before giving her usual look that made Seto's aides cringe, "Like the others you could flat out refuse,' Seto replied with her 'Devil Grin' on her face.

'Who is it this time?' Minaho asked feeling uneasy, that grin always made her uneasy.

'That's a surprise and it's a punishment for withholding information from me,' the Devil Princess replied with a dangerous tone in her voice and a glint her in eye as she gave a neutral look to her aide.

Minaho actually shivered at the tone in Seto's voice as well as the look on her face and she didn't dare question the matter further.

End Flashback and return to Present

("Thank You for using Washu Flashback Industries for all your Flashback needs, good day."

"I really need a new job," a busty blond woman with a purple diamond mark on her forehead complained.

"THEN STOP GETTING DRUNK AND GAMBLING AWAY ALL OUR MONEY!" her dark haired assistant/current manager complained while holding her pet pig who "Moink!" in agreement.)

Returning to the present Seto was grinning like a James Bond villain who had just caught her foe hook, line, and sinker, but she wasn't done yet. She still had another surprise on hand for Lelouch that would definitely be good and she made sure the cameras were set up too. However, for Seto it seems she finally had Minaho cornered by having -at long last no less and really serious effort and use of resources- found someone who the young woman couldn't refuse.

"Why don't we let Minaho sleep it off," Seto spared a look in the direction they had taken Minaho before turning back and continuing, "But there is someone else…" Seto smirked here, "Your fourth fiancé!" her tone full of some form of happiness and none wanted to guess what, though it was also missed by them.

"WHAT?!" Lelouch shouted out in surprise, having not expected a FOURTH wife intended for him and he wondered if being remotely related to his 'daddy dearest' was the cause.

Back on Earth, 98th Emperor of the Holy Empire of Britannia, Charles zi Britannia sneezed as he was trying to quietly leave one of his wives' manors. Now, he was stuck for a while having to do the one thing men hated most in the whole universe... unless they swung that way and he warned V.V. to keep Rolo on a tight leash just in case.

"Now My Lord Husband, what do you think of this one?" 3rd Empress Consort su Britannia held up the offending cloth design.

'I hate drapes!' the Emperor thought and he knew that Marianne would be furious with him later.

"Grandmother…" the child like whine would not have been out of place for her mother, "A fourth wife?" Sasami finished as she was taken aback by this revelation before exploding, "LELOUCH ISN'T HIS FATHER!"

Seto began laughing softly at the reactions she was getting. Especially Sasami's reaction, as at first she sounded like Misaki and then again she sounds more like Ayeka. Now this was quality entertainment and she had food and drink for it too!

"You can come now…" Seto chuckled lightly before schooling herself, "Miss Kruszewski," Seto spoke as out from behind a curtain was Monica who was blushing lightly and wearing a yellow and white kimono with her hair almost back into its original style, "I believe you two know each other, but I have decided to make her your fourth fiancé, Monica has already agreed though I was able to dredge up the original contact and discovered that technically it wasn't voided in the proper manner, thus leaving it still in effect," Seto shrugged when looks were thrown her way, as she didn't know if it had been legalized or not, but from the clauses in it, it hadn't been voided either, which was something she might spend the time looking into the matter, simply to have something to look back into in future cases.

"Monica when did Lady Seto approach you?" Lelouch asked, feeling and knowing what she had already agreed too and what she had declared... he had accepted that hadn't he?

'This is going to be a long day,' Lelouch thought, really unsure how this was going to turn out, he really didn't know and that was beginning to frighten him.

"A little after you and Lady Sasami exchanged hats…" Monica admitted, toying with the obi of her kimono, "She met with me and… well… I got picked to be married to strengthen ties between Jurai and Britannia depending on how everything plays out," Monica said clearly nervous as she spoke and fidgeted with her obi or sleeve.

'I am going to marry four women…' Lelouch thought as he had initially expected two, maybe three, but it seemed Seto had other ideas intending to have him marry four women. Monica and Minaho he knew and he was somewhat thankful it wasn't a complete stranger, but granted at least he wasn't likely to end up with over a hundred wives like his father currently had. That was something that scared him to no end in mere thought as he knew many of those were loveless marriages, but the women couldn't find anyone to have a little fun with on the side for various reasons, most being OSI or so rumor went.

"I know Miss Monica here has quite the attraction for you, but that matter aside there is something we must- no need to discuss," Seto said as she snapped her fingers prompting for a holographic screen to appear showing Tarant Shank's fleet as well as his own ship leading an attack on a planet, "Tarant Shank has been proving hard to track down and deal with, but worse yet many pirates and their guilds have been using this opportunity to pillage and raid other planets and space stations. We have our hands full trying to deal with Shank and his new guild of pirates already, but we have also been stretched dangerously thin as of a result so many planets have been left undefended, though the Galaxy Military is mobilized thanks to a recent bust of pirates snooping around Earth and trying to deliver supplies to Clay, we are still dangerously overstretched and mobilizing a military takes time..." Seto looked up to Lelouch and the others, "Time that many simply do not have at all."

Before them Lelouch saw images of cites and space stations raided and left in ruins. Men killed, women enslaved, children sold off, it was every bit what Britannia had done to some areas, but never on a scale like this and say what you may about his father, but the 98th Emperor didn't tolerate such things as this for some reason. Lelouch wondered if it was because of pride or the remains of a heart, the ending of one space station told him what he already knew in his heart.

"You want me to deal with them is that right?" Lelouch asked already realizing what Seto wanted of him and he wouldn't back down in the fight against this tyranny.

"Yes, but look at this." The Devil Princess said as the screen changed showing maps and galactic charts organized on the screen before them.

"What this map exactly?" Lelouch inquired only to see lines of red move out to various planets and stations while from some planets and stations lines of blue either sortied to meet or suddenly established defense lines as other blue lines that looked line patrols began to mobilize and converge as images of fleet movements, battles, landing assaults, sieges, and ongoing land conflicts were shown.

"Those are the stellar coordinates of several Pirate Guilds that have been riding the coattails' of Tarant Shank's rampages," Seto supplied sounding more like a commander that was assigning a mission, "My initial response would be to blast them out of existence, but to my dislike, right now most of the GP and Juraian Fleet are tied down either digging out Shank's hidden bases or holding the defense of most planets," then she shifted the images to the inside view of a Galaxy Marine tank as it began to engage pirate tanks head on.

"Load Hyper Shot! Target antenna tank at one o'clock!"

"Loaded!"

"Fire!"

"Firing!"

The view shuddered from the tank's cannon firing. The image then split to show the target and seconds after the shot, the Pirate Command Tank went up a ball of fire. It was a walker kind of tank, spitting DEW blasts rather than the hyper advanced KEW weapon of the marines' tanks. The commander called out another target and the loader slammed another round and again the command was issued to the gunner who hit another Pirate Command Tank just below the turret, but above the hull.

"Right in the turret ring," Inoue muttered, "The thinnest part of any tank's armor," she knew that one from experience. This was the way many a Britannian AFV and IFV crew met their ends because of their overly raised turrets. It was the same for Knightmares as well, the covering armor of some sections were dangerously vulnerable because that was where the moving parts were.

She was right as the turret flew up on a pillar of flame and crashed back down on the walker as it collapsed to the ground. The tank then began evasive maneuvers as the driver attempted to keep a step ahead of the Walker Tanks, but they were in a better position and the Pirates were being blotted out as they faced profession soldiers rather than vulnerable civilian militias.

"Even with the Galaxy Military mobilized..." Seto shook her head, that one had been a victory because the Marines were on their way to another battle and peeled off from the main body to counterattack with lighting response, "Well others have been left to fend for themselves."

"Is this too common then?" Lelouch asked next, his mind already going through several tactics as he found some special forces squadrons sitting out the war and directed them on the map to areas where they could defend by making it a costly affair to just go there, let alone be able to do gain anything worthwhile.

"Regrettably yes…" Seto issued the orders to an aide who rushed off to pass them along, "Normally I would be fuming, besides my position limits sometimes the number of times on what I can do what I want with such scoundrels," here though she smirked at Lelouch, "However, I, the Galaxy Police, Galaxy Military, Jurai, Seniwa and others would be immensely thankful that someone who isn't as limited politically and legally were to deal with the issue in a…" she stopped for a moment to think, "Um... rather definite way," then she nodded to a map of Earth, and more specifically, Japan, "If this were to happen I guess that Kyoto also would be very thankful, and everyone would benefit, except Shank, but who cares about a murdering scoundrel that will die once we hunt him down for good?"

"I see," Lelouch raised an eyebrow that he had heard was called very 'Vulcanly,' whatever Milly meant by that, "So you want me to eliminate them?"

"That sums it up perfectly, but let's just say permanently deal with them in whatever fashion that can be accepted," Seto replied, stating that they just couldn't have all the 'fun' with them like she would like too, 'Damn whiners!' she mentally complained about people who thought that Pirates were just misunderstood people who had banded together to feel a sense of connection they couldn't find elsewhere, and others who simply didn't approve of her methods when she dealt with Pirates, though some of what she did, did fall under 'debatable' to begin with.

"Which is turn would see that the Black Knights would receive funds and support from the Kyoto Group," Lelouch indicated for Kallen and Inoue, though both got the gist already, it was nice to hear a real confirmation nonetheless.

"Exactly and I have passed along to Washu all of the information you'll need," Seto indicated a holo screen with some of the information in question, "Plus the needed supplies and resources for your personal guard to be created to join you in battle against Clay and his monsters, in fact, Washu says she can send us what we need now to start Inoue Naomi off and have her ready in a couple of days."

"What?!" the said person in question yelped in surprise.

"Not that I am not inclined to help you," Lelouch changed the subject for the moment, "but you do know I am currently waging a war with Britannia."

"Yes and you are preparing for your Day of Fury Operation," Seto responded, having gotten the hint rather well, "but if you act quickly enough with Minaho managing and planning for you I think you can set some time aside, plus your troops still need combat experience and you will need a special force to deal with Clay, because I have no doubt that he may even begin to supply Britannian in order to stay a step ahead of the law," Seto suggested and advised and Lelouch verbally cursed himself for overlooking that.

"Lelouch I'll go with you…" Lelouch turned to his Juraian love, "I can help you get all of this taken care of and Washu can keep an eye on Nunnally while Minaho can take care of things with the Black Knights," Sasami spoke offering to assist Lelouch, as she knew just as her future husband did that having the Devil Princess supporting them would bode well for them in the future.

"Alright," Lelouch declared and turned to Inoue, "Sorry, but we need an elite force to deal with-"

"I'm in as long as I get to tear apart that man's evil ambitions!" there was a cold fire in the eyes of the pure blood Japanese woman.

"Very well," Lelouch nodded and Seto had two aides lead Inoue off to begin, "But some arrangements will need to be made to explain my absence," Lelouch indicated.

"I can handle that part for you," Seto indicated that it was easily taken care of, "I spoke with Washu and you'll be borrowing Ryo-Ohki as she should be a little more discreet or you could use Sasami's ship since she is going with you I suppose," the Juraian Princess offered and Lelouch nodded, "Then the sooner you deal with those pirates the better for us all."

"Of course and I completely agree."

Lelouch said, but he did pick up on something else Seto had probably wanted out of this and the reason was simple. She was aiming to expand Zero's reputation further in the galaxy and coming to the rescue of a dozen planets in need was of course a Black Knight of Justice job and he would carry out such a fact with extreme determination. Though Sasami had explained her intense hatred of space pirates' and that aside, Lelouch suspected there was a lot more to what Seto wanted and he knew enhancing Zero's reputation in the galaxy was obviously a part of it.

"FIRE IN THE HOLE!" a Galaxy Commando Combat Engineer shouted as he twisted the plunger and a blast ripped open another of Clay's hidden bases that allowed Jeremiah to lead a charge into the main complex.

