I just saw the dubbed version of "Betrayal" and I want to smack Ohgi and Schneizel in the face with a frying pan. I also teared up when Rolo died. I may not have liked him that much but still! (Start sobbing)
Bakura: what a wimp!
Ryou: you do know she's going to be even worse off when she sees the dubbed version of "Re;"
Bakura: tch, wimp
(Shoves Bakura off a cliff) Shut up, Bakura! Anyway, it's only been two days since I last updated but I decided, in honor of finally reaching the dubbed version of the twentieth episode of Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion R2, that I would post it today.
Anyway, thank you to Blacksword Zero, halequin320, TC9078, DYnoJackal19, Stickman6969, Shadow-Shinobi666, DarthMaine, Doommajor, B-Kira, OBSERVER01, Adamantium-Soldier74, and Scarease for reviewing the last chapter. You guys are great.
Here is chapter 25, part two of the Battle of Sapporo, and my second update in the month of April. I hope that you enjoy it and reviews, as always, are much appreciated
. . .
August 11, 2011
Island of Olkhon, Europia United
Adeline peered over her big brother's shoulder at the paper that he was reading and frowned, turning to her big brother with a puzzled look. "What're you doing?" the girl asked.
"Reading through a report," Unity said without looking up from it.
"A report on what?" Adeline asked curiously.
Smiling a little, Unity put the paper down and turned to face his ten-year-old sister. "Just something to do with the Liberators. Don't worry about it," he said. "What brings you here?"
"I was bored," Adeline said with a shrug.
"You know you could've just asked Nightfall to do something."
Adeline's nose wrinkled. "I don't like him that much and, besides, he kinda disappeared and I don't know where he is," she said.
I doubt anyone really does, except me, Unity thought. He knew of just how much people didn't like Nightfall because of his rather psychotic tendencies and sadistic nature, especially when he was actively participating on the battlefield.
"Hey, why don't we go to the beach, big brother? It's a nice day out and you've been in here for the past couple of hours. You could use some fresh air," Adeline said.
"I have work to do, Adeline," Unity said. He had to finish going to the report of a cell of his organization's most recent engagement and assess the strengths of the Britannian military during the engagement based on the reports. Even if his cycle strategy was working, Unity still ensured that he knew more and more about the enemy with each engagement. It would only help him in the end should he ever need to deviate from the cycle, though he honestly didn't think he would have to.
"Please?" Adeline asked, gazing up at Unity and widening her eyes, her lower lip jutting out and trembling and her eyes watering.
Damn it! Unity hated the dreaded puppy dog eyes. Adeline could still get him to do practically anything she wanted when she unleashed those damn eyes. "Fine, for an hour only," he said finally.
"Yay!" Adeline cheered, jumping back and grinning broadly, her blue eyes sparkling as she hopped in one place. "Let's go! Let's go! Let's go!"
Unity sighed. "How much sugar have you had today, Adeline?" he asked.
"Ummm, before he disappeared, Nightfall gave me three of those big pixie sticks and a couple of chocolate bars, oh and ice cream too," Adeline said happily, bouncing in one place.
Unity reminded himself to shout at Nightfall later for giving his little sister so much sugar. "Go and get your swimsuit and let's go to the beach, Adeline," he said. Hopefully, you'll burn off all that sugar there, he thought.
"Okay!" Adeline darted off.
Unity put the report he'd been reading back into its folder and stood up before following his hyper-off-sugar little sister.
. . .
25
Phase Two of the Tempest
July 21, 2016
Hidden Base, Island of Olkhon
Unity wasn't entirely sure what he was feeling. Anger, annoyance, fear, worry; it all mingled within him and has been mingling within him ever since he first discovered that his little sister was missing. That was when the fear and worry had manifested. When he learned, from the tech in the hangar, that his little sister had sneaked onto the transport carrying the Lupi and Nightfall to Hokkaido, that was when the anger manifested.
And when he found out that Nightfall knew all along that she was there, from Nightfall himself, that was when the annoyance set in. It would be just like Nightfall to not bother on informing that his fourteen-year-old sister was heading into the heart of a battle zone.
Damn it, Nightfall. You should have kicked her out the instant you knew she was there! She is much too young to fight in an actual battle, Unity thought as he paced in his office, glaring at his phone where he'd just got done talking with Nightfall, who had just informed him of his little sister's whereabouts when he heard the panic in Unity's voice.
Unity also knew that, while she was slowly getting over the trauma she'd endured when she was scarred six years earlier, she wasn't over it completely. He wasn't sure whether it would affect her in this battle or not.
"You shouldn't be so worried, Unity. I'm sure she'll be fine," Alexei said. He'd come in earlier to discuss the Starfire, only to hear the tail end of Unity's scolding of Nightfall for not telling him about where Adeline had gone or not bringing her back as soon as he knew she was there.
"You don't know that," Unity snapped. "You don't know what she dealt with six years ago..."
"She seemed fine when she was piloting the Starfire and she seemed eager to fight in actual combat when I suggested that she be the Starfire's permanent pilot."
"She's never experienced combat before, not as an actual fighter anyway," Unity said, running a hand through his hair worriedly. "And she was nearly killed six years ago!"
"You know...I get this odd feeling that your little sister nearly being killed affected you more than it did her," Alexei mused.
Unity whirled around to glare at the scientist. "You weren't there when I had to comfort a crying Adeline waking up from nightmares involving that incident," he snapped.
Alexei held up his hands defensively. "I stand corrected. But now I think that, perhaps, she's come to terms with what happened but you haven't," he said.
Unity scowled and stormed back to his desk, not wanting to admit, out loud, that Alexei may have a point.
"There's really nothing you can do, Unity. She's in Hokkaido now. Unless you wanna postpone the retaking of Sapporo in order to have her returned here, and have to deal with both a pissed-off Adeline and a pissed-off Nightfall as a result," Alexei pointed out.
Unity pressed his lips together but, unfortunately, Alexei had a point. A pissed-off Adeline, he could deal with; a pissed-off Nightfall, on the other hand…
He knew that Nightfall would only be pissed because he would have to postpone getting the chance to kill on the battlefield but Unity had seen a pissed-off Nightfall and he definitely did not want to be on the receiving end of a pissed-off psychopath's wrath.
