AN: And thus, everything continues to go straight to hell.
Plus since you've got defections, it's just even more chaotic than it actually was for the Britannians, whom are now not even sure if they can trust their own, despite the relatively limited numbers of people actually defecting.
I never actually explained the real scale of these defections in depth either, it's really more or less individual small unit forces and single armored elements that're disillusioned with Britannia, rather than a mass defection like the 442nd or the ideologically driven split in Euphie's guards, the latter of whom more or less joined Lelouch's side out of desperation, and the former's defection I'll explain in the chapter itself. (So in total a couple hundred at best out of a couple thousand troops in the SAZ region here, most of these defectors being mechanized infantry or air cavalry as well rather than Knightmare or armored troops, and all of whom were largely there in the event Zero pulled any stunts).
It's just the amount of chaos resulting from the entire incident kicking off has caused the metaphorical fog of war to descend upon the SAZ and nobody knows who's on whose side, made infinitely worse worse due to the mass confusion related to Euphie's command causing some units to try and check the validity of the order, it being given by bleeding heart Euphemia after all, which would be taken as a sign treason by the fanatic loyalists, thus leading to over-reporting of defections.
May go back and edit that to make it more clear that not all that many troops are actually disobeying the order.
In all honesty I'm surprised more people haven't tried this version of the massacre or something along these lines, although having it make narrative sense would be rather challenging depending on the setup I suppose, I just manage to squeak it out here thanks to some creative thought processes and use of logic on my part so your mileage may vary.
For Sobran (I'd respond to the PM but am selectively lazy RN, mostly because my sleep cycle is absolutely borked and I'm dealing with a rather annoying sore throat to boot, on top of college again)-Admittedly trying to have the troops shoot at eachother due to confusion caused the genocide order alone... Really doesn't make that much sense at all, if anything I could see it possibly happening because Euphie shot Darlton, leading those with only that knowledge jumping to conclusions and assuming she's starting a coup is possible, but it's a bit more of a stretch than here, plus it being instigated by the defections is a bit more natural, as those would put genuine suspicion into people's minds.
Although, tbh your suggestion did give me several ideas on how to expand the depiction of the chaos into something a bit more reasonable.
"Ernst kommt Hass | Dann kommt die Nacht | Steine sind Steine | Ohne rote Macht"-And One, Steine sind Steine.
October 11, 2017 ATB.
SAZ, Japan.
Euphie powered on the custom pink tinted Gloucester unit that had been prepared for her personal use. "I, Euphemia li Britannia, bid all of you within the sound of my voice to heed the following command! Seek out any Japanese you can find."
October 11, 2017 ATB.
Bee Blader Echo 419, En-route to SAZ.
["And please kill them!"] Euphie declared over an open channel. ["Leave not a single one of them alive!"]
Inside, X looked down at his feet as Zero and Vile checked their weapons alongside the other hunters. Having been deployed by Sigma alongside several other teams and two full Repliforce battalions kept in reserve by Colonel for contingency use to bring an end to the slaughter.
"Hey Zero… Do humans have a Maverick Virus equivalent…?" X asked as the Red Armored hunter frowned pensively.
"I suppose… Humans barely understand how 'our' minds work, let alone their own." He admitted after a brief pause.
"Don't matter at this point, between the footage the Black Knights are undoubtedly leaking and the counter-broadcast showing them being the instigators of the killing, nobody knows what the hell's going on." Vile grumbled, as shortly after Diethard had broken through the transmission blocks, a counter-broadcast had appeared, showing armed Black Knights members slaughtering much of the people present instead of Britannian soldiers.
Even Middy had admitted he wasn't sure which one was the edited version.
"But… Euphemia is still giving commands, why bother?" X asked Vile, who chuckled.
"You think anyone outside the Kanto region is going to know that she's still alive if someone claims she isn't and nobody can offer proof to the contrary?" The violet armored hunter questioned. "It's damage control X, meant to convince the world that Zero got all pissy and threw a tantrum about the SAZ, after Narita, well… He doesn't exactly have much good publicity beyond rumors."
"Instilling doubt is an effective part of psyops." Zero noted. "Just look at all the Britannian reports of friendly fire, they're doubting eachother's loyalties and that's playing right into Zero's hands."
X nodded and looked back down at the floor. "Yeah… I guess so… But… Why did that footage look like it had been prepared in advance?" He whispered under his breath.
SAZ, Japan.
Gunfire echoed through the SAZ as the entire Britannian chain of command collapsed into chaos.
["This is 506th Battalion, A company command! All 506th elements! Can anyone confirm that order!? Was that actually Princess Euphemia!?"]
["This is fourth squad, D company! We're taking fire from friendlies! Requesting orders!"]
["This is a C company, what the hell is going on!? We just lost two vics to friendly fire from Euphemia's Guard after asking them to confirm the order! They're calling us traitors!"]
["This is recon team three, we're seeing firefights between members of the Royal Guard!"]
["Fuck this, returning fire!"]
["F platoon has suffered heavy losses from a mortar strike!"]
["The 700th are reporting that some of their forces have dropped off friendly IFF and switched over to the Black Knights!"]
["The hell!?"]
["D company, B company! Cease fire! The 608th are on our side!"]
["Like hell they are, they shot first! This has to be some kind of coup!"]
["We're under fire from other friendly forces!"]
["Why isn't General Darlton stepping in!?"]
["I heard the Princess shot him!"]
["What the hell!?"]