The pirates who stood guard fired from their protective positions, but mobile barriers were also being used by the attacking commandos and the pirates lacked the heavy firepower to destroy the barriers. The commandos surged in behind Jeremiah who had managed to quickly reach and destroy a fixed heavy pulse gun, breaking up the pirates' interlocking fields of fire enough for Kiyone to slide in and launch off several homing missiles from her missile thrower. The heavy weapons were quickly destroyed as Jeremiah jumped from position to position, killing or wounding pirates as the commandos hurled grappling lines and placed ladders to quickly scale the interior defense walls.

One pirate officer saw that once they were over, there was no stopping them and being one of the old guard who despised this insanity, he ordered his forces to surrender. The data had already been destroyed, though the samples would be seized, Clay had been very slow on the self-destruct codes for their containers and the communications had already been destroyed to deny them to the GP and GI. Now all there was left was the surrender and he and his surviving men were hurriedly taken prisoner, catalogued, and carted off to prison.

"Dammit!" Jeremiah cursed, "We weren't fast enough again!"

A piece of advance metal went flying from where he punted it across the room. The metal slammed into a wall and spider cracked it, drawing a complaint from the GP investigative team. Then the wall crumbled down, revealing to everyone's surprise Clay himself, for once, but he quickly hit a button on his wrist and vanished before he could be caught, but he just dropped a rung on the priority ladder as there were people to be saved...

Several of whom were cut open and bleeding all over the place.

"Let's just hope that Team Two can have a little bit of luck compared to us," Kiyone said an hour later to Jeremiah who cursed and raged about how close they had come to actually capturing Clay, only for him to escape through some pocket dimensional tunnel back to his main lab.

"I hope they have better luck," Jeremiah finally calmed down as he sat down on an old bench in the long abandoned park with Kiyone sitting down next him and holding him close to her, as though to reassure him that things were getting better, "I really grow tired not just from the bodies, the few we can save, and what Clay has done, but from what my nation has committed."

The park was once nice and beautiful, pristine and at one point had been a battleground. It had clearly been cleaned up later by the Japanese and turned into farmland to grow food for themselves. Then, from what he had learned, a Britannian lord had taken it over and used it as his own hunting ground...

Hunting the Japanese, people imported from other conquered lands, more brought from even those that were still free, and then, in a sickening way, his own people, Britannians.

He would starve and beat some, turning them into mindless animals to be released and hunted down, but others, he just threw out and hunted for game.

That lord though had run afoul of Cornelia and had lost his head, literally, to an irate knight of the Second Crown Princess and commander of her personal knighthood, Sir Andreas Darlton.

"Things will improve once the people have a say and good leaders sit in places of power," Kiyone comforted him, "It has already begun, Princess Cornelia is suspending more and more of the nobles' power and soon it may very well spread unchecked throughout the Empire."

"I pray you are right," Jeremiah said, "Because if it doesn't then I will make it so," the man was patriotic and the idea of spilling his countrymen's blood in a civil war sickened him since many would be innocent of the corruption of their superiors.

Kiyone pecked him on the cheek with a kiss and for the tired knight; it felt refreshing for some reason.

The following evening as Lelouch was preparing to head out early the next morning for his 'business trip' with Sasami to eliminate some pirate guilds for Seto. After telling Nunnally he'll be gone again for a bit and promising to bring her back something nice, but in his room was Minaho who was still a bit shaken that Seto had in fact known that Lelouch was Zero and had engaged the two of them together. It was no big surprise that she had known Lelouch was Zero, but Minaho was actually more badly shaken because of her getting chosen to marry Lelouch alongside Monica as well as Kallen.

Minaho didn't know how to respond to that let alone how to even talk about it with Lelouch. The former Britannian prince likely sensed her unease at the suddenness of Seto's decision so Lelouch decided not to discuss it with her now. This would allow her to have time to think things out and act in a manner that was wasn't emotional or confused. They both wanted to talk, but even he needed a few days to ponder on it and Minaho knew she was too nervous about this to even considered it, considering that she was more or less the Black Sheep of the Masaki Clan, given that she was a source of tension within the Jurai Royal Clans. Even Tenchi was better welcomed than her and he had even less Juraian blood than she did.

"Minaho," Lelouch spoke up, getting her attention and getting her thoughts on a sort of comfort zone for the woman, "While I am away, I want you to work with Kallen and Washu on building relations with the Chinese Federation," Lelouch looked at both her's and Seto's latest reports, as well as those from Kyoto House and some allies gained through both Monica and House Stadtfeld, "I understand the High Eunuchs have been in secret talks with Britannia?"

"Yes," Minaho was thankful for the reprieve as she brought up some reports for herself, "According to our information anyways and you know how better we are at that than finding Clay right," she left out how close Clay had recently come to capture as she scrolled to a new section and indicated it to Lelouch, "but we have also heard that forces loyal to the Empress Jiang Lihua are not happy with this."

"I see," Lelouch noted she was mockingly called Tianzi, which translated as Son of Heaven, he snorted, "Well make contact with the leader of a faction that we can trust and offer him or her our assistance and see if you can come up with something simpler for Tiānguó de nǚ'ér."

"I'll use the information Lady Seto provided to arrange a meeting and I'll ask for Kallen to go in your stead as your personal bodyguard and captain of your personal guard," Minaho then looked at the report on the Black Knights that were to become Zero's personal guard, "We're be forming it once Inoue is back and we can brief them fully and I'll do my best, but I also think that Tianzi was kept because it was simple if only slightly inaccurate in this case."

"Only slightly inaccurate?" Lelouch raised an eyebrow.

"Yes," Minaho shifted nervously on that issue.

"Very well…" Lelouch left it at that, he already heard from Sasami about things concerning Earth and the Jurai Royal Clans, "I want whoever we find to support and the Chinese Federation supporting us and aiding in our counterattack on Day of Fury as planned," Lelouch checked over the operations for the day and noted that Burai Light Types were becoming a hassle for the slower Sutherlands to chase, "Their assistance will add more salt on the wounds I'll inflict upon this corrupted form of Britannia."

"Understood…" Minaho saw a glint in Lelouch's eye and his tone had a darkness to it, the kind associated with betrayal and abandonment, but she hope that it was just something that will not get in his way and cause undo harm to anyone, she would need to speak with Seto just in case nonetheless.

"Thank you," Lelouch turned to the woman, feeling better, but also aged, "but before you go Minaho I have one more question?"

"What is it?" Minaho asked, a feeling of cold stone in the pit of her gut.

Lelouch almost wanted to ask about the decision Seto made, but at the last second he decided against it. It would only cause problems as neither were ready to discuss. He mentally chastised himself for doing so and quickly went to a topic that had begun to slip from his mind.

"In regards to the matter of the chemical weapons," he began and Minaho let out a visible and audible sigh of relief, "Has any new information been found out yet?"

"Nothing new," Minaho looked at the reports, things had gone cold, but that was to be expected, "but all of our contacts and intelligence sources have been activity looking for any signs and Seto used my information to alert various other groups that would be more incline to alert us at first sighting and Kyoto Group is also on the manner as well."

"I see…" Lelouch turned angrily to a mirror as he toyed with the cuffs of his sleeves, "I just hate leaving suddenly like this especially with the game afoot and that manic planning on gassing a ghetto or five, not to mention that air currents are no longer favorable for such a thing and would likely even kill more Britannians than Japanese, ironic as it sounds."

"We'll find something you can be sure," Minaho assured her now fiancé, but she didn't think it like that, rather he was her superior, "but I think after what had happened to one of their shipments of gas containers they're trying to be more subtle and avoid drawing any attention," she scrolled through a report on her data screen, "I don't think we should be seeing anything from the Vampire of Britannia any time soon. Besides maybe with you gone it might slow them down since they'll want to be sure of where you'll be at especially now that they believe you are onto them."

"That's a logical deduction," Lelouch nodded, but something bugged him, "But I feel that something is obvious and there is nothing worse than an elusive fact."

"We'll keep an eye on things just the same just to be sure," Minaho assured him again, before spinning him around and fixing his cuffs, collar, buttons, and brushing some lint off his shoulder and topping it all off with a kiss to the cheek that surprised both of them when she did it, but Lelouch only smiled softly, a look that was rarely seen beyond his time with his sister on his face.

"Thank you…" Minaho knew his words were more than just for the information and his appearance and she smiled, it would take time, but they might make it work out well enough.

The following morning after Lelouch and Sasami left, agreeing to take the Tsunami-fume although Ryo-Ohki was still coming along with them mostly because the small cabbit had been unintentionally neglected. As such, Washu hoped that during this trip that Sasami and Lelouch would make up for it and already the little cabbit was enjoying the attention the two her paying her.

Though, after classes had ended the student council was meeting together in the meeting room. Yet when Suzaku entered the room, stopping by Nina's desk and giving her a quick kiss on the cheek much to his blushing surprise, the Honorary Britannian then noted that someone was missing... or rather someones, but even he had enough sense for that.

"Hey have you guys seen Lelouch?" Suzaku asked, which come to think of it, Lelouch had been disappearing a lot lately.

Shirley and Milly didn't say a word, but Rivalz spoke up.

"I heard he left again this morning on some kind of business trip with Sasami to see her family about some kind of deal going on," Rivalz shrugged, he was by a mirror looking at a new spiffy Britannian military uniform with warrant officer marks on the shoulder boards, "They got the principle's approval, but beyond that we don't know anything else."

"So then…" Milly was looking like a big cat ready to pounce and the poor Warrant Officer knew his luck with cats, "Suzaku since you and Lelouch as well as Sasami go way back…" she had stood up and stalked like a lioness up to him, keeping him always in her view, "What do you know?"

"Huh what do you mean?" Suzaku asked completely innocent on the matter, though dense as well, "He'll be back," he used a bit of logic, "After all Nunnally is still here."

"That's not the POINT!" Shirley wailed panicking all of a sudden and suddenly Suzaku knew where this was going.

"They are already a couple, so how do we know they haven't eloped?" Milly suggested with a hint of jealously and anger -possibly betrayal as well?- in her voice.

"Oh come on!" Suzaku knew both Sasami and Lelouch better than that, a gap of a decade notwithstanding, "I mean sure Lelouch sneaks away a lot, but he wouldn't do anything like that!"

"Are you SURE?" Shirley demanded getting up into Suzaku's face wanting an answer from the young man. Suzaku was reasonably worried about the current situation he was finding himself in knowing that this wasn't going to end well for him. Suzaku realized that staying would be extremely dangerous for him so he quickly began to fabricate an excuse to escape-

"Shirley calm down," Nina spoke as she stood up and walked over to gently push the easily excited girl back, "You have to remember that there's been a ten year gap between when Suzaku last saw them and when they reappeared and I think you need to remember that both thought Sasami dead for a decade as well."

Nina looked very crossed at the orangnette and the three long time members looked shock that Nina had actually not only spoken so much, but was defending Suzaku. Well, Rivalz knew, the two had apparently had a long talk with Euphemia after the disaster that was the Cupid's Day. Both Nina and Suzaku were trying, but it was hard for the Honorary Britannian, given his social status compared to Nina's own status and that the Japanese culture wasn't very big on open affections in public. So getting him to at least give her a kiss on the cheek was a tough sell for Nina, but Suzaku seemed to be okay with it so far.

Though anyone who really knew the girl and would have known of her secret crush on Euphemia li Britannia would have told that she was trying to use the poor young man in order to get closer while plotting his downfall.

But for some reason she couldn't help, but enjoy his showings of affections to her.

"Nina?" Rivalz blinked, "Did you just defend Suzaku?"

"You're point?" she seethed at Rivalz unintended insult.

"Well..." the Council Treasurer began before shrugging it off, "Just surprised really, given how you've been before, but I think it's great, especially when -no ifs on that!- Zero wins and what do you think of the uniform Suzaku?"