"As soon as that battle finishes, I'm ordering Adeline's immediate return to the base," he decided. That way, all three parties involved in this situation would be satisfied; Nightfall would get his chance to fulfill his desire to kill on the battlefield, Adeline would get her chance to experience her first battle, and Unity would ensure that his little sister wouldn't end up in another potentially dangerous situation.
. . .
Meeting Room, Student Council Clubhouse
Everyone on the Student Council was gathered in front of the television screen, watching the battle that was being recorded live. While they didn't see quite a bit of it, they did hear Ried's commentary about the battle and were occasionally shown fights between knightmares or the backs of the enemy when they fled the first and second time.
They were only watching because they wanted to know about what was happening and because the battle was, currently, the only thing that was on television. Shirley supposed that it was also curiosity, since Lelouch was fighting against the nearly undefeated Liberators and she did wonder if her crush could actually pull off a victory.
"The Liberators are using a strategy known as guerrilla warfare," Ried was saying as the camera focused on him again. He was standing by the window that offered him a perfect view of the chaos down below in the heart of the city. "That is why they keep retreating. It would appear as if they have taken to attacking from a different direction in order to ensure that Prince Lelouch's forces keep guessing from which direction they will strike. And yet, somehow, Prince Lelouch has seen through that strategy because his forces have been able to meet each attack head-on."
A boom sounded in the background causing Nina to jump.
Nunnally stretched out a hand and Nina, glancing at her, took it and the princess squeezed it.
"It looks like the enemy has brought in yet another surprise for Prince Lelouch's forces in this third guerrilla attack but it appears to have done little to actually sway the battle in their favor. Prince Lelouch's forces are still going strong," Ried went on.
"Where's Lelouch?" Kallen wondered aloud.
"Yeah, I'm wondering that too," Rivalz admitted.
"The third wave has been repelled but it looks as if the enemy has taken quite a severe beating this time around. Will the next wave be the last one that the Liberators will be able to launch? Stay tuned," Ried said.
"I hope Big Brother's okay," Nunnally said softly as the screen changed to a commercial and Milly muted it.
Shirley smiled gently at Nunnally and placed her hand on the gentle girl's free one. "I'm sure he is, Nunna," she said, hoping that she was right. "If you don't want to stay and listen to this, Nunna, I can take you..."
"No, I'm okay, Shirley. I prefer spending time with you guys anyway," Nunnally interrupted.
"All right, Nunna," Shirley said.
Ten minutes went by before the 'Breaking News' bulletin flashed across the screen again and Milly unmutted the television as a news reporter came back on the screen.
"The situation at Sapporo on Hokkaido Island appears to be dying down and it would appear to be falling in favor of Prince Lelouch and the Black Knights," the reporter said. "We now, once again, go live to Diethard Ried who is at the scene. Diethard?"
The screen changed again and Ried stood on the screen again, standing to the side with his gaze fixed out of the window, microphone in hand. "Thank you, Hannah. Things look as if they are winding down. During the break, another wave of guerillas, a wave that was smaller than the last three due to the large amount of losses from the third wave, launched their fourth assault against Prince Lelouch and the Black Knights. It became clear within the first few minutes of the engagement that Prince Lelouch's forces greatly outnumbered the guerillas and it wasn't long before the outcome was determined in favor of Prince Lelouch," Ried said as the camera panned out to show the fleeing Glasgows, which weren't many, with a few Sutherlands chasing after them. Beyond the window was debris intermingled with pieces of knightmare frames.
The camera panned back to Ried who added, "Is this the final wave? Or do the Liberators have one more trick up their sleeve? At the moment, there are no answers to those questions but I will remain here until answers to those questions are brought to light. Until then, this is is Diethard Ried at Sapporo on Hokkaido Island. Back to you, Hannah."
The screen switched back to the news reporter from earlier. "We here at HiTV will keep you updated on the situation at Sapporo," the reporter began but Milly muted the television.
"So do you think that it's over?" Rivalz wondered.
"It could be," Shirley said.
"I can't believe he was actually able to drive back the Liberators," Tara murmured, staring at the television with shocked eyes.
. . .
Ebetsu Ghetto, Hokkaido, Area 11
Adeline yawned as she wandered amidst the Liberators that milled around the park next to the abandoned community center that Michal had chosen for his temporary headquarters. The Lupi were stationed at the heart of the park, ready to deploy as soon as Michal gave the order. As it was, she could see Michal talking with Reyes and Nightfall nearby while Reyes and Nightfall glared at each other.
Michal, ignoring the fact that his two allies were glaring at each other, spotted her and waved her over. She jogged across the cracked pavement to join him. "What's up?" she asked.
"Did your brother tell you about the strategy?" Michal asked.
"Yeah, he did. Which one are we using today?"
"Seven was used during the Liberators' engagement with Prince Schneizel so we're going to be using One," Michal said.
Adeline's brow furrowed. "Um, is it possible that our enemy will be expecting that?" she asked.
"Tch, those fuckers don't know a damn thing 'bout our strategy," Nightfall huffed.
"Even if they were able to look at Prince Schneizel's report, they wouldn't be able to figure out what will happen next now that they've fought off our guerrilla attacks," Michal replied. "We've already taken care of ensuring that. Now then, do you know what One is?"
Adeline nodded. "Yeah, I do," she said.
"Good. Then I'm placing you in charge of the East Brigade."
Adeline's eyes went wide and she pointed a finger at herself. "Me?" she echoed.
"Her?" Nightfall and Reyes echoed at the same time and then proceeded to glare at each other again.
"She's just a kid, Michal. She shouldn't even be here," Reyes said, tearing his glare away from Nightfall.
"I ain't got nothing against her being here but I don't think she should be given the responsibilities of an entire brigade. She's never seen battle before," Nightfall said.
Adeline's "I'm not a kid" was completely ignored, causing her to scowl in irritation.
"She's a strong pilot and I am confident in her ability to lead," Michal said simply. "But she won't be leading alone. Petal will be her co-leader and show her the ropes, so to speak."
"I'm not sure that Unity will be happy with this," Reyes said. "I'm honestly surprised that Unity even let Adeline come here."
"Guess he finally got sick of the kid's bitching," Nightfall said with a shrug. "If you're not gonna change your mind, whatever. I'll go ahead and take command of the West Brigade."
"I'll command the North Brigade then and Reyes, you take the South Brigade," Michal said.
"When are we gonna attack?" Adeline asked curiously.
"Tomorrow afternoon," Michal said and began heading toward the community center. "As per the plan, we'll lull them into a sense of security before we strike."