["WE'VE GOT HOSTILES! IT'S THE BLACK KNIGHTS!"]
["WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON!?"]
"Euphemia has betrayed us here!" Lelouch shouted again over his comms to further rally his forces. "All units, descend upon the stadium! Grind every Britannian soldier and Reploid participating in her farce to dust!"
Knightmares, Ride Armors, and armored vehicles burst from cover and charged in from the four points Lelouch had them wait at. Charging straight towards the far more numerous troops conducting the massacre.
A Sutherland belonging to the attackers turned and activated its factsphere, only for the Guren Mark Two to grab it by the head and fire off the wave surger, destroying the machine.
["Damn you Euphemia! You deceived us!"] Kallen snarled.
And yet, there was a nagging feeling at the back of her head that there was something horribly off with all this. "Why even wait for Zero though? She had everyone right where she wanted them…"
She shook off her doubts and moved to the next enemy Knightmares, which had been engaging a damaged Gloucester attempting to protect a crowd of civilians.
["Thanks for the assist!"] The defector thanked her as they opened fire on a squad of Reploids that had been trying to flank the fight and carry out Euphemia's command.
["Damn Elevens!"] A loyalist Gloucester pilot shouted as they charged towards Todoh's group.
["How many of you people were in on this?!"] Todoh demanded as he cleaved the head off of the enemy Knightmare while a Black Knights tank platoon and a group of Burais wiped out a squad of loyalist Sutherlands nearby.
"Go get those murderers!" Someone cheered as the slowly gathering defectors and the mass of Black Knights rushed past a small gathering of civilians.
"At least some Britannians aren't monsters!" Another shouted with joy as a defecting M60 tank blew apart a squad of loyalist infantry with HE shells. "Crush those lying bastards!"
"Euphie! Euphie, where are you!?" Suzaku pleaded as the Lancelot searched for her from the sky.
A volley of fire from the Knightmares, armored vehicles, and SPAA below shot up towards him, Suzaku barely blocking the worst of it with the Blaze Luminous.
"Get away from me! I don't have time to waste on you!" He shouted futilely at them.
October 11, 2017 ATB.
HIMAS Avalon, SAZ Airspace.
"Oh my this is turning into a mess, our side can't tell who's fighting who!" Lloyd mumbled as more IFFs flipped over to the Black Knights as squads who'd been patrolling the SAZ defected.
"It seems that the scale of the defections was overestimated and that many of our own units are fighting themselves instead of hostile forces." Cecile confirmed. "This is likely due to the direct division within Princess Euphemia's guard forces and units mistaking genuine questions about the validity of the order as treason."
"By our revised estimates, rather than a full Battalion or so. Only a handful of troops, roughly three or four under-strength companies worth of mostly infantry units plus those two 442nd airborne companies. Only these, out of the four battalions of security troops assigned to secure the SAZ and its surroundings during the inauguration, are confirmed to have actually defected." She told Lloyd, whom nodded at her.
"And those air cavalry units?"
"They appear to have been largely composed of 'Patriots' who were waiting for an excuse to jump ship from what I can tell via preliminary information, and given the amount of suspicious transfers into the regiment according to the data being transferred by their base commander I'm surprised an investigation wasn't launched by now."
"Mmm... Bureaucracy is our worst enemy at times..." Lloyd hummed as he leaned over Cecile's console.
"Back on topic, numerous units are just shooting on sight now without identifying first thanks to the initial chaos, we've lost at least eight platoons worth of soldiers to our own forces alone so far since the fighting broke out of the arena." Cecile continued as controllers tried to stop the friendly fire incidents before the Black Knights could take advantage of the confusion.
"Oh dear..." Lloyd whistled. "So the chain of command has totally fragmented, with General Darlton and Colonel out of the picture that should put Liath in charge... Why isn't she doing anything about this?"
"We don't know, the Le Fay hasn't issued any orders at all."
"Almost as if she wants this to happen..." Lloyd mused warily.
SAZ, Japan.
A loyalist Sutherland was blown apart in a hail of bullets from Ohgi's Burai, which was carrying Kirihara to safety.
"How dare you trample people's dreams!" He snarled furiously. "How dare you… Trample on the hopes of our people…! EUPHEMIA!"
Euphemia's Gloucester turned to face a fleeing crowd after impulsively destroying a command APC that had questioned the authenticity of her orders, opening fire on the civilians just before Kallen used the Guren's knife to disarm it and shoved the machine back. ["STOP IT!"] Kallen shouted.
Euphie yelped in surprise before getting her bearings. "Are you Japanese?!" She asked. "You dare raise a hand against Euphemia li Britannia!?"
Kallen grinned smugly. "Aha… There you are you ridiculous Royal Puppet… I should've known you'd be in the pink one…"
["Oh, you were on that Island, weren't you?"] Euphie asked, Kallen vaguely noticing something… Off, with her tone, especially compared to two days ago.
"Yeah, now suffer the hand of vengeance as I-"
["Wait!"] Zero ordered, causing Kallen to stiffen and pause as the Gawain's shadow loomed over Euphemia's KMF. ["I'll deal with her."]
The finger slash harkens on the Gawain fired off, entrapping the pink Gloucester.
["You defiant Japanese!"] Euphie decried as the Gawain used the razor-sharp wires it had bracketed her machine with to cut through the tungsten armor and frame of the Gloucester, causing it to fall to pieces.
["What now Zero?"] Kallen asked as she chimed the Gawain's comms. ["Do we take her prisoner?"]