The Honorary looked at the uniform and noticed it was a legitimate uniform, not a novelty one. It was different from any Britannian uniform he'd seen before and was curious. Yet with the way it was held, it showed that Rivalz would look good in uniform. Still, Suzaku was curious.

"What's with the uniform anyways Rivalz?" though he nodded to show it looked good for him.

"I've joined an auxiliary force, nothing special really, but it means I might be able to pay for my girlfriends without talking to my folks and it is a good way to advance in Britannia anyways," the blue haired teen's grin was from ear to ear.

"Wait?" Suzaku blinked and then it processed, "That's supposed to be some sort of support group that the Viceroy started in order to be prepared for anything else that might happen."

It went unsaid what Suzaku meant by that last sentence. Ever since the Vampire of Britannia wasted both a city and base, people had been up in arms about it. Zero had even gained a major following in Britannia for the Vampire's actions. It was needless to say, that even the Emperor had been taken off guard by it, but this new Auxiliary Force, a pseudo military-public service force, had been started in order to take some of the heat off.

It was partially working.

"Yeah," Rivalz winced in memory, a whole base and city, why wouldn't he? "I'm hoping to make some major bankage on the side with it, plus the boss really approves not caring who wins, he'll still be selling, but it calms the folks and keeps the drunks in line," the grin looked permanent and Suzaku wasn't the only worrying for the Treasurer's health either.

"That's still not the point!" Shirley would not be swayed it would seem, "WHERE IS LULU?!"

"I don't know anything I swear," Suzaku decided it was pointless, "but I got to go! My superiors need me!"

Suzaku took off as fast as his legs could carry him while Washu walked into the meeting casually saying while blinking at seeing Nina in a fireman's carry over Suzaku's shoulders.

"Hi Suzaku and Nina! Bye Suzaku and Nina!"

"Washu what do you know about Lulu and Sasami leaving?!" Shirley demanded turning on the nearly arrived redhead and actually surprising the super duper genius as she looked like a rabid animal of some kind.

"Oh?" the redhead blinked, more to clear the space between them so there was some personal space and the door was easily accessible, "They're away on a family business trip for Sasami's family so I'm helping Sayoko keep an eye on Nunnally until they come back."

"You lie!" the excitable girl was now exhausting even Rivalz; "They are eloping aren't they!"

"No…" the disguised scientist and goddess brushed that away and slapped a hand that came to close to her away, "Now calm down Shirley, Milly were you teasing her again?" the blond only blinked at that and the redhead sighed, "I can assure you nothing of the short is happening," Washu said trying to placate the worried orange haired girl, but so far her attempts were failing, "Now of course if that was the case, given how much Lelouch cares for Nunnally do you think he would have left her behind?"

"Well no, but…" Shirley became tripped up; she knew that Nunnally would never be left behind like that.

"Then stop worrying they'll be back or so you intend to run off looking for him," the genius declared finally silencing Shirley who couldn't counter against Washu before the redhead turned to the blond busty girl in the room, "And you stop teasing her and drugging the drinks around here!"

Milly promptly frowned as Washu sighed and turned away to leave the room, Rivalz deciding now was a good time to make like Suzaku and report to his superiors.

'I hope you guys come back soon,' Washu thought expecting this to be a long week provided Sasami and Lelouch didn't return quickly and not just because of Shirley, but also Milly.

Meanwhile in another corner of the galaxy, on a far away planet that was being raided by pirates, the last of the meager defense force was brushed aside as ships were attacking one of the major cities. The pirates killed or captured the last of the defenders and began looting and pillaging the now completely defenseless major city for loot while abducting some of its inhabitants to sell into slavery. They were having a ball as they cheered at the fact that no more resistance was occurring and no chance for the Galaxy Police to arrive and interfere with them. However though, despite the fact that these pirates were both independent and riding off of the success of Tarant Shank's efforts their success was about to come to a sudden and very violent end.

Aboard the flagship of this particular bunch, the pirate leader was pleased with their latest raid as a number of young women -at least four in total- were brought before him in chains. The pirate captain was a large obese man wearing a sleeveless leader coat with his muscled chest showing and a shaggy black beard with a leather eye patch over one eye. He sat upon his ship's throne like captain's chair and leered down at the four as beside him on both sides were another eight beautiful women, two that he brought years ago, two he had captured from a rival guild years ago as well, and four he had recently acquired over the following months since Tarant started this whole episode.

The malevolent pirate then sneered at the captive women before him, making them flinch back in fear and terror, while deciding if they should be sold into slavery or if he should find other purposes for them.

Lucky for the young women on the other hand today was not the day that they would be pets for some brutal manic, because just as the pirate captain after eyeing the girls with a twisted look on his face a series of shadows suddenly began rushing about the room, gathering themselves as they began to raise up and to approach the suddenly freaking out pirate guards and command crew who all began firing wild shots into the mass of darkness before it finally stopped, then exploded into fast moving motes of darkness that shot towards the terrified captain and formed into a very familiar person wearing black armor and an iconic mask holding a the Shadowed Honor in one hand and a Shadow Hawk wing transformed into a sword to the pirate's neck in the other hand.

"You will not touch these women…" the voice was low and cold as it echoed across the suddenly quiet bridge, "In fact if you don't wish to suffer a horrible demise I strongly advise you let them, along with all of your prisoners, go…" the pirate tried to show some defiance, "NOW!"

Lelouch as Zero demanded in a roar to the stunned captain that someone had just suddenly appeared next to him and was now holding his life in their hand. He had tried to be defiant, but the figure of Zero was menacing, but the captain's crew began to try to intervene on behalf of their captain. Zero's response was to create another Shadow Hawk Wing, the dark light gathering just off his shoulder as it emerged and then after a few moments in which the crew had momentarily stopped before starting again broke up into multiple strands of black energy before killing each advancing crewmember with a swift stab through the forehead and neatly drilling out of the back.

The pirate captain looked at all his men on the command bridge, the ones who had tried to advance laid dead, neat holes drilled into their heads and that left him very reasonably frightened by Lelouch's swift dealing with his crew while those who didn't advance on the masked black knight were too scarred themselves to attack.

"Captain Teach of the Moon Cat Pirate Guild you will release your prisoners and then turn yourselves in to the Galaxy Police," Zero growled from within his helmet even as Shadow Honor suddenly swept and another pirate fell dead, fading back into view, followed by a few others who also fell apart in two pieces, "We can do this the easy way or my way, but I advise you take the easy way…" Teach could feel the narrow eyes as did the crew, "It at least ensures all of you will live longer."

"So hot," one of the women that were by his side said suddenly, "And I hear he's cute under the armor too."

Captain Teach suddenly felt a surge of anger and rage. Insult to injury was bad enough, but Zero would not take him so easily or so quietly! In fact he wouldn't take him at all, he would show this young pup of an upstart and the twelve women around him that he was a real man! His crew and followers would be impressed and declare their loyalty and then after they shall raid and pillage to their hearts content and then some with Zero's head leading the way on a pike attached to the bow of his ship!

Hiding in an asteroid field. a safe distance away was the Tsunami-fume as Sasami sat at a table petting Ryo-Ohki who mewled like the cabbit she was enjoying the attention while watching events happen as Lelouch began obliterating the pirate ships moments later.

"So they picked option two…" she muttered with a shake of her head, "His Way."

The pirates would have been wiser to have just surrendered and released their prisoners, but of course they arrogantly forgot to take into account just who they were dealing with exactly. The second princess of Jurai calmly took a sip of her tea as she watched her future husband to be ruthlessly slaughter the pirate fleet, but judging from some of his actions it seemed Lelouch was sparing the ships likely holding prisoners aboard and in turn was disabling them to prevent them from fleeing while it seemed that he was slower in destroying other ships that likely had a few on board before he evacuated them while tearing the ships apart from the inside out.

With the way the battle was proceeding now Lelouch would have the pirates finished off within the next five minutes or so and then there was the matter of the hostages. Sasami had no doubt Zero would succeed and his reputation would quickly spread throughout the galaxy even as she eyed a few ships wise up and launch surrender flares. There was also a lot of panicked chatter going back and forth she noted, which was undoubtedly being picked up on countless receivers and Seto had even arranged for a news crew, several actually, to broadcast live and record the moment that Zero appeared to save a planet in distress.

Yet Sasami's only concern wasn't that she was worried about Lelouch's safety, but rather she hoped things with these pirates could be taken care of quickly.

"My ship is good and all, but Earth has its own charm, right Ryo-Ohki?" she asked the brown cabbit.

The Cabbit only mewled back happily agreeing.

Back on Earth, at the Black Knight's mobile base Ohgi and Minaho were briefing everyone on the current situation about their leader being away on a mission, personally handling an important matter for the Kyoto Group. Everyone was in awe about that, believing it might just get them what they need; but in the meantime, they had to continue with their operations which included finding, above all else, the chemical warfare gas the Knight of Ten was hiding. However, for the time being, with the infamous vampire of Britannia out of commission for a little while, the group had time to tend to other matters which Minaho and Kallen would oversee while Zero was gone and that included calling off the names for Zero's personal guard.

"Emiya Kasumi, Rene Holmes, Uchida Aoi, Yukimora Natsu, and the three Kuwabara Sisters, Ruka, Juri, and Koto," Minaho finished reading off, though several looked to one member, Rene Holmes, though she had a foreign name, her father had been British, not Britannian, and had died during a bombing raid during the Invasion.

"Is it just me or are all those names female?" one new member remarked in some rather surprised manner.

"Currently," Minaho began, "This is based on certain..." she was struggling for a word.

"Minaho picked according to something that's gonna happen to each member and unfortunately while we do have others who have better skills or experience, they don't match up and trust me when I say Zero likened this to him having an Imperial Harem and took over a day to fully convince him just to listen," Kallen answered with a tired sigh.

The old hands took Kallen's word for it. They knew she wasn't much of the harem type. Boy would they be surprised later when the dust finally settles.

So with that said, the general meeting broke up and the senior staff moved on to meet alone as the others went to preparing and servicing the machines set to go out on patrol.

Once the senior group gathered, they sat down for a short meal. It was a simple affair of grilled fish, plenty of rice, since vegetables, and miso soups. They passed around some sake and were soon well fed and ready. Though they had not been drinking heavily before, they now had water and coffee as they began to get to business.

"With Zero gone, Ohgi is in charge, but I'll be taking care of talks with the Chinese Federation due to the tricky nature of the nation in question," Minaho spoke, addressing the gathering of the Black Knight's senior staff.

"What exactly is Zero up to?" Tamaki almost demanded.

"Like I said he is taking care of an important matter on behalf of the Kyoto Group, but he will return as soon as possible. All of our intelligence operatives within our organization and those Kyoto have at their disposal are searching high and low for that gas," Minaho revealed knowing that some members of the Black Knights were understandably agitated about the poison gas still not being found.

"But what about the Chinese Federation, what are the details on that?" Inoue asked, she stretched and could feel the restraint suit checking her newly gained abilities, though the suit itched in a way she could not comfortably talk to anyone about.

"Kallen and I will be meeting with the representative of a leader of one of the pro-Empress factions," Minaho explained and some grumbled about helping out royalty, quite understandable really even to the densest person, "but our goal is to help them restore the Empress to power thereby granting us the Chinese Federation as an ally and thus also securing our flank from the Britannia Empire coming in at us from the west as well."

"Do we know who this leader is?" Kento inquired, good reasons were given, so he decided to get things rolling again.

"His name is Li Xingke," Minaho have been given permission to use some of the more 'high end' equipment and as such, a hologram with the man in question show in several views and his history and date were not floating a few inches off the table, "He is an officer in the military and commander of the Flying Dragon Cavalry Corps despite his young age, but he is also the leader of the Empress' more devout loyalist faction."