"I suggest we keep an eye on Ried's broadcast of the situation," Reyes said. "I mean it could help us to prevent another incident like what happened with Schneizel from happening again. We can make sure that they've been lulled into a false sense of security by watching that broadcast."
Michal stopped and glanced at Reyes before pressing his lips together in thought. "You know, you raise a good point. We can't underestimate Prince Lelouch," he said.
"Tch, that teenaged brat won't know what hit him," Nightfall said with a cool twist of the lips. "I call dibs on killing the prince. I'm gonna enjoy killing him."
"How do you even know he's going to be fighting?" Adeline asked, while shivering at the twisted smile that was on Nightfall's face. Once again, she was reminded of the reason why she didn't interact with Nightfall often.
"We managed to hack into the system and intercept a few messages before someone who is obviously an expert hacker himself managed to kick us out and is currently stopping us from doing that again," Reyes explained. "And, in one of those message, the prince himself was issuing orders but we could hear the sounds of battle very close to him."
"So he's taken part? I haven't seen very many royals do that," Adeline mused.
"Yeah, well, that don't matter. It just means that it's gonna be so much easier to find the little fucker," Nightfall said with a sadistic grin.
Adeline found herself thankful that, for one, she was on Nightfall's side and, for another, she would be away, far away, from Nightfall when the battle began.
. . .
July 22, 2016
Outside the Sapporo City Chūō Ward Office, Sapporo
It was around noon the following day and the sky was overcast and rainy. There was no sun and the bleak, battle-scarred city looked even bleaker in the downpour. Lightning strikes illuminated the sky followed by loud claps of thunder and practically everyone was under some sort of shelter from the rain.
Lelouch stood on the stairs, beneath a canopy, in front of the ward office, gazing out at the rain-drenched streets in front of him that was covered with knightmare parts and blood from the unfortunate foot soldiers that were caught in the explosions from the missiles during the second wave. While he hadn't lost very many men, only about a dozen in the last two waves, he knew that wouldn't be the case in the coming attack.
He honestly wasn't entirely sure what he would be up against. He had no doubt of which strategy the Liberators were going to employ but, beyond that, he had no idea of just what else the Liberators had in store for him. Those canine-like knightmare frames that Schneizel had mentioned in his report were worrisome since, according to the data that he'd retrieved from the abandoned military base that he suspected was linked with the knightmares Schneizel, and everyone else, faced, the only thing he knew about it was that it was a sixth-generation knightmare frame. The rest of the files on that file had been too badly corrupted that he hadn't been able to find out more than what he learned in the summary and from the incomplete schematic.
Of course, there was a chance that he wouldn't have to face that 'Lupus' but Lelouch found that unlikely to be the case. After all, the Lupus, according to the reports, was what Schneizel and quite a few others who'd engaged the Liberators, had faced, according to the description anyway. Sure, it hadn't happened in every engagement but then the schematics hadn't been completed until some time after 2010 and the Liberators have been around for ten years now.
Nonetheless, he was hoping that the strategy he'd worked out to counteract the strategy he strongly suspected the Liberators would use would be enough to win the fight.
He had to win.
He cast a sidelong glance at Andon who had just stepped out of the Ward Office after briefly speaking with Schneizel to update him on the situation. He knew that, while Andon was one of Schneizel's allies, there was no denying that Andon was there to spy on Lelouch for both Schneizel and the Emperor. If he failed then Andon would not only take command but also report the failure to both Schneizel and the Emperor and that was something that Lelouch couldn't let happen.
Failure equaled weakness and uselessness in the eyes of his bastard of a father and Lelouch could not afford to be seen as useless and weak. He refused to be seen as useless and weak, not again.
He turned his gaze back to the rain-drenched streets, jaw clenching but his thoughts were interrupted by Diethard Ried.
"Your Highness, Your Highness," Ried said, coming to a stop in front of Lelouch, drenched from head-to-toe while his cameraman followed him. That, in itself, told Lelouch that Ried was broadcasting live again.
"Yes?" he said.
"Now that the battle's over, may I have an interview on your thoughts about the battle?" Ried asked.
Hmm, so he thinks the battle's over, Lelouch thought. I'd best go along. I can't risk the chance that the Liberators are watching. I want them to remain in the dark about what I have planned; I need to draw them in if I want my plan to succeed. So the best move to make would be to show that I, also, believe the battle is over. Let them believe that I've been lulled into a sense of security. I have no doubt that is what they want.
"I did say that I would give you one. Very well. I can't guarantee that I'll answer all your questions though, Mr. Ried," Lelouch said calmly, causing Andon to glance at him with a raised eyebrow.
"Great," Ried said with a grin. "My first question is how does it feel to know that you have joined the short list of those who have successfully defeated the Liberators?"
Tough question off the bat, Lelouch thought. He hadn't defeated the Liberators yet after all. An idea came into his head. "It simply feels like a sense of accomplishment," he said out loud. "I feel a bit of pride as well but, in truth, it was not entirely my doing. My men certainly played an important role in bringing about this victory against those guerillas yesterday."
He hoped that Ried would change the subject now because Lelouch was walking on thin ice. He had to be careful with how he worded everything he said so as to not give away that he knew the battle wasn't actually over while, at the same time, expressing that he was, indeed, proud of having gotten as far as he had.
Ried hummed in agreement. "It certainly was an impressive victory. It was almost as if you knew from which direction each guerrilla attack was coming from," he said and Lelouch was thankful that he had changed the subject.
"As any military commander knows, one must know the enemy before they can even think about defeating them. Guerrilla attacks were how the Liberators won against anyone else who fought against them, except for against my brother Schneizel, so I had lookouts keeping an eye on all possible routes the Liberators could take to attack," Lelouch said. He added that to help keep what he knew a secret in that he made it seem as if he only knew what the official reports said and didn't know about the omitted information.
"That is true," Ried said with a nod. "What do you plan on doing now, Your Highness?"
"Simply my duty," Lelouch said calmly. "Even if the Liberators are gone, there is still a terrorist threat within Area 11 and I was tasked with helping General Andon eradicate the terrorist threat and, at the moment, my orders have not changed."
Ried chuckled. "Do you believe that the terrorists will think twice about challenging you now that they know you have taken on the Liberators head-on and come out nearly unscathed and victorious?" he asked.