"There's no point, leave her. I'll end this." Lelouch replied as the Gawain descended.
"I have to kill them all…" Euphie mumbled as she searched for a weapon after exiting the wrecked Knightmare. "These Japanese people, they have to die!"
She spotted an M16 lying next to one of the soldiers she'd killed and picked it up, firing the weapon uselessly at the Gawain, the 5.56mm linear propelled rounds bouncing harmlessly off the massive Knightmare's armor.
Inside the Gawain, Lelouch put his mask back on, having accepted what he was about to do as inevitable now.
Euphie's rifle ran out of ammo, the trigger clicking as she pulled it repeatedly. "Out of ammo, I have to… Hurry!" She said as she spotted a fresh magazine lying next to a Britannian soldier's corpse and rushing over to it.
Zero rode the Gawain's boarding line down as Euphie fumbled with the fresh magazine after ejecting the spent one. "I think it goes… In here…" She mumbled before it locked in with a click, slamming the door over the magazine slot shut.
She looked up to see Zero striding towards her. One of his hands hidden behind his cloak while the other was barely visible.
"Oh, it's you! I thought you were one of them!" Euphie said. "So I was thinking we could run the Specially Administrated Zone of Japan together… Oh wait… Japan…" Euphie mumbled barely loud enough for the Guren to pick up, causing Kallen some consternation.
"Is she… Alright…?" The redhead wondered, as that suggestion had come totally out of the blue and in spite of everything she'd just done.
The fact Euphie had seemed confused by the fact she'd even suggested it caused her earlier concerns to rise back to the fore.
"No… Zero wouldn't do anything like that… Besides, that's stupid to even think such a thing is possible." Kallen thought, dismissing them again for the moment.
="Yes… I would've liked that…"= Zero admitted as he strode past her, Euphie turning to face him as he did so. ="You and I, together…"=
The Lancelot stopped in mid-air having finally located Euphie.
"Euphie…" Suzaku said with a smile on his face.
Lelouch turned to face his half-sister as he raised his gun and pulled the trigger, vaguely noticing his weapon's lack of a kick in response to the recoil of it firing, a bullet ripping through Euphemia's body as she fell backwards from the impact, dropping the rifle in her hands.
A faint chime indicated the pistol's battery had just died.
"Lelouch… Why…?"
"Farewell Euphie…" He thought sadly, knowing that it was all his fault. "You may have been the first girl I ever loved…"
["NOOOOOOOOOO!"] Suzaku screamed as something in his mind snapped, the Lancelot diving down towards Euphie and Lelouch.
="SUZAKU!?"= Lelouch gasped in horror as he spotted the Lancelot screaming towards him.
Quite literally given the machine was playing its pilot's anguished cry over its speakers.
"Why now of all times!?" Nemo growled as she prepped to fire the Gawain's hadron cannons herself, only to be knocked forwards by another Knightmare just after Kallen screamed over the comms in terror.
Turning the Gawain, she saw the Scathach bring its MVS Lance up again to strike at the larger machine, the disabled heap of the Guren Mark Two lying behind it, Kallen having been taken off guard and disabled.
"DAMNIT YOU FUCKING BITCH!" Nemo screamed as she fired only to have the blasts miss wildly due to the close range with the Scathatch, the opposing black and grey Knightmare deftly slamming the Gawain aside and into the front of a commercial residence.
[="KURURUGI! GET HER HIGHNESS BACK TO THE LE FAY! OUR MEDICAL FACILITIES ARE SUPERIOR TO THE ONES ON THE AVALON!"=] Liath ordered Suzaku over comms as he gingerly picked up Euphemia and soared off into the sky, the Scathach following as Zero stared up helplessly while they retreated to the airships soaring above the battle, the le Fay's ventral 76mm linear guns spewing fire down at his troops to ward them off.
October 11, 2017 ATB.
HIMAS Morgan le Fay, SAZ Airspace, Japan.
The Lancelot landed in the crowded hangar of the le Fay, a medical team already on hand to take Euphemia to the ship's operating room.
"PLEASE! YOU HAVE TO SAVE HER! YOU CAN'T LET HER DIE!" Suzaku pleaded as the Lancelot's cockpit opened.
SAZ, Japan.
C2 strangled another R1 unit until its head popped off, imagining that it was Lelouch yet again.
"Fucking Zero, fucking Britannians, fucking Japanese, fucking Euphemia, fucking Black Knights… All of it can just go to hell…" She whispered as she turned on a group of uneasy Japanese civilians who'd just prior to the R1 units arriving had been beating a terrified Britannian soldier who'd neither joined the massacre nor defected to the Black Knights.
"Speaking of which… Mindless sheep like you are part of the problem…" The Reploid whispered as she marched towards them, her drills whirring like angry hornets.
"But… You're part of the Black Knights!" One of them pleaded as they backed away.
"Does it matter…? The only people who should kill… Are those who are prepared to be killed." She stated as she lunged towards them, eyes flickering red as she did so.
The bruised and bloodied Britannian soldier scrambled to his feet and ran for his life, tossing his helmet and weapon aside.
He never looked back to see the what happened to his attackers, but the screams and sickly sounds of flesh tearing told him all he needed to know of their fate.
X shot down another R1 unit as Zero swept through the swarm advancing on a nearby town like a demon.
"Vile! How's your sector looking?!" X asked over the comms as he scythed buster cannon fire through another squad of R1s that was advancing like mindless drones.
["We've got it contained, but nobody was able to land at the stadium, Black Knights opened fire on anything approaching unless it was flying their IFF."]