"Thanks to Kyoto's contacts we have a meeting set up," Inoue summed it up and everyone took her word for it as she now carried the wing like symbol of Zero's personal guard, "Minaho and Kallen will be going to see him tomorrow to see about the possibilities of an alliance."

"I see," Ohgi spoke up as he studied the data, including the strength of the Chinese Knightmares and winced, "More like Knight Cannons," he thought out loud, "Still his troops are well armed, but not so well supplied and mixed in training as well."

"A side effect from the Eunuchs not wanting a corps not loyal to them having too much freedom," Minaho supplied.

"Anemic is the term I see," Tamaki replied and others agreed.

The others agreed before they moved on to different matters. It would be a long meeting, but that's why they ate well before hand. Though some were feeling guilty, since though it was a simple and traditional meal, the quality was much higher and the fish for example were expensive to get before the war, let alone now. Still, Minaho brushed it off, saying as long as they don't overindulge or do so regularly, they would be fine and the others accepted it. After all, they were informed that Zero had a special idea in mind for thanking the Black Knights for their hard work after all.

"Zero really knows how to care for his people, don't he," Kento stated as the meeting began anew.

Later that afternoon while Minaho was helping Ohgi wrap up a few other matters, Washu was giving Monica a mission which would be a test run for her new machine. It was finally ready, especially after some tweaking, the Nineball Morrigan which finally had been completed, especially after having to go back and redo the machine as she wanted to originally. Ohgi and Minaho were aware of what Washu had in mind since it was something Ohgi and even Lelouch had been intending to take care of, but now the time was right and Monica was chosen to do it as a proof of loyalty to the rest of the Black Knights who weren't all too sure of her and still others hostile to the ex-Rounds Knight.

"Well," the redhead began, looking something like an expectant mother, "Monica the time has come for my new creation to see combat for the first time, although the enemy isn't going to have much of a chance against you," Washu replied with a grin that bordered on mad scientist-slash-slasher grin.

"What exactly did you have in mind?" Monica asked, she had going over possible placements of the chemical weapons that they still hadn't found.

She had checked the class of those weapons and determined that it would take years for it to be cleaned up and that there would be really no defense against during the interim of that. They would need literally thousands of decontamination crews and hundreds of specially made vehicles to clean up the mess. Plus they could clear large areas, but it would still be hard to fully clean it out as chemical weapons were notorious for finding every nook and cranny to hide in. Then, if the weather was foul, the situation would only get worse, though true some would be washed away and destroyed by nature's power, not even nature could clear out all the locations. Plus by then, there would already be hundreds of thousands of casualties, even among Britannians and numerous areas of the Tokyo Settlement would alone have to be abandoned, along with several important bases.

Overall, the use of chemical weapons would only be a prelude to a much larger conflict that would see the islands possibly made uninhabitable and with the Japanese people largely wiped out as well.

That idea sat well with no one.

"Minaho has gotten some information that a new shipment of chemical weapons are arriving in Japan tonight," Washu explained as a map of the area in question came up holographically, "but instead of arriving at the military docks in Kobe, it's arriving at a base on Shikinejima, or called Shikine Island these days."

"Probably they have picked the location due to being a little more remote than some places around Japan due to our lack of a naval capacity at this time," Monica commented while Washu agreed with her, but Monica also knew something else as well, "As well as the more than fifty cruise missile launchers on the island."

"Yeah, but because it's remote-WHAT?!" Washu looked shocked as she stared at the blond woman, "You have to be kidding me?!"

"I wish," the ex-Rounds responded, "Although they have been lowered in number or even completely eliminated, but given that the mounts are still there, that could have changed and as far as even Cornelia will know, that wouldn't be outside the norm and even approve of it as a defensive measure."

"She wouldn't approve them being so fixed," Washu stated, she had taken the woman's measure and knew she hated such weapons as Biological and Chemical Weapons, "But, she wouldn't need to be told just want the warheads are either, especially if it doesn't look like it would be anything other than conventional warheads."

"The base commander is one Lieutenant Colonel Jonas Carmichael Fayer," Monica explained, "He follows orders well enough, but can be intimidated at times, especially by Luciano Bradley who had killed his wife years before when he disobeyed an order."

"I see," the redhead remained silent for a moment before speaking again, "Due to the remote nature and heavy defenses, you'll get to take my latest creation out on a combat test run," Washu remarked with a rather feral looking pleased smile.

"Number of enemies?" Monica asked, she had been out of the loop for a while and then the Vampire probably reinforced the garrison since then as well.

"Well if you wait you could just deal with the base's defenders which consist of somewhere around one hundred Sutherlands or so, one air division with an attached air group of combat planes and VTOL fighters, four squadrons of combat helicopters, two battalions of tanks, a regiment of assorted other combat vehicles as well as missile and anti-air batteries with, of course, anti-tank and shore batteries too to say nothing of the manpower for base defense which could be divisional, really I'm surprised the is commanded by anything less than a brigadier," Washu shrugged, it was very unusual for such a defense to be left to just a lieutenant colonel, but that was not here or now, "However if you decide to attack while the ships delivering the chemical weapons are present then you'll have one military transport ship to sink along with four Destroyer, three frigates, and about six corvettes acting as escorts and again I'm surprised there isn't a cruiser in this mix somewhere."

Monica only grunted, but that sounded like the Vampire. The higher the rank and the more important the ship, the less likely someone will just brush it aside. Even the Emperor knew people wouldn't stand for anymore such losses as those already done so. Still, from the redhead's words...

"Basically you are giving me a choice of how and when I can launch my attack?"

"Yes," Washu shrugged and then brought up her creation's specs on a holo screen, "but with the Nineball Morrigan as heavily armed as it is and taking your skills into account the enemy doesn't stand a chance against you and even if they hit you, which somehow I doubt, it's not like they're get to do much thanks to the armor, all Terran tech, though as you can see, much of what I've done is largely give the Nineball Morrigan an false exterior and jettisonable weapons of Earth tech design."

"It's going to be a one sided slaughter then..." Monica said with a depressed look as she found no joy in killing fellow countrymen, but given the odds the enemy would be facing it seemed rather disrespectful. Yet as the Knight of Zero she will carry out the mission given to her, plus she could hold back and use the Earth tech based weapons and reduces her overall abilities by flying slower. In fact, since she hadn't taken the Nineball Morrigan out for a break in test, it was probably a good idea until she was used to the advance systems. For now, this raid would be a good indicator of what she could handle, after all, despite her fame and skill, she was hardly the best Knightmare pilot in the world, really, only her skills at strategy had seen her meteoric rise. Now she was going into a battle that would require that she put strategy to the back burner, which was fine by her, "No one ever wins a war by winning the field only."

"Precisely," Washu indicated a holo map of the base, "That is why I am giving you the choice of how you can chose your attack and when you chose to attack…" the redhead indicated another holo map with the ships on it, "You can take out the ships first which will give the base more than enough time to be on battle alert sending out their forces. At least the enemy will be given the chance to either flee or ample time for preparation to defend themselves so they can at least die fighting as opposed to being wiped out before getting the chance," Washu explained while Monica considered her options carefully as the redhead continued on, "Or you could strike and quickly render the base useless and then raid the ships as they approach, though they might be aware of your approach by then and begin to try to withdraw and let's face it, we're playing with a lot of rules here as well," both maps showed possible outcomes, having a goddess of war for a sister taught a few advanced things about waging a war, "Plus there's the fact that they might even have loaded launchers on board to launch the gas directly from sea rather than wait for the base," that was added, including other possibilities, "and, quite frankly, I don't know anymore."

"I understand…" she looked at the base and made her decision, the smaller missiles could be intercepted, but the larger ones were too close to risk it, "What is the recommended time for operations to begin?"

"The ships should be arriving after sunset so around the twenty-first hour," Washu indicated, being summer and alone, so about 9 pm, "That is the time recommended by Minaho since all the eggs will be in a single basket, but once you are done I want you to meet up with Lelouch in space as well."

"Meet up with Lelouch?" Monica blinked, rather surprised.

"Yes," the redhead confirmed, "Turns out things are a little more tricky up there at the moment and he could use an extra hand."

"Alright, I don't see that as a problem, anything else?" the blond had decided to go with what Minaho had recommended, a night attack when all forces are gathered, but she would attack at a later hour.

As Monica saw it, if doctrine was followed, the chemical warheads would be separated from the main bodies of the cruise missiles. This was for safety sake really as much as security and would like take close to an hour to unload the missile bodies and 30 minutes for the warheads. This would be followed by a transferred by ground vehicles under heavy guard to the missile bunkers, launchers, and the missile maintenance bays, which to that latter would by about 25 minutes at the least, as she recalled that's how long it took to remove some of the missiles when she was last there. Then came the unpacking of both the heads and bodies which would take well over an hour maybe as many as two hours, though SOP for such things stated clearly to take all reasonable safety measures and the fastest assembly time was 2 hours and 9 minutes as checks would have to be done on the missiles and heads before they could get to the actual assembly.

It was actually much less for conventional heads, barely 45 minutes on average and most could do that in half that time too.

Then again, these are chemical warheads and as such it would take about 15-20 minutes to mount the heads to the bodies and close to half an hour more to install them into the launch system, not counting the short ten minutes to transport the missiles to the launchers. Then the missiles would have to be brought online and software checks made and that varied in time, missile to missile. Then the targeting data would have to be downloaded, plus updated regularly, and to launch the missiles requires several officers with keys to manually disengage all the physical safety locks on the warheads and the missile bodies.

"I figure it would take a little more than 36 hours to make the missiles ready," Monica told Washu and the disguised goddess nodded at that as Monica continued, "But there is a chance that there may be some already set to be launched, but Fayer does have a bit of backbone when it comes down to it, so I expect him to have 'reasonable reason' to delay the launch, though it is likely that he and his officers wouldn't have the keys, Luciano Bradley isn't that trusting of Fayer or anyone not so enamored with him, though he's psychotically loyal to the Emperor himself, don't ask."

"They never make sense, ever," Washu shrugged herself, "So with that out of the way, I think I got something to counter the gas should anything happen and I mean anything," Washu brought up a new Burai model, or what had once been a Burai.

The unit had a body that was now more closely resembling the Sutherland, though slimmed down still. It mounted a single cannon over the left shoulder with a fore mounted hand grip. There was a group of six wings on the back, but no noticeable propulsion system that she knew of. On its enlarged hip armor, there were a pair of folded away cannons while on the legs were a number of missile launchers, the same with the back of the left hand, while the right forearm sported a pop up three barrel chain gun. The right hand held a battle rifle with an attached scope on top, a side mounted sensor pod on the left and an illumination pod on the right side with an underslung weapon system and a pop out bayonet. The shoulders both had knife sheaths added to them and two daggers sat just above the hip armor. The head was an enlarged design, like some took the Burai changes made to the Glasgow and added them instead to the Sutherland then styled the back with four communications antenna sticking out the back with a sliding faceguard with a central targeting system in it or a side mounted monocle that wrapped around the dominate eye.

Over all, it looked like a Burai-themed Sutherland on steroids and lots of them.

"This is the Burai Galactic Washu Custom Reinforced Assault," Washu began at once, feeling Monica had had enough time to look at it, "I was actually planning a bit of a new machine when I got saddled to make something on the fly and this is it."

"I can see that and what looks like advanced technology not even hidden away," Monica stated as she looked at the machine.

"I did say it was built on the fly, but I didn't skip on anything and once the extras are dumped it only carries the cannon, the rifle, the daggers, and the hip mounted cannons, I didn't have time to really added any actual melee weapon, but I added the knives as a backup for some defense," Washu explained and Monica nodded, "Either way, it was supposed to be just a test platform for technologies I could get away and not my best design either, but I'm confident that it will get Inoue in with you and get her out unharmed."