"Whether they will or not will likely depend on who they are. Some may believe it is simply a fluke and may still be willing to challenge me whereas others may believe they won't stand a chance and go to ground," Lelouch replied.
"And if they do challenge you? What will you do?"
"I will accept their challenge head-on and fight them," Lelouch said coolly. "All terrorism does is continue the cycle of hatred and violence. People die in these conflicts. I understand that soldiers know and understand this when they trek onto the battlefield and they have the choice of fighting for freedom or to protect and defend the ones that they love. However, what of the innocents? What of those who cannot fight back and protect or defend themselves? In the escalating violence created by terrorism, these people sometimes get caught in the crossfire, even if it is unintentional. That is but one reason as to why I will fight them should they decide to challenge me."
"You specified that this is but one reason. What are the others?" Ried asked.
"The only other reason I will tell you is this. I fight for the same reason that any soldier chooses to fight; to protect the people I love and keep them safe," Lelouch said simply.
. . .
Control Room, A.S.E.E.C.'s Base, Toyohira Ghetto
Suzaku listened with half an ear to the interview that Lelouch was giving live as he relaxed on a chair in the control room, watching as Lloyd and Cecile moved around the hangar bay, getting the Lancelot prepped for the upcoming battle. He, himself, was a bit nervous to be fighting against such a powerful enemy but he was sure he wasn't the only one, considering the reputation the Liberators had amassed.
His headset buzzed, indicating an incoming call and he turned it on. Just like with the squadrons or other important places, like the G1, the A.S.E.E.C.'s Base had its own channel; naturally, there was also the channel that could be used to speak to every member of the regiment, though only Lelouch knew that one. "This is Warrant Officer Kururugi," he said.
"Hey, Suzaku, how are you doing?" Rayne's voice sounded and Suzaku had to smile at the sulkiness he could hear in her voice. He already knew why Rayne was sulky, though, even now, he still wondered why Rayne hated the rain.
"I'm doing good, Rayne. How are you?" Suzaku asked.
"Bored out of my mind and not liking my current position. Why did it have to start raining now?" Rayne complained. She paused and added, "Oh, hold on. I'm gonna ask Kay to switch to this channel so he can say hi too." She fell silent for a moment as she switched channels and then she came back on along with another voice.
"Hello, Suzaku, how are you?" Kay said.
"I'm good," Suzaku replied. "How are you?"
"Better than Rayne. She's sulking," Kay said, a hint of amusement in his voice.
"I am not sulking," Rayne whined.
Kay snorted. "You always start sulking when it rains," he said. "We shouldn't talk for very long, just in case we get intercepted."
"I know but it's not like we're talking 'bout anything important really," Rayne said.
"True."
"Anyway…" Rayne trailed off.
"You don't know what to talk about, do you?" Kay asked.
"...Shut up," Rayne muttered.
Suzaku chuckled as another voice joined the channel.
"Hey, I think I got the right channel this time. Um, this is the A.S.E.E.C.'s base, right?" Tadashi's voice sounded hopeful, likely because if he had accidentally contacted anyone else then he would've probably been yelled at.
Suzaku chuckled again. "Yeah, it is," he said.
"Great, Lila, it's 3A," Tadashi said.
"I honestly do not know how you talked me into this," Lila's voice said with a sigh. "We should not be doing this."
"All we're doing is saying hi to a friend, that's it," Tadashi huffed. "Hi Suzaku."
"Hey Tadashi," Suzaku said. "Hey Lila."
"Hello Suzaku," Lila replied.
"How are you?"
"I'm doing good. And you?"
"The same." Out of the corner of his eye, Suzaku saw that Ried's interview with Lelouch had ended and he was now giving a summary of the previous battles as the camera focused on him.
Another voice joined in on the channel at that moment. "Hello Suzaku," Dimitri said.
"Hello Dimitri. Do you need something?" Suzaku asked.
"Other than to give you a message from His Highness, no. He contacted me and told me to tell you, or rather Earl Lloyd, that he will be there in a few hours in order to check on Lloyd's work personally," Dimitri said.
That was actually a code phrase that Lelouch and Suzaku had developed in person when they were discussing Suzaku's part in the upcoming engagement. It basically meant that they should get ready because things were going to start soon.
"Understood. I'll let Earl Lloyd know," Suzaku said.
"So how are you doing, Dimitri?" Tadashi asked curiously.
"I'm well, just working as you should be doing," Dimitri said.
"I am working," Tadashi huffed and then Suzaku heard the crunch of chips and sweatdropped.
"...Where did you get that?" Lila asked.
"Vending machine a couple of hours ago...What? I got hungry so I got me two bags but I only ate one of them then. Want some?" Tadashi asked.
"No. I do not like salty junk food all that much," Lila said. "Where'd you get the money for that anyway?"
"Found it," Tadashi said as he continued to munch on the chips.
Lila sighed.
"And how, exactly, is that working?" Dimitri asked dryly.
"Keeping my strength up while I work," Tadashi said.
Suzaku chuckled again.
"Suzaku?" Cecile said as she walked into the control room.
"Yes, Cecile?" Suzaku said, turning to the indigo-haired woman.
"Have you had lunch yet? I'm trying to get Lloyd to take a break from work to eat but he's being stubborn again. I have some sandwiches in the break room's fridge if you're hungry," Cecile said.
"What kind of sandwiches?" Suzaku asked.
"Oh it has wasabi and pickles on it. It's my newest creation," Cecile said with a bright smile.
Suzaku blinked at that combination and decided that he wasn't going to risk trying it, not now anyway. "I'm not hungry right now, Cecile, but thank you," he said politely.
"Oh. Okay. Tell Lloyd when he finally drags himself away from the Lancelot that I'm in the break room," Cecile said.
"Sure thing."
Cecile left the control room and Suzaku returned his attention to the conversation between his friends.
. . .
Abandoned Military Base, Southeast of Sapporo
Jeremiah sighed as he relaxed against the leg of his knightmare, gazing at Kewell and Villetta who'd joined him in that warehouse where they were hiding for the time being. The rest of his squadron were scattered throughout the area as per the orders of Prince Lelouch. He knew of what Prince Lelouch's plan was and had to admit that it was a good one and stood a strong chance of succeeding if the Liberators moved as Prince Lelouch suspected they would.
Kewell was pacing while Villetta was seated cross-legged next to her knightmare, looking bored out of her mind. They had been there for the past few days with nothing to do since they'd arrived at Sapporo and Jeremiah had to admit that it was dreadfully boring. He understand that it was necessary to remain hidden but that meant that they, virtually, had nothing to do.