"What in the world…" X whispered, not liking where this was going at all.
October 11, 2017 ATB.
Tokyo Settlement, Area 11.
"You still haven't made contact with Darlton or Colonel?"
["No, your Highness."] A soldier replied to Cornelia's inquest. ["We've received a report he'd been injured by Princess Euphemia… But nothing further after that. As for Colonel, a Repliforce strike team managed to extract him and Iris not far from the stadium, although he's been badly damaged and in need of repairs."]
Cornelia frowned as her T-4 VTOL flew alongside a group of heavy airlifters, gunships, transports, attack planes, fighters, tactical bombers and fighter-bombers towards Mt Fuji.
["Viceroy, we've just gotten an urgent emergency message from the Avalon."]
"From the Avalon?" Cornelia asked, hoping it was good news.
["Yes. It appears the SAZ at Mt Fuji has fallen to the Black Knights, our remaining forces they have successfully withdrawn… But the Black Knights are now moving to intercept our forces and we have reports of unidentified aircraft taking off from clandestine airstrips all over the region."]
"What!?"
["And Princess Euphemia…"] Guilford paused hesitantly. ["She's undergoing medical treatment aboard the Morgan le Fay."]
Cornelia froze up. "What did Liath say about it…"
["The Executrix sent a report that confirms Zero brainwashed Princess Euphemia into instigating the massacre, likely to provide him with an excuse to invade the settlement. She's comatose now but is expected to survive, apparently Zero's coilpistol didn't fire at full charge, leaving her with a relatively shallow wound, which is likely the only reason she's still alive."] Her knight reported.
Cornelia snarled in rage, as relieved as she was for that. "Recall our troops and set up a defense perimeter! I want anyone who's had any sort of memory blackout since Zero appeared under constant watch by Reploid soldiers! Dispatch any available R1s to guard all high priority facilities, even the units just coming off the assembly line!" She ordered.
In another time, she'd have broken apart under the stress of having Euphie killed while she stood helpless, but here, her fire burned with the righteous fury of a thousand suns.
"I'll make Zero pay for every single drop of Britannian blood he's spilled with an ocean of Eleven blood!" She promised intensely. "ALL FORCES ARE TO WITHDRAW TO THE SETTLEMENT! WE'RE SETTING UP DEFENSES!"
["YES, YOUR HIGHNESS!"]
SAZ, Japan.
Tamaki punched a hapless Britannian official, a member of the Flare Party no less, until Rokusho pulled him away, the man immediately being tended to by a medical Reploid, still in shock at what had gone wrong.
"EQUALITY!" The angered Japanese man screamed. "YOU CAN SHOVE THAT STRAIGHT UP YOUR ADMINISTRATIVE ASS! YOU PEOPLE LURED US INTO A DEATH TRAP! YOU ALL JUST MADE THE BIGGEST MISTAKE OF YOUR LIVES! YOU GOT THAT!?" He shouted as the now occupied G-1 had its Britannian livery stripped from it by the mob.
All around the surviving surrendered loyalist troops were belittled and decried while the still wary, and quite outnumbered defectors had their equipment repainted and given new uniforms to represent their change in allegiances.
More than a few of them were pensive about it, having been effectively forced to do so to avoid being slaughtered by both sides.
Watching it all from on high was a bloodstained C2, the emotionally drained Reploid indifferent to what came next, especially after waking up from her blackout earlier to find herself surrounded by carnage.
"Lucked out didn't we?" Rakshata asked Diethard as they went over the logs from inside the G-1. "I can't believe they left all this footage and equipment behind."
"Yes, once we're done editing we'll upload this to the net for the entire world to see, hopefully before whoever created that fake video of the Black Knights instigating the violence does for their own footage." He murmured.
"Why should that matter?" Rakshata asked him.
"Because if we don't get our side out first, then international support will be less forthcoming." He informed her.
She smirked. "How curious… You don't feel any loyalty toward Britannia, do you?"
"Loyalty? Britannia's glory has ripened on the vine, my talents are wasted serving them."
Rakshata giggled. "You're more of an honest man than I thought you were."
"And what will you do now?"
She raised an eyebrow. "Hard to say… The main reason I came here was to gather data. But I'd feel bad about abandoning you all, especially since I may be able to offer something Q2 a link to her past. That and I find Zero so… Amusing…"
"Q2's Past?"
"Mmmhm, she was apparently built by a woman by the name of Noelle Lalinde some time ago based on some stuff I peeked at while fiddling around with her memory banks, don't tell her or she might kill us both, anyways from what I can tell Doctor lalinde worked for a company called 'Geoworks International' which was a geological research and mining conglomerate that had sites all over the globe. Naturally some of these places have to have more information about her if the good Doctor treated information dispersal in any way like the equally mysterious Doctor Wily or this Doctor Light whom Cain claims created X."
"And what would you ask in return?" Diethard inquired, now quite curious.
"The rights to use her schematics to build a new line of Reploids to help counter Britannia's of course, that and to study her more thoroughly in general."
Diethard hummed as he rubbed his chin.
In the ruins of the stadium Zero, Nemo, and Kallen stared down Kirihara and the other three present members of Kyoto who were flanked by Ohgi. Kobouin had already pledged his full support to Zero in the aftermath of the SAZ massacre, having suspected it of being a farce from the start. Which left Kirihara and the other three as one of Kyoto's six leaders had been cut down in the fighting.