Inoue took that chance to step forward and spoke, "I'm insurance just in case we're only just learning of this, like those cruise missiles everyone missed," the Japanese woman had disposed of her Black Knights uniform in favor of a full body flight suit that didn't leave much to the imagination.

The flight suit was based largely on Kallen's own bodysuit, though modified by Washu to be somewhat thicker, though you couldn't tell. The outfit was a lighter shade of indigo that complemented the woman's hair color, though she had been wearing contacts at the meeting as now her once brown eyes were the same color as her hair and glowed faintly as Washu had sent not only data, but a little of what she termed 'Cabbit Power' to give the woman a power close to what had been given to Kallen by Reika. The flightsuit was also trimmed in purple and carried the Zero Seal of black wings over the Seal of the Black Knights with a sword like that of the Shadowed Honor in the center covering the entire left shoulder.

That last piece had been Inoue's choice, as she expected to be serving Lelouch for years to come and would likely never settle down to have a family, but that was the price she was willing to pay to destroy Clay and protect not only Japan, not only Earth, not even just the Milky Way, but possibly all of existence as well.

Not a job that conducts itself to marry life very well for those of lower rank.

"I see…" Monica took Inoue's fall measure with her gaze and then turned to Washu, "Very well I accept the mission," Monica replied with a strong resolve in her voice.

A short time later, after changing into a new flight suit that took its theme from a cross between Monica's new uniform and the field armored uniform show cased by Amane years ago in Monica's colors, the said woman herself was inside the cockpit of the Nineball Morrigan. As soon as she was in, she leaned in to place her arms inside special holders as she slide her legs down into similar holders as a back and front plate met over her body linking her nervous system to the machine itself. Once locked, she leaned back, allowing the helmet she was wearing to lock into the machine interface behind her as a faceguard slid down over her face, locking in, and from that point on Monica was effectively the Nineball Morrigan now as her thoughts drove the machine directing it in all of its movements and actions including handling all of its functions with the use of her thoughts only.

Washu admitted that she was still tuning the equipment and didn't want to add anything until Monica was comfortable with the machine itself. That meant once Monica was aware of her new machine's abilities, she would lose most of this extra metal and circuitry for a more complex, but less hardware oriented system.

The oval-shaped cockpit provided Monica with a complete near-360 degree view of everything around as the blond woman leaned forward some more to rest in the pilot's couch as the monster machine Washu built came to life.

"Hey Monica before you take off I installed a disguise function in the machine to make it appear more Earth-technology like in appearance in case you have to jettison your physical disguise earlier than planned or liked," and the blonde woman nodded as the redhead, in her adult form no less continued, "You'll have a lot of the advance weapons, but if anyone saw it in its true appearance some of the naysayers from the Galactic Union might step in, including those that are likely lackeys or worse puppets of Tarant and Clay."

"I'll like to see them try," growled Inoue as she moved her own left hand, clutching and unclutchin the left hand before moving each of the fingers, "I would like to see them try," she repeated.

Monica chuckled to herself despite herself, "Alright…" she finally said, "Ready Inoue-sempai?" deciding to be polite.

Over in her machine, similarly covered and leaning forward, Inoue looked over to the ex-Rounds woman before turning back, "I am Monica, but you're not my kohai, you'll one day be my lady after all."

"I think he'll prefer that he had trusted friends like Alexander the Great's legendary Companion Cavalry," Monica responded and Inoue only nodded, before the final safety unlocked itself and the now Knight of Zero looked forward as she called out, "Monica Kruszewski, Nineball Morrigan taking off!"

"Inoue Naomi, Burai Galactic Reinforced Assault Type, launching!"

"Hmm..." the adult Professor Hakubi Washu rubbed her chin, "I think she may be on to something."

The Nineball Morrigan transformed into its bird mode before launching with a thunderous roar of its thrusters as it flew through a launch tube with the nightmarish machine emerging from a launch tunnel out in the countryside. Shortly thereafter, the wingwoman for the mission landed right on top right before engaging both units engaged their optical camouflage. The holographic disguise system was also set to passive and eliminating any excess energy that would give both units away and which would make them appear in what would be in the appearance of the original machines they had been based upon.

Flying at high speeds Monica made her way towards Shikinejima Island all the while listening to Inoue flip through something and she could guess what it was. Monica had seen the look in both stance and Naomi's eyes and decided to pull rank a little here. She had feeling that it would be needed after all.

"Naomi remember that we fight for freedom, for the chance to live happy lives, so keep those memories close and when this is over, the two of you better have a nice, happy family, understood?" Monica told the other woman and she saw that Naomi had gone ridged through her connection to the Burai unit she was using and added, "Consider it an order from one of your future Ladies and that it carries the same weight as my husband, your commander, own word."

After a few moments of silence, Naomi finally answered, "Yes ma'am," and she closed the last picture of her and Special Forces Commander Sugiyama Kento playing a game of horse against a pair of members they had lost with Kallen's brother.

"I mean it as an order if I must Naomi," Monica was brooking no argument and the indigo haired second member of Zero's personal guard removed her thumb from the deletion button at the steel in Monica's voice and cried softly for most of the remaining flight.

"We're win and then we can all have peace and families," Monica gently told her partner for this operation, "Remember that and work towards with all your being."

After a few minutes of quiet sobbing, Naomi spoke up, "Thank you," and the device went back to its safe place until later.

Meanwhile Kaguya was sitting in front of a new holo monitor that she had gotten. She was seated and prepared to watch it with several of her attendants sitting on her flanks to also observe as Washu planned on televising the arrival of chemical weapon gas warheads and in conjunction with a pre-recorded message would further weaken the Pro-Britannia Eleven support for the government and even rile up the Britannians themselves. Elsewhere around the same time Ohgi, Minaho, and other members of the Black Knight senior staff were also gathered around their meeting table, each with a holo monitor in front of them as they were told that they would be getting some new and highly advance technology and this was just he beginning they were told, both the monitors and the coming battles. The remaining Black Knights were all gathered around their machines or out at preselected positions with their own portable large or personal holo monitors, with many Japanese gathering around them to see the new technology and what was happening

"So Monica is going to do this mission?" Ohgi asked as he took a sip of calming tea, an imported Indian brand that helped to settle his nerves with its taste.

"Yes…" Monica went through the new holo pad she had, Seto had given her a plain looking high end model for her cover, "Originally Zero was going to do it, but with him gone we agreed it was a good chance for Monica to prove her loyalty to the Black Knights as well as test out a new weapon Zero acquired, but there have been some changes since the original plan was laid out," Minaho answered sending the details to a central holo monitor, like the kind that were known in Britannian command bases.

"You knew about this Ohgi?" Tamaki inquired as he extinguished another cigarette and popped up another no longer cancer stick thanks to that mad scientist they've been hearing about.

"I did," the former resistance cell leader and now 2IC of the Black Knights, "but we didn't know too much on the details as we didn't know where this shipment was being sent," he took a chance and snatched one of Tamaki's smoke much to the excitable man's annoyance, but he chuckled it off, "We were beginning to think it might have been false information spread to fool us, but Diethard confirmed it wasn't after tracking down the brother of one the Vampire's personal wingwomen."

"I double checked it to be sure," Diethard commented as he was present as well, he sipped a mug of coffee instead of tea, but he had a smoke in his hand as well, "I also happen to know one of the officers there and was able to confirm only the shipment, but I knew there were cruise missiles there once, but he confirmed that only the mounts were left."

"So what kind of new machine does Monica have?" Kento inquired as felt his nerves wanting to burst into flames, knowing that Naomi was going to be involved as well and that she said it might be the last time they ever spoke either.

"An original Knightmare Frame built and designed by one of the best scientific minds out there and trust me on that one, she is actually one of the very best period," the shadowed image of the redhead herself came up, showing her adult form, "Zero wanted to introduce her to all of you, but the genius behind the machine you'll be seeing asked to remain anonymous," Minaho explained and the others nodded, seeing that at least they knew a person was there, even if they couldn't see details, "She will also be making sure everyone sees what happens tonight too."

Everyone was then hooked onto their holo-screens now as their curiosity of Monica's new machine had been set into stone with everyone waiting for the moment to come. As come it did as the current television program experienced some snow and a blast of static before Zero appeared on the scene. It was a prerecorded message they knew, but others didn't and what would follow would make his intent clear enough for all.

"People of the Earth and most especially those in Japan…" Zero bowed before the audience, "I apologize for interrupting the regularly scheduled programming, but tonight I wish for all the people of the world and especially those who are both Japanese and Britannian to be made aware of something," Zero rose from his bow before snapping his fingers, revealing a CG rendering of a certain someone, "It wasn't enough for the Knight of Ten Luciano Bradley to wipe out an entire base and adjacent city in his failed attempt to kill me and instead killed many innocent civilians, including his own fellow countrymen, as well as large numbers of the soldiers of the Empire," Zero stepped to the side to reveal a very life like rendering of the incident in question, "but now he intends to go further as Britannian soldiers under his command are, at this moment, smuggling in large amounts of chemical weapon gas bombs to use on the ghettos around Area 11 in a desperate attempt to stop me," Zero and the images around him vanished to indicate a theoretical rendering of the fallout of such attacks, "As you can see, the initial losses would largely be Britannian, not Japanese, though the Settlement and the surrounding areas would have to be abandoned due high contamination that no doubt at this time has the Viceroy to Japan scrambling to confirm this," Zero reappeared with a heartfelt shrug, "But allow me to point out right now that both Biological and Chemical Weapons are useless against me. After all I survived an explosion that wiped out an entire military base and an adjacent city with destruction going out in the tens of kilometers radius and Cornelia herself felt the quake of the explosion from around EIGHTY kilometers away, though as they say, a picture is worth a thousand words, so right now," the image of Zero vanished with the words LIVE FEED in a corner of the Truth itself, "Behold the evidence for all to see," Zero spoke in the background as the feed swept over a wide swath of a military base that some recognized and then centered on Shikine Island's harbor as the docked transport ship was offloading the chemical weapon gas warheads and cruise missile bodies much to the horror of the Japanese and Britannians seeing the program while the Black Knights and the surrounding citizens were in outrage.

"GET ME SHIKINE ISLAND BASE RIGHT NOW!" Cornelia roared at the communications officer who was already bringing the base online.

"N-no re-response ma'am!" he reported with genuine fear, "They're not picking up on their end and I don't hear any jamming!"

"Confirm!" another operator reported as she ran the systems she controlled, "We're detecting that they are in communication, but they are not responding to our hails Your Highness!"

"Dispatch a full battlegroup from the Sixth Mobile Division at once!" Cornelia ordered at once, "I want that base under my authority at once! Alert the civil defense wardens, sound the alarms, Condition One Combat Alert! Ready Anti-Air Batteries and deploy the rest of the Sixth Mobile Division in a defensive posture to stop any inbound cruise missiles! Darlton take the Gaston Knights and as many of your troops and support the retaking of that base!"

"Ma'am!" came the chorus of responses as everyone did as they were ordered.

"But mark my words…" the image changed to something now streaking through the sky, "The Knight of Ten will not have the chance to use this poison on anyone. My knight of Zero will attend to this matter personally on my behalf…" a close up of the machine that looked almost like a fiery phoenix, "Show them," Lelouch ordered as Monica began her attack on the transport ship as she brought up the targeting reticule, getting a good look, and felt the machine shudder from the unleashing of a volley of missiles that rained down upon the harbor obliterating much in one strike while inflicting damage upon the ship itself.

Monica blasted by overhead and then went into a banking turn that would have split the back of anything else in the whole world and came screaming back in for another run, another volley of missiles already being released. Defense turrets came to life as Knightmares, including a new Anti-Air variant of the Sutherland, began twisting and turning throughout the base returning fire. Several missiles were swatted from the sky, but half made it through, destroying a number of ships that were in harbor and wrecking the last of the cranes.