"Are we even sure that this plan of His Highness will work?" Kewell asked finally. "How does he even know if the Liberators will move the way he says they will?"
"He simply said that he suspects they will move this way, Kewell," Jeremiah said, pushing himself away from his knightmare frame. "Besides, no matter how the Liberators attack, our current position can help us because it'll give us the element of surprise."
"Jeremiah's got a point," Villetta said, looking up. "The Liberators don't know we're here."
"That we know of," Kewell said pessimistically.
"You've turned pessimistic since we joined the military, Kewell," Jeremiah mused.
"I prefer the term realistic," Kewell said, stopping in his pacing and turning to Jeremiah. "I will admit that Prince Lelouch is a decent commander but...I think that he may be in over his head right now."
Jeremiah bit his lip to stop himself from jumping to his prince's defense because, while he wouldn't put it the same way as Kewell, he did have his own misgivings about his young prince's ability to handle such a powerful enemy. Still, from the tone in Kewell's voice, it was as if he didn't have any confidence in Prince Lelouch's ability to win.
"He has General Andon working with him, Kewell. I'm sure if things go south then the General can take control of the situation," Villetta pointed out.
"Yeah, that's true," Kewell said.
"Do you truly believe Prince Lelouch won't be able to win?" Jeremiah asked finally.
"Frankly, yes," Kewell said. "He's too inexperienced. Winning against the Crimson Sakuras is one thing but actually winning against the Liberators? That's on a completely different level."
"I believe that Prince Lelouch will be able to pull off a victory here," Jeremiah said. "Even without experience, he's a brilliant strategist."
"We won't know until the battle actually begins," Villetta pointed out.
Just then, Jeremiah's headset chimed and he turned it on. "This is Margrave Gottwald, what is it?" he asked.
"Sir, enemy incoming, about three kilometers out," another member of the Purist Faction stated firmly.
"Understood. Get prepared to move but maintain your current position for now," Jeremiah ordered.
"Yes, sir," the purist said.
Jeremiah passed on that message to the rest of the Purist Faction as well as Prince Lelouch and turned off his headset. "Looks like the enemy's here," he said and headed for the access cable to get into his knightmare and prepare for the coming assault. He made sure to keep his knightmare off, however, to avoid alerting anyone to his location, since it would turn on his IFF Transponder.
As he settled into the cockpit's seat, he saw Villetta and Kewell doing the same and received confirmation that the rest of the Purist Faction were in position and awaiting further orders. Now he simply had to wait for the order from his prince.
. . .
Hokkaido Shrine Ruins, Nishi Ghetto, Hokkaido
Kay, cutting off the conversation he and Rayne were having with Suzaku and the rest of their friends, darted over to the access cable of his knightmare the instant his lookout told him of the approaching enemy. He could see Rayne doing the same; they were currently hiding in the ruins of an old shrine that gave them a pretty decent view of path leading to Sapporo due to its slightly elevated position. It was still raining, though, but it wasn't coming down as hard as earlier.
"Looks like the fight's about to begin," Rayne said as she sat on her cockpit chair and pushed her wet hair out of her face. Even though they were within the shrine itself, the roof had collapsed and that meant that both of them were drenched from the downpour earlier. "Do you think Lelouch was right 'bout what the Liberators are gonna do?"
"I don't know but I think he was. We won't know until we get there," Kay said softly as he puled out the activation key and held it in his hand until he got the confirmation from Lelouch to launch. The plan depended on the four groups remaining hidden until the appropriate time.
Switching to the channel that connected him to the rest of the squadron, Kay went on, "Our orders stand. We are to remain here until we receive the signal. Do not engage the enemy that is approaching and keep your knightmare off."
"Yes, sir," the rest of his squadron said at once.
Kay then briefly contacted Lelouch to tell him of the incoming enemy and fell silent as he waited for the order, his thoughts drifting to the past couple of days. As he had been stuck at the shrine for the past few days, he hadn't been able to talk with his brother Matthias. Soon after he'd sent that letter while they were heading toward the island, he'd received a call from Matthias who stated that he wanted to speak to Kay on the phone. Unfortunately, since they were about to head into the underwater railway when he received the call, he had to reschedule.
He knew that his sister wouldn't want to speak to Matthias but he did. As he told Rayne, he was willing to give his siblings a second chance. He just wished that Rayne would be willing to, at least, talk with their siblings. He knew that they hadn't been there for them while he and Rayne had been growing up but they were trying to make up for that now.
Sometimes, things happen that you can't let go of or, more likely, don't want to let go of…
Lelouch's words echoed in Kay's head and he knew that those words still held true for his twin.
"Wonder how long we're gonna have to wait? The past couple of days have been boring as hell," Rayne said. "And this rain is not helping matters." She glared at the rain, blinking it out of her eyes.
Kay chuckled. "You've gotta get over this hatred for rain, Rayne," he said, lips quirking in amusement.
Rayne just pouted.
. . .
Hangar, A.S.E.E.C.'s Base, Toyohira Ghetto
Suzaku zipped up the white pilot suit as he walked down the hallway and slipped into the hangar where the technicians were busy running around, getting everything ready for when it was time for Suzaku to launch. The Lancelot stood in all its white glory, towering over everyone, its Master Vibration Swords deactivated and resting on its sides, ready to be drawn at any moment. The maintenance stairs remained by the white knightmare frame as Suzaku moved toward it, grabbing the access cable and using it to reach the cockpit's seat.
Cecile was on the maintenance stairs, flickering her gaze from the computer she was studying to Suzaku. "We haven't received our orders yet but you may as well get situated; I have no doubt that you'll be told to launch soon enough," she said.
Suzaku nodded and slipped into the cockpit's seat but remained seated since he knew that activating his knightmare would cause his IFF Transponder to activate and that would alert the enemy to his position. As he relaxed and waited for the order to launch, he found himself thinking about the coming battle.
"The Master Vibration Swords should work," Cecile went on. "We've run many tests on them and they've passed all of them; the only test we have left is to test them out in real combat."
Suzaku nodded.
"Best of luck, Suzaku," Cecile said and guided the maintenance stairs away from the Lancelot before making her way down them and over to the control room.
Suzaku took a deep breath and released it as he pulled out the Lancelot's activation key but remained where he was until he got the order to launch.
. . .