"How wonderful to finally meet you!" Kaguya Sumeragi greeted Zero, as if there hadn't been hundreds killed in this very building an hour or so ago.
"This girl… She's a relative of Suzaku's…" Lelouch realized, having remembered her back from when he arrived at the Kururugi shrine.
"Zero… Are you prepared to work beside us in what's to come…?" Kirihara asked nervously.
="The opposite!"= He declared, much to their shock. ="From this point on, the six houses of Kyoto shall answer to me! I won't hear any objections, all other routes of survival for you have now vanished!"=
HIMAS Morgan le Fay, Area 11 Airspace.
The operating room light shut off as the door hissed open.
"Will she make it to the Bureau?" One of the 501st soldiers asked the surgeon.
"Barely, she's lucky Zero's coil pistol's power supply was almost drained otherwise it'd have been fatal even with our facilities." The surgeon replied. "We should transfer her to the homeland as soon as possible for further care, however, there's no telling what'll happen in the coming days, both from a medical and military perspective."
The soldier nodded at him. "Very well, I'll have Repliforce provide a high-speed aircraft."
Inside the OR, Suzaku sat next to Euphie's bedside as Liath stood behind him. "So, she'll survive right…?"
="Yes, but… They don't expect her to wake up any time soon due to her injuries and the blood loss…"= The Executrix replied, a tinge of sadness in her voice.
"How… How could this happen…" Suzaku mumbled.
="It's simple, he Geassed her into starting the slaughter."=
He turned to face Liath.
"Geass…?" He asked nervously.
="Geass, the power of the King, an arcane ability utilized by a select few since ancient times. Zero acquired his in to support his attempt to destroy Britannia by forcing people to oblige his orders, I don't know how many he has under his sway, but I sent a list of suspects to Cornelia to mitigate the damage to our forces in the coming battle."= She explained, giving Suzaku just enough information to satisfy him.
She saw the rage simmering in his eyes. "And he forced Euphie to order the Japanese to die!?" He snarled furiously.
="Yes, because he couldn't accept that in her impulsiveness, she'd outplayed him."= The woman explained.
Not a lie, but not the whole truth either.
Suzaku shot to his feet and screamed in rage, bashing a fist against an empty wall plate, blood trickling from his knuckles afterwards.
Suzaku pulled his hand back and stared at it. "And so, Zero used his power on me too then." He realized after a moment. "That's why I disobeyed orders at Shikane Island."
The woman nodded. ="Now you're getting it."=
He turned to face her again, the first hints of madness glinting in his green eyes. "Thank you your Eminence… I know what I need to do now… I need to kill Zero so he can't do this to anyone ever again…"
A predatory grin grew on her face behind her mask.
"Exactly as planned."
SAZ, Japan.
The crowd cheered for Zero as he strode forwards on the very same podium from which Euphie had ordered the massacre he'd commanded her to enact.
="PEOPLE OF JAPAN!"= He announced, throwing out an arm for dramatic effect. ="And all who are oppressed and abused by the Empire of Britannia!"=
="Long have I waited! All through the struggles against Britannia's injustices, I've waited for their government and elites to come to their senses!"= He stated as he began speaking, letting his words flow as naturally as they could. ="But that hope was betrayed! By an act of barbarism that can only be called genocide!"= He decried passionately. ="A genocide that many Britannians found horrific and monstrous enough to turn their backs on their own nation!"=
Admittedly the 'many' part was overstated according to the info Nemo had relayed to him just prior, but every good rallying speech had an element of falsehood in it he supposed.
He cast an arm out towards the crowd. ="Euphemia is the ultimate symbol of Britannia's hypocrisy! A murderer cloaked in the flag of a nation!"=
The crowd began chanting furiously, many of their voices far more radicalized than he'd hoped. Though to be honest, he should've expected it.
Still, he could use them.
="I hereby declare our independence from Britannia!"= Zero announced, to the shock of his supporters. ="But don't take this to mean the resurrection of your fallen nation… We will not turn back the hands of time! The new Japan we go on to build… Shall be one broad enough to accept all peoples, histories, and ideologies!"= He promised as the crowd fell silent again. ="Where the strong shall not reign over the weak! And in the honor of a group of great men who sought to provide thirteen colonies with the power of self-determination against an Empire half a world away! An Empire who dared to impose increasingly harsh measures upon them without their voted consent!"=
="I HEREBY DECLARE THE FOUNDING OF THESE UNITED STATES OF JAPAN!"= Zero proclaimed as he swept his arms in and out in a dramatic flourish to the cheers of the crowd.
"He's done it!" An awed Diethard whispered. "This is the birth of a nation!"
C2 frowned as she watched from above. "Can you back these words up Lelouch, you bastard..." She whispered softly as she tapped her buster against the stands. Hearing the chants below echo up to her.
"ZERO! ZERO! ZERO! ZERO! ZERO! ZERO! ZERO! ZERO! ZERO! ZERO!"
She huffed softly as they chanted. "Like father, like son I suppose..." She murmured, noticing the similarities to Charle's speech in the aftermath of Clovis's death.
Some time later, Lelouch walked back to his improvised quarters as a loudspeaker blared deployment orders for his forces.
Nemo closed the blinds and turned to face him. "So, you intend to assault the Tokyo Settlement?" She asked.
="Yes."= He said as he removed his mask. "This is the best chance we'll get the way things turned out." He informed her.
He realized she was exposed to his Geass and looked away on instinct.
"Have you forgotten? Your Geass has no effect on me." Nemo pointed out with some exasperation.