Passing over once more and attacking from another angle the machine unleashed its Charged Particle Cannon as the large beam of energy tore into the lower section of the transport ship carrying its deadly cargo. The blast easily penetrated the thin hull, cutting through to the engine room, and inflicting serious damage to the ship as a number of internal explosions were being triggered as a result as crew jumped over the sea side of the aflame ship. A third volley of missiles finished it off as the vessel exploded before sinking.

An Aegis Cruiser had managed to get herself underway and was now in the open waters of the surrounding seas. The ship's sensor arrays came to life and were able to lash out and detect not only the Nineball Morrigan, but to every one's surprise, a second, cloaked unit. The captain ordered all SAM missiles launched and for the ship's impressive anti-air batteries to go to work as the forward and stern mounted 5 in Naval Guns went to work.

Inoue blinked for a moment, but was also responding as she dropped her stealth and headed for the water, dodging both 5 in shells and missiles as she streaked in towards the ship, sliding to the side sliding as defensive fire crashed in the water just meters behind her.

The cruiser swung itself around, leaving Monica to the defending gunners of the base to focus all their effort on the clearly and highly modified Burai with some sort of flight capability. It availed them to little as Naomi managed to get out of the arc of one of the turreted main guns and fire back with a number of bursts from her own rifle. The captain though knew how to command his ship as he ordered full speed right between two rocky small islands with little draft beneath his ship and no room to maneuver until clear.

Nonetheless, Inoue's shots connected, destroying the stern weapons and smashing the landing pad aft of the ship's superstructure. Several shots penetrated the armor belt, wrecking corridors with-in the ship, and flooding several sections. There was even one shot that penetrated into the engineering spaces, wrecking a connection for one of the rudders and allowing water to spill into one of the electrical rooms. The ship suffered a partial power outage and the captain ordered the bridge to withdraw the ship from action as everyone felt a list begin.

Back at the Viceroy Palace Cornelia and her staff was still trying to contact the Shikine Island base, but an open communication line couldn't be established. The order was given for the Kyushu Base to deploy what forces they could spare to aid in the retaking of the besieged base, but they were not likely to make it in time. Even the battlegroup of the Sixth Mobile Division would take at least three hours to arrive and Darlton and the Gaston Knights would take another two by ship.

Back on the island, inside the Shikine Island Base's command center, Lieutenant Colonel J.C. Fayer was trying to turn the battle favorably. To prevent the warheads on the dock from being accidentally broken open, he ordered them pushed into the water, despite a pistol at the back of his head. The person doing that was a Valkyrie Squadron member under the direct command of the Knight of Ten, but Fayer brushed it off, declaring that the Emperor was his first commander first and foremost and he would not lose Shikine Base to poison gas for anyone!

The woman, Liliana Vergamon, was tackled by base security and successfully disarmed when she recoiled from Fayer's words.

"Mobilize everything we have!" Fayer ordered, "I want those Knightmares attacking us destroyed!"

As the Shikine Island Base was desperately trying to launch every Knightmare Frame and combat aircraft they had and get every combat vehicle out their garages as well as get their remaining defenses active, another destroyer was sunk trying to leave the harbor, while the remaining ships were trying to fend off their attackers using what missiles and CIWS they could use as most were still docked. Unfortunately the ships kept hitting nothing but air or water as the enemy was proving too fast for their defenses to reach out and touch. Then those who did get close, watched as their shots were dodged and missiles swatted from the sky. It was maddening as the ships desperately tried to launch themselves into the open waters.

Finally, Inoue landed second to the last destroyer of a group of four ships such ships. She fired her anti-armor shotgun point blank into the bridge as the crew abandoned ship. She then drew a dagger sliced several sections out of the forward section and the ship went down. The remaining three ships went silent as their crews jumped overboard to the water side and swam for rescue boats running to and fro in the harbor. Inoue Naomi chose to simply cripple the ships, allowing them to settle on their keels evenly deep in the water.

As that was happening, the Nineball Morrigan attacked the vessels from underwater carving open the underside of the ships with its blade before shooting its Charged Particle Cannon up through several destroying them before emerging from the water near the last vessel and destroying it with a point blank missile volley. It was the second Aegis Cruiser in the port and the captain had wisely chosen to not fight his ship as it was in for some general maintenance. The dry dock walls provided some security from the missiles, but the vessel was quickly lit aflame, but the destroyed dry dock allowed water to rush in and put the ship out, though she was nearly broken in two.

With the transport ship and all the ships in the docks dealt with, only the transports escorts and the island base picket ships were left. They for some reason were not immediately attacking, but Monica could see them gathering, hoping to bring combined firepower upon her and Inoue. Telling Inoue to attack the stragglers, though to leave the cripples alone, the Nineball Morrigan advanced upon the Shikine Island Base. Now that it was now moving about at such dizzying speeds and had slowed down as though to show off, and many concluded just that, everyone got their first good look at the first attacker.

"What in King Arthur's good name is that machine?" Gilbert G.P. Guilford questioned rhetorically, thinking out loud as he, Cornelia and everyone in the command center saw the terrifyingly fast machine slow down enough to reveal itself.

"Is that some kind of new type of fighter plane?" Euphemia inquired as Cornelia was silent.

Meanwhile at their college based headquarters of operations, the Advance Special Envoy Engineering Crops (A-SEEK) personnel on duty that night watched in horrid fascination. Earl Lloyd Asplund and Cecile Croomy had their eyes glued to the screen while Suzaku was watching the new machine fly towards the Britannian Base. He gulped somewhat at the thought of what that machine might be planning, but as the machine approached Monica opened a communication channel to the base.

"Attention Shikine Base," she drew their attention, "This is Monica Kruszewski, the Knight of Zero," the world nearly tripped upon itself at that, "I advise that you surrender and disarm yourselves. I take no pleasure in harming my own countrymen, but if I must then I will destroy your base and defeat anyone who doesn't surrender," Monica declared while Cornelia watching it was thinking.

'Surrender Fayer,' the Viceroy thought seriously, "I seriously doubt your base has the means to handle something like that.'

Cornelia felt the experience of all of her years on the battlefield were telling her that the Shikine Island Base was going to fight a losing battle. Despite the initial appearance of the unknown machine Cornelia suspected that the unknown was capable of a lot more than what they were seeing. In fact, she was banking on it, as it was clear that the other machine was meant to look less with current technology than it was equipped with technology years ahead of their most advanced research.

"We won't surrender to a traitorous bitch like you!" it wasn't Fayer who that declared brave, but ultimately foolish action.

"MARIKA SORESI!" Cornelia shouted as she watched the base open up on the approaching Knightmare.

"Very well I gave the chance to avoid destruction, but I shall fulfill my duty to Zero," Monica lamented sadly, "Therefore..." her tone turning darkly, "Targets verified, commencing combat operations," Monica spoke as her tone went from dark to dangerously calm.

(A/N: start playing the music ACE:R Nineball Theme Remix found on YouTube, because when you hear it you know you are pretty screwed.)

The Nineball Morrigan stopped suddenly in mid-air and seemed to hover for 30 or more seconds, much to the shock and amazement of those watching. Then, as they observed the machine, Nineball Morrigan began to transform from its Bird Mode into its Soldier Mode appearing before the world in the disguise of the machine the Morrigan had been based upon… the Nineball Seraph. Unleashing its first attack the Nineball Morrigan released a volley of missiles as they rained down upon the base with its stationary turrets, Knightmares, and AA vehicles firing into the air to stop them.

But distracted by the initial attack the wine red machine leaped forward before rushing at one of the Sutherlands and cleaving it in half with one of its energy blades. Quickly shooting across the paved airstrip as fighters hurriedly tried to get out of the way as they scrambled to launch, Monica passed by, several pilots already ejecting as she drew and fired off a pair of pistols that had been added for this battle. The fighters exploded, blocking most of the rest whose pilots realized they were trapped as Monica's passage tore up the runway. The pilots promptly abandoned their aircraft, especially after Inoue returned earlier than expected.

A number of Sutherlands converged upon the Nineball Morrigan backed by tanks. Before they could open up, a burst of light swept them from the field as Inoue fired her shoulder mounted cannon. The shot continuing on, destroying turrets, bunkers, buildings, vehicles, aircraft, and Knightmares. The beam soon dissipated, but it left a gouge through the base that could not be easily defended.

Monica nodded to the image of Inoue and then took aim as the remote weapons of her machine deployed orbiting her before shooting a machine-gun-style pelting of energy bolts at another group of approaching machines that were hurriedly fanning out after that last attack. Yet before they could find cover, the wine-red machine had already destroyed nearly all of them and those left took shelter and stayed there. Six more Sutherlands tried to make a stand in order to protect the next defense line in the base, but Monica charged the Charged Particle Cannon and fired back at them. They were caught in the particle beam blast while four others were shredded by the energy fire from the small sphere shaped remote weapons trying to join up with them.

Twenty Sutherlands remained deployed before the two women with their backs to the area reserved for the cruise missiles. While most of them didn't dare approach the enemy machines, but Monica believed this was a good opportunity to test the machine's ability to target enemies in rapid succession. With that in mind she brought her arms around and used the optional fixed Gatlings attached to them to engage and destroy several enemies. The rate of fire was very impressive and the tracer rounds didn't even have time to fully cross the distance before the next target was under fire, making it look like energy weapons were being used.

Moving to dodge defensive fire from the base's stationary defenses, the Nineball Morrigan dodged and evaded all attacks with seemingly agility and speed that was impossible for a machine while it was wiping out the remaining Sutherlands. Inoue then charged forward, releasing a hail storm of fire, before stopping and throwing her empty rifle away and using her eyes to target many installations and combatants, she opened up with all her missiles. Even attempts to take cover behind bunkers or stationary turrets didn't save those targeted as they simply blasted everything to pieces.

Monica swept around and found herself in a unique position with a clear light of site to the entrance to the cruise missile service bay. Intercepted chattered indicated that a warhead suffered a breach from all the fighting and all personnel had evacuated as tertiary explosions were beginning to rock it as well. Breathing a sigh of relief, she began charging forward in the Nineball Morrigan cleaved through the remaining three Sutherlands that had tried to stop her. She soon reached position, a tank barely avoiding getting trampled by her as it tried to reposition, but she sniped it with one of the pistols she had been given, sending tumbling away.

"COVER ME INOUE!" Monica shouted to her wingwoman.

"ROGER!" the Japanese woman responded charging up another blast to her shoulder mounted cannon and releasing the energy once more to wipe away a number of defenders and defenses.

Monica quickly charged of the Charge Particle Cannon again and her sensors began to detect the leaking gas from the service bay. She waited long enough, though not fully charged, she fired it nonetheless. The blast tore along and then into the front of the service bay, tearing all the way into the facility and a massive blast leveled the surrounding area.

From her place in the command tower, Valkyrie Squadron member Nicole Blackmoore watched as the Cruise Missile Service Bay and most of the Chemical Weapon stocks disappear in a thunderous blast that shattered the heavily reinforced glass of the tower. She and others in the control tower barely ducked in time as the glass tore through and out the back. There were still cries of pain and torment, nothing she was not used to as she growled about how two Knightmares were tearing them apart. She just couldn't believe two units, especially one filthy monkey and a -by the Empire's Divine Right!- a whorish traitor who refused her master's kindly advances for some filthy lowborn MONKEY, could have power to rival or surpass the entire garrison of Shikine Island Base and the reinforcements they brought with them!

Her personal comm. system beeped for her attention, "Yes?" she growled out in anger as she batted blood stained black locks out of her eyes.