Bridge, G1 Base, Sapporo
Dimitri studied the tactical map that dominated the heart of the bridge, his lips pressed together as his fingers ran across the keyboard that lay in front of him. He switched his attention from the map to the computer that he was currently working on. The tactical map showed that the Liberators were still about two kilometers away from the city but it also showed that they were coming in at all sides, which was what Prince Lelouch was counting on.
Dimitri wasn't entirely sure just how the prince knew of what strategy the Liberators were going to employ, though he had a feeling it dealt with those unaltered documents he had been asked to find. However, the strategy that the prince was going to use in retaliation of the Liberators' strike would definitely give the 11th Regiment—he still called it that while everyone else had taken to calling it by its nickname—the element of surprise.
However, he could see that the 11th Regiment was still vastly outnumbered. At the moment, they were outnumbered three to one and, even when the other half of the regiment joined in the fight, they would still be outnumbered. Their numbers told Dimitri that had the portion that was sent to guard Hakodate was with them, they would be able to easily overrun the 11th Regiment. As it was, they were still likely to overrun them.
He found himself hoping Prince Lelouch knew what he was doing.
A ping sounded and Dimitri immediately went to work when he realized that a message was being sent by the enemy. It took some time but, eventually, he managed to snag the message, save a copy, and then send it on its way without any alterations. Opening the copy, he briefly read the message, brow furrowed in thought.
Turning on his earpiece and connecting to Prince Lelouch, he said, "I found something that you might want to know, Your Highness."
"What is it?" Prince Lelouch asked.
"The enemy's command is stationed north of the city and the message is to someone who appears to be south of our position. The message simply said: try to get to the prince before Nightfall. Unity wants the prince alive," Dimitri reported.
Prince Lelouch was silent for a long moment. "Understood. I will keep that in mind. Do we know who this Nightfall is?" he asked.
Dimitri, closing the message, began looking for information about Nightfall, searching Nightfall in conjunction with the Liberators as well as by himself. He frowned to himself because nothing seemed to be popping up. "Nothing, Your Highness," he said.
"And Unity?"
He repeated the process for Unity but came up empty as well. "Nothing, Your Highness," he said.
"Hmm, I suspect that Unity and Nightfall may be associated with the leadership, or could possibly be the leaders themselves. By keeping information about themselves limited to either just themselves or to their followers, it lowers the chances of being found by their enemy. Very well, Major Duncan. Keep monitoring their communications. If you intercept anything else, whether you believe it is important or not, contact me immediately," Prince Lelouch ordered.
"Yes, Your Highness," Dimitri said and turned the microphone off, returning his attention to the computer screen.
. . .
South of the Sapporo City Chūō Ward Office, Sapporo
Lelouch settled in his knightmare frame, turning it on and scanning the tactical display as it flickered to life in front of him. The warning he'd just received from Jeremiah, Kay, and the two other Frost Siblings had told him that the Liberators appeared to be doing exactly what he thought they would do. They were attacking from all sides, attempting to flank the Black Knights, or half of it anyway, on all sides.
It was a common move but an effective one.
Unless one figured out how to counter it.
Lelouch smiled to himself as he recalled just where the rest of his regiment were stationed. The Liberators were not going to know what hit them. However, while he was confident that his ploy would work, he knew not to get cocky since he still didn't know exactly what he would be facing. Whether it would be those odd canine-like 'Lupus'—if that was what those canine-like knightmares Schneizel and everyone else faced were, though Lelouch was almost positive that they were—or something else entirely.
He would have to wait for the battle to begin to figure that out.
He did find Dimitri's message to be a bit worrisome and thinking about that intercepted message made him think about how he was nearly kidnapped at Osaka. Is it possible that the Liberators were behind my near-kidnapping? It would make sense, especially considering that terrorist had said that her leader wanted me alive, and so did the leader of this cell of the Liberators. But why? He didn't know the answer to that.
General Andon's knightmare came to his side at that moment, distracting him from his thoughts, and opened up a channel with him. "It would seem that your prediction about the Liberators' move was true," he commented casually.
"Indeed," Lelouch said, a small smile on his face, deciding that now wasn't the time to attempt to figure out why the Liberators wanted him alive. He had a battle to focus on.
"While I think I have figured out your plan, it still seems a bit far-fetched, considering how little we know about the Liberators," Andon said.
"Do you still believe it will take a miracle for me to win?" Lelouch asked as he looked at the tactical display and then at the screen that showed the city in front of him. The line of his men's knightmare frames, the foot soldiers that were hidden with missile launchers should they become necessary, and the buildings that lay beyond. He only had a view of the south, as that was the direction he was facing, so he only saw the wave that was coming from the south.
"Yes, I do," Andon said as he prepared for battle. "So let us see if you can pull off this miracle, Your Highness, for our enemy's here."
The knightmares that were attacking were, indeed, canine-like; bronze in color, they were about a third of the height of an average knightmare frame but its length equaled that of a knightmare frame's height. It moved on four legs, which was what gave it its canine appearance, though it didn't have a tail. Its factsphere was on its forehead and its 'paws' appeared to have curved claws that appeared to have crystalline tips.
Lelouch pressed his lips together. These looked exactly like the Lupus schematic he'd got from the main computer at that abandoned military base. So this is what I'm facing, he thought as the knightmares launched themselves at the enemy.
They weren't alone though. Squads of soldiers in trucks were following suit, using the gaps created by the knightmares' attacks to surge past the line of defense. However, Lelouch also had his own men ready and waiting, as he'd suspected that they wouldn't just send knightmares after him after all, according to the reports he'd read in which the Liberators used this strategy, they always had squads of foot soldiers to take on any foot soldiers that were fighting. They were also the ones with the weapons that could severely damage a knightmare itself, such as missile launchers and grenade launchers. He did see that some members of the squads of Liberators had both missile and grenade launchers.
Keying on the communicator and connecting to the channel that connected him to all of his forces, he began issuing orders. "Maintain a defensive line. Squads 3 and 4, move to point E2. Squads 5 and 6, move to point W1, Squads 1 and 2 to point S2 and Squads 7 and 8 to point N1. Be prepared, they have missile launchers and grenade launchers. All knightmare units, attack at will," he ordered as he launched his knightmare at the nearest Lupus, firing a barrage of bullets at it. The Lupus darted out of the way to avoid the barrage and then shot toward Lelouch, those crystalline-tipped claws slashing toward him but Lelouch quickly moved out of the way. He had this odd feeling he did not want to see what those claws did firsthand.