"Hmph… That's true isn't it… With my Geass out of control now… I can never look upon anyone who I haven't already commanded or is otherwise immune…" He mused softly. "By the way, have you seen C2, she's been absent since…"
"I saw her take off after she brought down a two dozen of those knockoffs of her with some kind of influence effect, but I lost track of her in the chaos." Nemo admitted. "If she hasn't reconnected with us by now she's either been destroyed, incapacitated…"
"Or she's figured out that my Geass was behind this and is trying to decide whether to kill me or not…" Lelouch whispered morbidly as his phone rang, he pulled it out, noting that it was Nunnally.
"Yes, Nunnally?" He asked as he picked up.
["Hi Lelouch!"] His sister replied sweetly. ["I was wondering uh… Umm… Do you suppose I could talk to Euphie again?"] She asked innocently, blissfully unaware of everything that had occurred today.
Lelouch gasped in shock, realizing that Nunnally could never accept Euphie being able to do something so cruel for no reason.
["I was thinking the three of us could go to the next school festival together. You see, Milly said they were organizing another one, since everything got all messed up the other day."] Nunnally explained. ["So I was hoping we could go to the new one together too!"]
She realized something as she'd paused before continuing. ["Oh, I'm sorry, I know you don't want us meeting ever again. But I thought, maybe, if there was some way you and I could see her just one last time…"]
"Nunnally… Haven't you heard the news…?" He asked, knowing the answer based on what she'd said earlier.
["Oh, well, the radio cut out mid-broadcast earlier, and the military promptly took over all the channels on Cornelia's orders. Why do you ask? Did something happen?"]
"Cornelia's still in effective command… Which means Euphie's still alive at the least…"
He frowned, as much as he hated to admit it, Euphie dying would've made his job easier, as the shock of it would've rendered his elder sister catatonic, with Darlton and Colonel ineffective it would mean that Guilford and a handful of others including Bartley would be the only ones in command.
Still... Bartley was the man who'd rallied Britannian troops to cut off the retreat of Todoh's forces after news of Itsukushima reached him.
"Of course not, everything is just fine." He lied quite blatantly to his sister. "Sorry, I'll be home by tomorrow, we'll discuss it more when I'm back."
["Okay… Bye Lelouch."]
"Right…" He said as he hung up and put his phone away.
"Alright, so you can't switch off your Geass… Are there any other changes you've noticed?" Nemo asked as she looked out the blinds again, wary of unwanted guests.
"Not really it's just…" He stopped briefly as he felt himself at a loss for words. "Euphie… She tried to resist the Geass… And my orders…" He stated grimly as he looked down at his legs. "I was wondering if my power had weakened. But I think… I think that such a malignant command… Was simply against her nature…"
"And so…?" She asked as she walked over to him.
"That's all…" He said as he began to break down. "I guess… It was something…" He choked out as he began to quietly sob while Nemo knelt down and began to comfort him.
From her hiding place behind a large dresser, C2 powered down her buster and barely avoided having her legs give out from the emotional shock.
"Goddamnit..." She whispered, her voice cracking and alarming both Lelouch and Nemo.
"C... C2...?" Lelouch asked nervously as the Reploid waved lazily from where she was standing. "How-"
"Enough to change my mind about blowing your head off..." She admitted, sending a chill down his spine as she emerged from behind the dresser, tears streaming down her face. "Why... WHY DIDN'T YOU LISTEN TO ME YOU STUBBORN BASTARD!?" She demanded, fists clenched tightly at her sides.
Lelouch hung his head in shame, he had no excuses, not now.
"One more chance Lelouch..." C2 told him, her voice hardening. "One more and them I'm out... Don't fuck it up..."
He nodded at her in understanding.
October 11, 2017 ATB.
Viceroy's Palace Command Center, Tokyo Settlement, Area 11.
"We weren't fast enough!" One of Cornelia's staff informed her. "We may have managed to keep the news off the net, but… There's insurrections all over the map!"
"That's correct, the Black Knights by default are the largest of the insurgent groups outside the JLF's remnants and are absorbing all the others en-route as they advance towards the Tokyo Settlement. In addition, anti-Imperial elements that've festered in many of our own units have begun defecting following reports of Euphemia's involvement in the massacre, we're still accounting for the treasonous scums' records and files as we speak."
"All of our ground and air forces in Area 11 are in play right now! All we have available to defend the settlement is the Navy and our units in the Tokyo region!"
"Yes, and with so many honorary Britannians turning on us, our enemies number in the tens of thousands. Plus there's reports the remnants of the JMSDF are prowling along the coastline!"
"Don't panic you fools!" Cornelia snapped at them. "Just because they have numbers doesn't give them an advantage! It just means they have warm bodies to hand rifles off to!"
"But Viceroy!"
"I've been in contact with Repliforce, they've dispatched Storm Owl's experimental air flotilla and Jet Stingray's maritime armada to aid us, while Liath has called upon the entire 501st Division, the last of whom have already arrived and set up a defense line around O'Hare field." She reported as Guilford nodded at her. "Additionally, forces from MacArthur base in Area 12 are en-route to reinforce us. While SIGINT reports indicate the Pluton detachment in Area 11 has been ordered to prep for combat."
Cornelia frowned after saying that, she'd have been happier to not know Pluton had sent a detachment to Area 11, even if such a thing was to be expected.
"On a far more serious note, we still haven't heard anything from General Darlton! And Colonel is still undergoing repairs!" One of her staff stated.