"Communications here my lady," the officer on the other end responded, purposely and dutifully ignoring her anger, "We are receiving orders to just surrender from the Viceroy herself and she has enacted her place as the Second Crown Princess."

"We are not surrendering!" she shouted into her comm. unit, "We shall fight and you shall remember that we speak for the Knight of Ten!"

"We also received orders from Lady Dame Dorothea Ernst, the Knight of Four, and will be following those orders since they supersede the Knight of Ten and those orders are also to surrender," the comm. officer replied coldly, "We can't lose the missile mounts! Those are our orders."

"WHAT?!" Nicole shouted her shadowed jade green eyes widening at hearing the man's report.

"Yes, we will deactivate the missiles, remove the warheads, and let them be destroyed in order to preserve this base, those are the orders."

With the connection over, Nicole hurriedly brought up Marika's ID signal and alerted her to the new orders and from who as well. Both women soon made a meeting place and quickly contacted their fellow Valkyries. They would ensure that those missiles would not go to waste. They would show the true grit of the Holy Empire of Britannia!

Meanwhile, as the were Valkyries were panicking and making plans, Fayer was back inside the command center of the base and could only watch in horror as the last Knightmare Frame defenders were being wiped out, but worse yet, was that most of their aerial combat units were either still grounded or weren't having any better success.

With a tired sigh and the faces of both the Viceroy of Area 11 and the Knight of Four looking on, he ordered the Public Address system turned on and announced his base's surrender.

The very second that those words left his mouth; the two Knightmares stopped their rampage. With him back in command, the two had no reason to continue to decimate what was left of the garrison and the transport forces. To insure that everyone got the message, the surrender flares were launched into the sky and in the darkness, they could be faintly seen by the Settlement through high powered visual systems. The confirmation on Cornelia's end helped to calm things down as Dorothea confirmed that overhead satellites confirmed the flares.

Then the bad news suddenly came in.

"WHAT?!" Monica demanded of Fayer.

"The Valkyries Dame Kruszewski have seized the Missile Launch Control Center," Fayer reported as static from damaged antenna added to the situation, "They killed all the personnel there and seized the keys for launch," the man's face was still grim as he looked at her from the Command Center.

"What about the Master Lock that is only found in the Command Center?" Monica demanded immediately.

"I don't know how, but they bypassed it somehow and-" Fayer was cut off as alarms flashed warnings about the imminent launch of the Chemical Weapons as the two looked at one another in panic.

"We need to stop them!" Monica growled turning to the silos that the mounts were in.

"Especially since none of the missiles have target data!" Fayer's warning gave Monica only more reason to get the silos, "The missiles will go rouge and they have the range to reach the Chinese Federation's capital!"

"Great more bad news," Inoue stated as all remaining Knightmares loyal to Fayer and his superiors joined the two in their mad rush to the silos.

Though there in front were several Knightmares loyal to the Valkyries or under orders to hold out. They didn't last long as the whole mad rush just crashed into them like an offensive line in football. Several Loyalists simply rammed into their opponents to open holes in their admittedly weak and thin line, but time was of the essence and dozens of soldiers poured through like water through a breach in a ship's hull. Some of the damaged units remained behind to engage the Rebel Knightmares and allow the rest to rush the silos.

"I've got ground troops in the silo field and they're already disabling a number of them," Fayer reported, thankful that most of the soldiers guarding the silos were loyal to him, "A number of the Valkyries' own troops acknowledge the orders of the Knight of Four as well and have joined, we've disabled about twenty launchers and good news is that another five haven't been unlocked for readiness yet with three more down for maintenance issues but not removed and two more not fueled."

"That's half right?" Inoue asked, worried.

"No, we expanded actually with plans already to mount cruise missiles again," Fayer reported, "We were to house a hundred silos, but there have been delays and problems, so we only got up to 72 silos and eight of those are incomplete with two more not fitted yet."

"Sixty-two silos then and about thirty out of commission, sounds about half," Monica counted.

"Only if the ones still lock remain locked," Fayer responded, "We have those under control and they're disabled, but I'll post some extra men for safety sake anyways."

"Mobile Launchers?" Inoue inquired as she saw a silo open, but Monica vaporized the missile as the men near it fled.

"Not that I know of, so keep an eye out."

"Great."

"Worry later," Monica chastised Inoue, "We have to get the ones that could reach China, Russia, or even Britannia and everything in between!"

"Copy."

Quickly, another ten launchers were disabled and the silos shut down. Several had tried to get airborne during the rush, but Monica or Inoue would destroy them. One missile had been shot down by garrison forces and Inoue had launched a missile into the gas that was being created from broken warhead. As everyone literally held their breath, they saw the gas start to glow and then detectors reported it was rapidly dying. It was relief to say the least that Washu's Anti-Gas Missiles would work.

Deep in the Missile Launch Center, surrounded by emptiness, a monster glowered at the screens. It had broken into the MLC after it had been seized and absorbed both the dead personnel and the Valkyries. It was the reason for the launching and it had mimicked the Valkyries' voices to issue orders to the Rebel Knightmares. Now as it watched, it's master's plans were failing. With a growl it prepared to break through to the surface.

Only it heard the echoing steps of someone approaching from behind. It turned to see who it was as the person walked with evenly measured steps. The person was shapely in form, so the monster grinned, it loved women the most. Then the woman stepped in from the shadows of the ruined hallway with a smirk and a gesture of her hand.

The monster exploded against the far wall of monitors.

"That should handle that," the woman said as she saw the bodies of everyone absorbed reappear before...

"Dame Enneagram!" a Loyalist Guard yelled as he and his men entered the wrecked control room and spotted the woman.

Nonette looked to the guards, looking haggard from her run to get to the Missile Launch Center. Then she turned back looking over The Theater as it had been dubbed from its design. The room was a mess of damage and something else splashed against the fall monitor wall. Throughout the room lay the dead and wounded and the Valkyries, covered in the same muck as the rest.

"What happened here?" she asked to no one in particular.

Back top side, the ships that had refused to surrender were preparing to carry out their orders to launch their missiles tipped with chemical warfare gas at civilian populations points held by the Japanese. Unfortunately for them, Monica had had enough and had jettisoned all Earth based technology and gone to town on the formation, but they were so near readiness to launch that she transformed the Nineball Morrigan and shot for the sky as Inoue left the battlefield.

The Nineball Morrigan continued its climb as the Loyalists broke off their attack just as the first missiles were leaving their launchers. The Nineball Morrigan soon though reached the edge of Earth's atmosphere and with a mighty shake, broke free of the planet's gravity. She then spun around, noticing the cameras from dozens of satellites on her and the Nineball Morrigan. Coming to a halt in the right place as the missiles began their streak across the night sky to their targets, the wine colored machine already powering its Charged Particle Cannon.

"You should have surrendered…" Monica said coldly before she heard the big tone of multiple locks, a digitally rendered view of the alley she was about to fire through, and blasted the ships and missiles into oblivion before waiting a few moments to cool down and then changing into its Bird Mode once more before simply vanishing into the black of space.

Watching from all over the world, people were shocked into silence while in Area 11 a majority of the Japanese was in awe at the power the Black Knights. They possessed very advanced technology and very skilled soldiers besides their seemingly omnipotent Zero, but on the Britannian side… A former Knight of the Rounds possessing a powerful machine that wiped out an entire fleet on its own was very concerning to put it lightly. The fact that an Aegis spotted the cobbled together second Knightmare that had been under an advance optical camouflage cloak was considered pure luck and that the wine colored unit of the ex-Rounds was meant to attack the base alone...

Very concerning indeed for those in power and those who now looked to their leaders with outright hostility.

Elsewhere though...

"Just who developed that Knightmare Frame," the speaker pushed his glasses up his nose as he looked over the recordings, "A transformable unit with aerospace flight capabilities and cloaking along with advance directed energy weapons I have never even considered, let alone seen before, but also using available tech and equipment to help hide the capabilities somewhat,," Lloyd said being rather surprisingly nonchalant about it, but on the inside he was partially jealous that someone was able to produce such a machine and equally happy since it would likely mean more funding for them, plus personnel, they'd need all the crazy ideas they could get.

Suzaku was a bit surprised, if not slightly horrified, by how casual Lloyd was being while Cecile wasn't since she was quite used to be around the man for a good number of years. Already, the woman was going over the data of the known Black Knight Knightmare Frames. They had several very unique units as she brought up the list of known units and a couple of new ones. She was looking more at the cobbled together unit and she could see a Sutherland's influence, if not an out and out Sutherland that got a 'Burai' makeover.

"I think we can rule out anyone in Area 11 being able to build something like that," Cecile replied, but it still didn't answer the question, "Unfortunately, I don't think even she would be able to make something like these two Knightmares and Suzaku," the green eyed young man turned to the woman, "You better start practicing against Sutherlands, since it looks like the Black Knights are heading that way at least."

Suzaku only scowled as Lloyd was in deep thought eliminating every name he could think of, including his old rival and the Ashfords, but that didn't leave many names to considered and he automatically kicked out the Chinese in general, thanks largely to the Eunuchs.

Cornelia and Guilford sat with other officers in the conference room of the Viceroy's complex. The good news was that once it became clear that Britannian soldiers loyal to the base commander and the Fayer himself, made to disable or destroy their own cruise missiles, the crowd was mollified to some degree. There were only riots and demonstrations to punish the Knight of Ten and his personal squadron the Valkyries, but the Emperor had made no such move. Of course, the situation was still relatively new and the Emperor was likely speaking with the Knights of the Rounds themselves as well as advisers and the family that sponsored the Vampire.

Dalton and Nonette there as well, at least via monitors and both were shaken by the near launch of missiles. Nonette especially so since she was already on site and was exposed to much of the action. At least her personal Knightmare was unhurt along with the small detachment of troops she had brought with her. They had been elsewhere on the island and their transport had been by air and those escaped unharmed by virtue at being at a smaller support field.

The topic of discussions was of course the wine colored Nineball Morrigan that Monica had piloted. She had commanded the machine expertly and it pulled moves that were guaranteed by the Air Force to break the backs of fighters and VTOLs with ease. In fact, it moved at such speeds, but with such ease of turning and versatility, that they were more than certain that the pilot would likely be paste before the craft just went to pieces. They continually stated that was the bigger picture, because once you achieved the ability to have the pilot be safe within from the positive and negative g-forces than the frame can be made tougher and stronger to actually pull off such moves. Though they also stated to the four that weight would be an issue along with power circulation, energy usage, and other factors.

So basically, they said that the Britannia Military, the largest and most powerful on the face of Earth, was losing to an upstart organization in next gen technology, advance resources, and personnel quality.

"Just how did the Black Knights get their hands on such a machine?" Dalton asked rhetorically, not wanting to believe what they were seeing, but Cornelia, Guilford, and Nonette knew their chances of winning against the Black Knights had just dropped significantly "What have our own researcher been up to all this time?"

All of Britannia's top minds sneezed except those that were part of A-SEEK. It was bad enough with a god-like Zero running around, but now this was a lot worse. Though thankfully for them, the Earl of Pudding had an enlightened moment...

Which wouldn't be good for Suzaku later.

In another corner of Britannia, Schneizel had just finished watching a clip of the battle on a portable television he held in his hand.

"Kanon…" his brown haired queer aide turned towards him, "Tell the men to redouble their efforts," Schneizel ordered calmly while behind him an underground bomb shelter, running fifty meters underground, out in a remote location was being prepared and stocked with supplies and weapons for a likely very long stay.

"Yes your highness," the man clicked his tongue and turned to his the PA system and moans and complaints met the announcement, they'd already been doubling their efforts.