"Your Highness!" Glendon's voice called over the channel. "You've gotta be careful with those claws! They can cut through metal!"
"Copy that, Lieutenant Colonel," Lelouch said and connected to the rest of the half of the regiment scattered around him. "This is Prince Lelouch. Beware the claws of these new Lupus knightmare frames. They can cut through metal."
"Yes, Your Highness," the group acknowledged and Lelouch guided his knightmare out of the way to avoid another slash from the Lupus he was fighting. He grabbed his jousting lance and shot forward, nearly impaling the knightmare in the shoulder had it not jumped backwards out of the way.
Hmm, seems to have the agility of a wolf, probably due to how it was designed, Lelouch thought and winced when a barrage of bullets slammed into his knightmare frame from the two assault rifles that had popped up on the Lupus's shoulders. And two assault rifles positioned where they are. Hmm.
Moving to the side to avoid another barrage from the two assault rifles, Lelouch fired a Slash Harken at the Lupus's shoulder, successfully severing the assault rifle, and he repeated the process but the Lupus dodged the attack and charged at Lelouch. Jumping out of the way, Lelouch stabbed at the Lupus that shot past him, sinking the jousting lance into the canine-like knightmare's side and throwing it off its feet.
Retracting the jousting lance, Lelouch fired his Slash Harkens at the Lupus as it struggled to get back to its feet, taking out the second assault rifle with the first and destroying the Lupus's factsphere on its forehead with the second. The Lupus slumped forward as the cockpit ejected, flying rapidly away from the fallen knightmare.
Looking at this tactical screen, Lelouch saw that there didn't appear to be any more new enemies showing up. He and his regiment had been completely surrounded by the new enemy, just as the Liberators had likely planned, but it was also just as he had planned himself.
Gliding backwards to avoid another Lupus that launched itself at him, Lelouch connected to Jeremiah, Kay, Lieutenant Colonel Frost, and Major Parker and, to each of them respectively, stated, "You are clear to engage. I repeat, you are clear to engage."
. . .
East of the Sapporo City Chūō Ward Office, Sapporo
"Man, I still love piloting these things," Adeline exclaimed as she thrust the controls forward, propelling her 'paws' forward as she launched herself at another enemy, unleashing a barrage of bullets from her assault rifles. She dodged out of the way to avoid a Slash Harken that had been fired at her and, with a jerk of her controls, she lifted one of her paws and slashed at the enemy, sinking the Diamond-tipped claw straight into the knightmare's leg, cutting a deep gash in it.
She then jumped back and unleashed a barrage of bullets into the gash that led to a small explosion that severed the leg, causing the knightmare to stagger and then topple onto its side. Adeline jumped toward it, sinking her Diamond-tipped Claws into the side and chest of the knightmare and ripping outwards. She jumped back as the cockpit ejected and the knightmare exploded, her Lupus hit by small pieces of flaming metal.
She then glanced at her screen, looking for a new enemy, only to widen her eyes in shock when she saw the score of enemy blips that were surging forward from all four directions. "Where the hell did those come from?" she shouted in shock.
. . .
West of the Sapporo City Chūō Ward Office, Sapporo
"Where the fucking hell did those fuckers come from?" Nightfall shouted, staring at the enemy that was surging toward them from all four directions. He hadn't noticed them at all when he'd looked at his tactical display while leading the West Brigade past the ruins of the Hokkaido Shrine to attack the enemy.
Pushing his surprise aside, Nightfall laughed. "Oh you're just giving me more people to kill. Wonderful!" he said gleefully and launched himself at another enemy, tackling them as he had caught them off guard, since they were fighting another Lupus. He sank one Diamond-tipped Claw into the knightmare's chest and the other straight into the face where he knew that the cockpit was located. The first had pierced the knightmare's Yggdrasil Drive while the second pierced the pilot themselves so that when he withdraw that Claw, it was coated in blood.
Jumping back to avoid the resulting explosion, Nightfall launched himself at another enemy, eyes alit with satisfaction as he crashed into another enemy and peppered them with bullets. The Britannian knightmare dodged out of the way and shot toward him, intent on piercing him with their lance. Big mistake. Swiftly moving to one side, Nightfall slashed his Diamond-tipped Claw downward, slicing through the knightmare's arm and severing it.
As the knightmare whirled around and fired two Slash Harkens at him, Nightfall responded by grabbing the controls and yanking them, causing his Lupus's hindlegs to bend and then he jumped up and forward to avoid the Slash Harkens. As he fell back down, he used his Claws to sever the cables connecting the Slash Harkens to the knightmare; the Slash Harkens themselves flew into the building behind him, shattering windows, as the cables fell limply to the ground.
He dashed forward, tackling the knightmare to the ground and ripped the knightmare's chest open with its claws, revealing the mechanical innards, including the casing protecting the Yggdrasil Drive. Swiftly, he sank a Claw into the Yggdrasil Drive and then jumped off the knightmare, whirling around and launching himself at another enemy as the one he'd just been fighting exploded.
He glanced at his tactical display, noticing that the enemy blips he'd seen coming from all four directions had reached the battle and, looking up at the real-time screen, he could see a squadron of knightmares launching themselves at the enemy from the west.
He licked his lips, a grin stretching across his face as he propelled his Lupus forward to meet the new enemy head-on.
. . .
Rayne darted into the battle alongside her brother, firing her Slash Harkens at the closest enemy and jumping to the side to avoid the bullets from the assault rifles on its shoulders. Lelouch's message that he had broadcast to the entire regiment rang in her head. So those claws are gonna prove bothersome, she thought as she unleashed a barrage of bullets from her assault rifle at the Lupus, Lelouch had told them that was what these canine-like knightmares were called in that message as well, but it dodged out of the way.
"Rayne, move back now," Kay ordered and Rayne, blinking in confusion, did as she was told, causing the knightmare to leap toward her, only to get two Slash Harkens sinking into its side and throwing it off its feet. Kay retracted the Slash Harkens and Rayne shot forward, jamming her jousting lance into the Lupus's chest. She must have hit the right spot because the cockpit ejected and the knightmare exploded, sending metal flying in all directions.
"Thanks," Rayne said to her brother.