"That's irrelevant for the moment. Have you secured all the blocks yet?" She asked.
"Yes, Your Highness, there was some minor resistance from brainwashed soldiers and willing traitors but the R1s and Reploid troopers have taken full control of all security critical areas, and we have sentries watching the control centers for the settlement blocks in the event of further sleeper agents."
Liath turned her head to face Cornelia, mask impassive as always. ="We're circling the wagons?"= She asked.
"Yes, advancing into the countryside while it's in full revolt is suicidal, which is why all settlements in the region are under full lockdown and the Navy has sortied out all combat ready vessels from all its Area 11 bases. With everything in the settlement under our control, Zero can't play any wild cards inside our lines like he did at Narita." She confirmed. "I've already given orders to our air wings to stay evasive and not bunch up so that the Gawain cannot wipe them out with a single shot."
"And what about Iris? Colonel's sister unit?" One of the staff officers asked.
"What about her…?" Guilford inquired.
"Well, she was last seen heading to the Maverick Hunter HQ with a copy of Colonel's battle programming." The man replied.
Cornelia frowned pensively.
"What could she be up to…?"
October 11, 2017 ATB.
Maverick Hunter Regional HQ, Tokyo Settlement, Area 11.
If Middy could physically sweat, he would be as he felt a sidearm press against the back of his helmet.
"You're sure that it'll integrate properly?" Iris asked emotionlessly as she held the head tech of the 17th unit hostage.
"Y… Yes… You and Colonel share a lot of the same programming, it'll be fine… I think..."
Iris narrowed her eyes. "Thank you…" She said as she disconnected the link cables once the upload was complete and then shoved Middy into the wall and bolting before any alarms could be raised.
Groaning, Middy got back up and briefly contemplated actually calling security but decided against it.
"What can one non-combat Reploid do against an army…?" He wondered.
He would regret thinking that in mere hours.
October 11, 2017 ATB.
Project Badb Hangar, Tokyo Settlement, Area 11.
The magenta eyes of the RAX-04 Badb flared to life as it remotely connected with Iris, the immense Gawain-sized ride armor powering on.
[CONNECTION ESTABLISHED. ALL SYSTEMS NOMINAL. WEAPONS: HOT. MISSION: THE DESTRUCTION OF ANY AND ALL ELEVEN INSURGENTS AND BLACK KNIGHTS. COMMENCE ENERGY BUILDUP. ALL GLORY TO BRITANNIA.] The machine's internal computer 'thought' as it began charging its capacitor banks and loading what munitions it required automatically.
October 11, 2017 ATB.
G-1 Princess Nunnally, Area 11.
["Everyone in Toyama squad is at your disposal."] Someone reported over the radio.
["Roger that, any weaponry?"] Someone on the G-1 inquired.
["Some explosives from Gokayama. But we don't have enough vehicles, can any of us ride with you?"]
["Best we can offer are freight trains, unless you feel confident enough to sit on top of a tank, truck or APC. That okay?"] The Black Knights officer replied as the core leadership watched the column of vehicles follow after them.
"Looks like the groups from Yamanashi have joined up with us." Tamaki smirked as a group of Panzer-Hummels, Tierens, Burais, Glasgows, Gun-Rus, and Kalinkas moved up to join the column, backed by Type 50 and Type 45 MBTs, Type 58 and 59 MBTs from China, exported Soviet T-34, T-54 and T-44 MBTs, plus stolen M48s, M41s, M47s, M46s, and M60s in addition to countless other types of vehicles.
"Yeah and the remnants of the Blood of the Samurai faction too. Along with several groups of Britannian Neo-Patriots." Minami added.
"Our numbers are growing by the minute!" Yoshida noted in awe.
"Then there's Hiryuu's fleet moving to aid us, Marty's pirates too." Inoue added as well.
Not everyone had such bright views of what was going on. "I hope everyone in the student council can get away…" Kallen thought as she and Shirley watched from the back of the G-1 as well as the two moped about.
In a corridor Nemo leaned against the wall and sighed as she looked upwards. "On the contrary, I'm quite glad, as it at least enabled C2 and Lelouch to make up for the moment… Though she's more than willing to quit if he screws up again."
There was a brief pause before she spoke again. "Yes, I've figured out what kindness is… C.C."
October 11, 2017 ATB.
Shinjuku Ghetto, Tokyo Settlement, Area 11.
Chigusa watched out the window as an angry mob of Japanese up the street was violently dispersed by a platoon of R1 Reploids, many of the rioters being cut down by the buster cannons of the war machines, or literally torn to pieces in hand to hand combat by their sheer mechanical strength.
"I hope you're alright Kaname." Chigusa whispered to him over the phone as the rioters gave up and ran for their lives as additional R1s moved in from cleared areas. "You're working in Shizuoka now, right?" She asked as she let the blinds close.
["Yeah, I'm fine over here."] Ohgi replied, the sounds of Black Knights members repainting Sutherlands, manned and drone Liverpools and Gloucesters still on the production line emanating over the phone. ["Look Chigusa, we need to talk about something very important when I get back…"]
She gasped in surprise.
["What's wrong…?"] He asked in a hushed tone, thinking something had happened.
"Well that's the first time you called me by that name over the phone." She replied happily.
["Oh, you're right!"] Ohgi realized. ["Does it sound weird…?"]
"Not a bit! Anyway, I'll be here…" She said as she hung up, only to hear banging on the door.