Back at the Black Knights warehouse base, Ohgi, Tamaki, Kento, Diethard and the others were shell-shocked at the performance of the Nineball Morrigan as it had completely wiped out anything that came near it. They were also startled by Inoue's performance as both she and Monica had torn the base a new one, though Inoue had gone out of her way to remain out of combat as much as possible. The two Knightmares they had were just something else, even if one looked like and acted as though it had been thrown together on the fly. They could just see the terror of the Britannians in their mind's eye, that had been them until just a few weeks ago.

"Who the hell built that?" Tamaki demanded, as always the first to snap back into his sensors, "BECAUSE I WANT ONE!"

"Well I would love to introduce you all to her," the head of the Knights intelligence giggled a little at the Japanese redhead being excitable, "but she asked to stay unknown for now," Minaho admitted, again, though this time with a small smile as she enjoyed watching Tamaki make a fool out of himself.

"I think our chances of liberating Japan have just skyrocketed," Ohgi said sounding optimistic for once and he looked more relax too, as though a huge weight had been lifted off his shoulders.

'Good,' thought Minaho, seeing the command staff starting to relax a little, finally releasing much of the tension that had gripped them for so long. She knew that they needed the confidence and the release of tension when Lelouch made the transfer of power to them. It would be these people, not Zero, that would be the founders of the United States of Japan. He was only the guide to where they would begin; they would blaze the trail themselves.

Elsewhere in the galaxy Sasami and Lelouch were together aboard Tsunami-fume as the ship was traveling through subspace, but the vessel was taking care to avoid any areas where it could be detected. Although it was already doubtful, but there was no harm in not taking any chances. The two youngsters were resting, having finished a meal together in peace and quiet with just the two of them and were currently spending some time together.

Of course on a ship alone they had nothing but time to spend between one another.

Some couples might have taken such opportunities to take their relationships further, but Lelouch was a bit concerned that Seto might be watching them or expecting them to do such a thing. Yet at the rate they were going they were going to cross the line likely soon because at present Sasami and Lelouch were sharing a bed together, alone. So far however they haven't actually engaged in any love making of the short, but sharing a bed was pushing it. Especially for Lelouch who noted that Sasami could be a little too beautiful at times without even trying.

They were, of course, properly dressed in sleepwear with Lelouch wearing more Juraian style sleepwear while Sasami wore her normal sleepwear. Lelouch was lying on his back with Sasami draped over him sleeping soundly with her face near his neck. He had to fighter several urges from the fact that her breath was tickling him a little. Plus one of her legs had ended up crossing over him and he had brushed it by accident at one point and found that he leg had become uncovered. He didn't dwell on it though, he saw her legs plenty, especially in school and even more so for swim class.

'I really wonder if we're being watched or is Seto expecting us to do something?' Lelouch thought while he remembered some of the additional things Sasami told him about Seto. It was something which he noted that was matching her fearsome reputation as the Devil Princess of Jurai; the woman was a terrible force to be reckoned with on the battlefield and off the battlefield especially in a political setting. In many ways Seto was more powerful than the Juraian Emperor to such that even Sasami's father wouldn't dare cross Seto and the few times he did, he was able to really one up her only to suffer her wrath later or she would get even immediately.

'If she got away with putting him in a dress when he was a kid then yeah I can't see anyone wanting to mess with her,' Lelouch thought ideally, remembering how one of his brothers had briefly ended up like that one point, but only a century or more earlier, it had been acceptable practices for some highborn for some reason he dare and really could not fathom.

'Some people need to be hit over the head with the common sense stick,' Lelouch thought with a tired sigh.

In that respect Seto sounded like a combination of Milly, C.C, Cornelia and Schneizel mixed into one which was a very dangerous combination in a lot of ways. Given what Lelouch had seen for himself so far likely some of that influence and power Seto held came from information control especially blackmail, which was likely that Seto probably has dirt on every major power holder in the galaxy. That would explain her reach and power, but then she was also noted as the most active matchmaker and had a long line of successes. Though the Emperor was likely feeling some wrath at the moment, because she let slip that he had gotten himself another woman when she was looking. She was not infallible and to Lelouch that was an advantage.

As sleep slowly began to finally take him Lelouch was hoping they could finish soon and return to Earth because the young prince didn't like leaving his sister unattended for so long. His eyes had just finished drifting close when he awoke to a series of kisses going up his shoulder to his neck and then up to his lips. He saw it was Sasami, her top open and pushed to the side and a look on her face that said what she wanted. Lelouch just stared, blinking once, then twice, then he was pushing the clothes all the way down without a third blink.

Why pass this opportunity up?

Their clothes ended up crashing down scattered throughout the room. Their bodies intertwining as they began the process by which they would be bound. They kissed one anothers' bodies, exploring them with hands, tasting their flavor as they began to find purpose and rhythm, giving into their desires...

"MAY DAY! MAY DAY!" the lights came on as the receiving signal was routed to their room, "THIS IS THE MSV DREAMER! WE'RE UNDER ATTACK BY PIRATES! WE'RE FLEEING PLANET AYANAMI! IT'S FALLEN TO PIRATES OF THE TARANT SHANK! PLEASE HELP US!"

Much like his future father-in-law had only weeks ago, Lelouch entered the areas where both attacks were occurring and by the end, would gut an entire sector fleet of the Shank Guild. Seto who would arrive later, found the surviving pirates suffering from some form of extreme case PTSD and those who could make sense were only too happy to talk. She had no idea what had come over Lelouch, but he hadn't been his normal self in the attacks, of course, going after little girls might have done something to him.

One girl had looked like his sister, just with silver hair and green eyes and a little younger with elfin ears.

"Must have been that," she muttered, knowing it couldn't be that as her granddaughter was very well behaved.

The following afternoon, back on Earth at Ashford Academy, thing were settled down somewhat. As such Milly, Nina, Rivalz, Shirley and Suzaku were gathered for the meeting with Washu filling in for Sasami and technically Lelouch while the two were still missing in action. Also out as well was Kallen, who was out sick again, to no one's surprise. Besides the three missing and last night's events at Shikine Island things at school was surprisingly calm although there were some who were recovering from Cupid Day.

Yet rumors were also persisting that Sasami and Lelouch had left the school to be together for some alone time. This was in despite of assurances from Washu not too many believed it with the exception of Suzaku, Nina, and Rivalz of course. Most had heard about Lelouch blowing up at some boys earlier and Sasami had quickly gained a reputation that of being so kind and beautiful as to be described as a goddess.

How ironic.

Among those who were very suspicious of an elopement, were of course Milly and Shirley as the busty blond was not happy about how things went for her during Cupid Day despite how well they had carefully planned everything out and Shirley was letting her crush for Lelouch get a little too far away from reality.

"Alright next item of discussion…" Milly began calm and level headed before shooting a steely glare at Suzaku who flinched on contact, "Lelouch…" a groan from four in the room, "Alright what is the story on his love life you must know something Suzaku!"

"AGAIN?!" the chief warrant cried out in despair, "I swear I don't know anything about it!" Suzaku declared, raising his hands up in his defense, but Shirley quickly locked the door while Suzaku had contemplated escape, but Shirley was already ahead of him and cut him off.

"You are not leaving Suzaku until you start talking," Milly declared while she approached Suzaku from behind with a rolled up paper in her hands.

"I told you guys I don't know anything," Suzaku didn't know what to do in all honesty, "There isn't anything else I can say! I haven't seen him since we ran into each other back in Shinjuku!" a light bulb went off in his head, "Why not ask Washu? She known Sasami a lot longer than I have," Suzaku suggested, but when all eyes turned to the redhead they discovered that she was gone having fled through the other door.

"Maybe Suzaku is right maybe she does know something," Rivalz suggested in hopes it could save his fellow student council member from a possibly dangerous interrogation, he had a double hot date tonight and the cash to burn on it.

"Maybe…" Milly remarked while deciding perhaps it was time she got a closer look at Washu.

On the other hand though, Nina and Shirley were both looking at the Japanese teen in surprise. Suzaku hadn't said anything about Shinjuku before, so why now? Then again, the two were always so quiet about their pasts. Yet to meet up in Shinjuku...

Even Shirley wasn't that dense.

Around that same time, in a more remote area of the Japan, specifically in the northwestern region of Kyushu were Minaho and Kallen. It was near a small, abandoned fishing town which has been deserted for many years even before the Invasion of Japan. The location was chosen after receiving word that this was where an envoy of Li Xingke would be meeting the two women to establish contact to see about the possibility of an alliance. It was surprising to say the least to find that someone representing the loyalist faction was already in Japan, but for Minaho it was a fine opportunity that couldn't ignore, though she would have to look into the matter in the future.

'No doubt the Eunuchs are getting impatient and what faster way then to invade,' the Juraian woman rolled her eyes, the Eunuchs couldn't find snow in a Siberian blizzard and Britannian knew that too, 'A game I'm glad Seto had made sure to beat down when she runs into it.'

After ten minutes of waiting, the two were rewarded with a young woman in her early twenties stepping out from an old abandoned house to meet Minaho and Kallen. The two knew though there were about a half dozen other women hiding around. All with assault rifles aimed at them, though Kallen had caught the glint of a pair of sniper rifles too close together about 400 meters away. Both felt somewhat insulted, but they took it in stride as they knew that though they appeared alone, Tamaki had the area zeroed in with both mortars and wired guided missiles.

"I thank you two for coming all the way out here," the Chinese woman spoke wearing a unique uniform, likely of her own design, since it didn't seem like anything traditionally worn by members of the Chinese Federation military. It was a modified version of a cheongsam with a green body, white sleeves with brown trimming with blue cuffs, her pants were something neither could remember the name to, but they flared or fluffed out from the knees up with that were blue to the knees and white thereafter with brown trim, and she wore shoulder pads that were brown and a half skirt that left the front open and was segmented in four pieces held in place by a wide yellow belt. She had teal blue eyes and brown hair that was tied into four small bundles and one long lock running down the right side of her head that was uniquely styled with knee-high blue boots also trimmed in brown.

"You must be the envoy…" the Juraian noted a small Chinese dagger hidden just inside one of the pieces of skirt and a pistol in the other, "I Masaki Minaho and I am pleased to meet you," Minaho said greeting the woman with a formal bow.

"Likewise…" the woman bowed as well, though she looked to the redhead with clear Britannian features, "The reputation of your organization is considerable, but please forgive my rudeness if Li Xingke isn't quite convinced of the capabilities of your organization."

"I see so you wish for proof then," Minaho stated and slightly annoyed by the guarded looks that weren't as subtle to someone that's been around the feared Devil Princess and the Jurai Royal Court, "My companion is Kozuki Kallen and captain of Zero's personal guard and his personal bodyguard no less," the two looked over to Minaho whose face was set in a neutral expression, "She is a trusted leader and most of the core members of the Black Knights came from her late older brother's resistance cell after the bulk of it was destroyed in a Britannian ambush."

"Yes," the China woman backed up, clearly taken aback at being spotted, these people were a lot better than those back in China were, "I am sorry and do apologize, but we must be careful, as the Eunuchs already suspect our leader of plotting against them," the woman said, "As such, we also must know if you are sincere in your desire to help us restore the Empress to the throne."

"I understand and already I've been ordered to find a more proper title that doesn't mock her gender, if only for Zero's peace of mind," Minaho shrugged, but the woman nodded, the title Tianzi had been so thoroughly abused as to be a joke now, "but who are you if I may ask?"

"My name is Zhou Xianglin," the woman stood up straight, bringing herself to her full height taller than Kallen, but only so much and about Minaho's own height, "I am here on behalf of those loyal to the rightful ruler of the Chinese Federation."

A/N: well Lelouch deserves a medal for his resistance, but the question is what happened…did it happen? When Schneizel starts hiding in a bomb shelter you know things are going to go to hell soon while Lelouch is slaughtering pirates left and right and Monica razing a Britannian base in the new machine Washu built, a lot more to happen next chapter. Thank you all to those who reviewed and I'll try to get the chapter out as soon as possible.