"No problem," Kay said as Rayne moved back to her brother's side and the two of them launched themselves at the next enemy that they could see. As the canine-like knightmare launched itself at the twins, they separated and Rayne, whirling around, fired her Slash Harkens at it while Kay peppered it with a barrage of bullets, leading to the cockpit ejecting and the knightmare exploding.
A scream sounded over the channel and Rayne's eyes widened as a 'LOST' flashed on her screen showing where one of their comrades's knightmare had been moments before. She and Kay whirled around to see a Lupus jumping backwards and Rayne gasped when she saw that one of its claws was dripping blood.
"What. The. Hell?" Kay exclaimed. "Did he really just…?" He couldn't finish the statement but Rayne felt slightly sick realizing what it was her brother had been about to say.
"Who is that?" she asked as the knightmare they were watching launched itself at another enemy.
"I don't know," Kay said.
. . .
South of the Sapporo City Chūō Ward Office, Sapporo
Jeremiah crashed a Slash Harken into the shoulders of the knightmare, the Lupus as Prince Lelouch called them, that he was fighting, taking out both of the assault rifles swiftly. Now he simply had to worry about those Claws that could, apparently, cut through metal. The Lupus he was fighting darted off to the side to avoid the barrage of bullets Jeremiah sent flying at it and he decided to exchange the assault rifle in favor of his jousting lance.
He shot forward, slamming his jousting lance into the Lupus's shoulder and then jumped back as the Lupus slashed out at him, narrowly avoiding those metal-cutting claws. He fired his Slash Harkens at the Lupus again, sinking it into the injured shoulder and severing the paw, causing the Lupus to wobble. With one more thrust of his jousting lance, Jeremiah destroyed the Lupus's factsphere and forced the pilot to eject. "How are things looking on your end?" he asked Villetta and Kewell; they had been separated soon after they'd arrived at the battle scene.
"Good so far. These are tough knightmares to beat though," Villetta said. "Kewell and I had to work together to take out one since it managed to disarm me."
"Those claws are certainly making things harder though," Kewell said.
Jeremiah, launching himself at another enemy, said, "If you damage the shoulder enough, if you can't sever it, then that should make it more difficult for them to use those claws against you," he said. He had done that with the first Lupus he'd fought.
"We'll keep that in mind, Lord Jeremiah," Villetta said.
Jeremiah looked around, wondering how his prince was doing. The battle seemed to be concentrated around the Ward Office, though, according to his tactical display, some dog fights appeared to have drifted away from the ward office; some of those had ended up near the Clock Tower, some were in the streets leading to the ward office, and some were in Odori Park.
He spotted his prince's knightmare fighting nearby and smiled when he noticed that Prince Lelouch was holding his own. Despite being scrawny, it was clear that Prince Lelouch was a decent knightmare pilot. He must have gotten that from Marianne, Jeremiah mused before refocusing his attention on the battle as another Lupus leapt at him.
. . .
East Wing Conference Room, Fifth Floor, Sapporo City Chūō Ward Office
"This is Diethard Ried, reporting live from the city of Sapporo where Prince Lelouch and the Black Knights has been ambushed by the Liberators that we all thought had been defeated," Ried said as he peered through the window at the ferocious battle that was taking place below them. It was pure chaos; even with the addition of the second half of the regiment, it was clear that the Liberators still outnumbered the Black Knights slightly.
"The Liberators struck when everyone had assumed that the battle was over and there is no doubt that they were hoping to take the regiment by surprise, thus allowing them the upperhand. However, Prince Lelouch seemed aware of the Liberators' move because he and his men were prepared for the assault before it began. Even though they were outnumbered as much as three to one, they still held their own until Prince Lelouch unleashed a surprise of his own, revealing that he had split his forces in half in preparation for the Liberators' assault. Thus, when the Liberators struck, the second half of the Black Knights swarmed in and succeeded in boxing the Liberators in."
Ried turned his gaze to the chaos again. "What chaos," he said as he watched a Sutherland explode and then a Lupus being thrown off its feet by two Slash Harkens crashing into its side. "The battle is truly chaotic and the Black Knights are clearly holding their own despite the Liberators' superior numbers and the unique knightmare frames that they are using. Just how does Prince Lelouch plan on winning this fight? As of right now, I do not have the answers to that. Stay tuned. This is Diethard Ried, live from the city of Sapporo on Hokkaido Island."
While listening to Ried's report on the situation, Tadashi peered out the window at the madness below and turned to Lila who was seated next to him. "What is Lelouch's plan?" he asked. "I mean, I get that boxing the Liberators in as he had was part of his plan but was that it?
"I have no idea," Lila said.
"Is it possible he doesn't have a plan?"
"I suppose so but Lelouch doesn't seem like the kind of person to not have a plan. Like Suzaku said, Lelouch never does anything without a reason," the blonde sniper replied.
"True." Tadashi peered through the window, looking to the north of the battle, watching as knightmares clashed against knightmares. "At least they're holding their own."
Lila nodded in agreement.
The Ward Office suddenly shuddered violently, causing Ried and the cameraman to be knocked off their feet, the camera landing on the cameraman's stomach. Tadashi and Lila, both of whom had been sitting and so saved from being thrown to the ground, exchanged glances.
"What was that?" Tadashi asked.
The building trembled rapidly again and Lila, grabbing the windowsill, pulled herself to her feet and peered out the window. Tadashi followed suit and peered out the window, just in time to see a knightmare thrown into the first floor of the Ward Office, causing a shudder to travel through the building again. Then he swore when he saw two missiles crash into the hole created by the Sutherland's entry, which was, unfortunately, right below where Tadsahi, Lila, Ried, and the cameraman were located. The resounding explosion caused a violent tremble to ripple throughout the building.
. . .
A/n what do you think?
Blaze: well, that's part two of the Battle of Sapporo (and yes cliffhanger)
Lelouch: where's Bakura?
Blaze: (peers over the edge of the cliff) still falling
Luciano: what the hell? How high is that cliff? (Peers over the edge)
Suzaku: (shoves Luciano over the edge)
Luciano: (shouts as he's falling) fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu
Lelouch: all right, what did he do this time?
Suzaku: (shrugs) he insulted Euphie
Lelouch: I see (shrugs) then it's his own fault
Blaze: anyway, I hope that you enjoyed this chapter. The next chapter will be up the day the sixth spinoff series of the Yu-Gi-Oh series, Yu-Gi-Oh! VRAINS, airs in Japan (smirks). Reviews, as always, are much appreciated and thank you for reading.