The door was smashed down by a rioter with a sledgehammer. "There she is!" He snarled. "That Brit woman!"
"Watching us from your window huh!?" The second man growled.
"Admit it! You're some sort of spy!" The third accused.
She slowly backed up, fearful for her life.
October 11, 2017 ATB.
Ashford Student Council Clubhouse, Ashford Academy, Tokyo Settlement, Area 11.
["As the insurgents draw closer, the security situation in the Ghetto continues to worsen despite the deployment of combat troops and a zero-tolerance policy enacted by the Viceroy."] A newsman reported as Rivalz, Nunnally, and Sophie Wood watched the news, the latter being present mostly because Shirley was conspicuously absent, and thus Milly had conscripted her again in the latter's place.
Arthur simply slept, the cat uncaring of human affairs.
["The government is asking all citizens to stay in their homes until further notice, and to remain vigilant against rioters and looters."]
"Do you think the fighting will come our way as well…?" Nunnally asked Rivalz nervously.
"O... Of course not!" Rivalz assured her quickly. "Princess Cornelia's regular forces are stationed here, and a large number of airlifters loaded with members of Liath's own 501st division landed a few hours ago! Plus we've got the Navy! There's no way it'll get this close!"
"I hope so…" Sophie mumbled nervously as well. "We still haven't heard about where Shirley is…"
"Jeez buck up will ya Sophie… You're scaring me…" Rivalz mumbled before turning back to Nunnally. "Ah, Nunnally, what about Lelouch, is he back here yet?"
"No, he's still out there, so is Kallen and C2…" She replied.
"Wonder what's up with that…" Rivalz mumbled under his breath.
October 11, 2017 ATB.
Ashford Academy Basement, Tokyo Settlement, Area 11.
Nina continued her work on her project involving the Ganymede, mumbling under her breath about how Zero would pay.
Milly rushed in stopping in front of her workbench. "Nina! They want us upstairs in school! The insurgents are headed straight towards Tokyo!"
Nina looked up from the Knightmare's cockpit. "Right, and Zero is coming, isn't he?" She asked, unnerving Milly with her unusually aggressive tone.
"Please, wait for me Princess Euphemia… I'll avenge you, I swear!" She promised.
In the rafters above, a team of Pluton operatives watched the girls intently, focusing on Nina after Milly went back upstairs.
="Keep an eye on her. I want to see what she's doing with those materials."=
="Understood."=
Maverick Hunter Regional HQ, Tokyo Settlement, Area 11.
X ushered a group of Civilians into the safety offered by the HQ while his fellow hunters set up roadblocks, Australian made Sentinel Mk X tanks, heavy mechaniloids, and ride armors taking positions to defend the complex.
"Hurry! This way!" He shouted as he waved another group of Britannian civilians who'd been wounded by rioting Honorary Britannians into the security cordon.
Gunfire echoed out from a high-rise before one of the tanks blew it apart with a demolition round, part of the office complex collapsing onto the rioters and insurgents inside, crushing them all.
"Why'd it have to come to this!?" X wondered, knowing he and C2 would be forced to come to blows.
From atop the main building of the HQ, the Irregulars watched the Ghettos burn as faint tracer shots in the far distance showed the Black Knights path of advance.
"So… this is our rematch then…" Sancia whispered as she lowered her scope.
"Hell of a rematch…" Dalaque mumbled. "No wonder Colonel Madd sent us here, all we have to do is follow boy blue right to our target…"
"And then we pounce on her." Mao finished for them.
Atsugi Ghetto, Area 11.
Gunfire raged as the Black Knights advanced on the Atsugi automated defense line, waves of R1 Reploids piloting ride armors backed tank and aircraft mechaniloids engaging the Black Knights, buying time for Cornelia to regroup her forces.
Soon enough they were swept aside, having fulfilled their objective.
Inside the Princess Nunnally, Zero stood up. ="KILL CORNELIA AND LIATH AND THE DAY WILL BE OURS!"= He declared, knowing fully that his sister and the Executrix would be giving the same orders regarding himself. ="You all have your orders, now be ready!"= He stated as he walked forwards from the command throne, C2 following shortly thereafter, having been waiting at his side not unlike a Britannian Royal's knight.
="Diethard, have Todoh handle the frontline, I'm leaving you in charge here."= He stated as he walked out, Nemo getting up and following him out as well.
"Yes, very well Zero." Diethard acknowledged.
The door to the bridge hissed open as he walked up to it, revealing Kaguya standing there.
="You're Sumeragi's…"=
"What's with this sassy lost child…?" C2 thought, not amused in the slightest by the interruption.
Still, Sumeragi had her on edge, as she was the only member of the Kyoto House aside from Kubouin who'd willingly thrown their lot in with Zero after the SAZ 'incident' as more than a means of saving face.
Either she wasn't as ditzy as she seemed, or she was just prone to moments of insight.
C2 was personally betting on the former.
She hoped it was the former otherwise she'd look like an idiot.
"Thank goodness I made it in time!" Kaguya chirped happily before pouting. "That was so mean of you the way you headed off to battle without me!"
Nemo, Lelouch, and C2 all had roughly the same thought regarding that. "What…?"
"I've been a huuuge fan of yours ever since your big debut!" She said, C2 remaining unconvinced by her act. "I was hoping that I'd finally get a chance to talk to you." She said before reaching up. "Wow! You're really tall aren't you…" The fourteen-year-old noted almost childishly, testing Lelouch's patience. "Don't worry! I'll catch up to you soon enough!"
"L… Lady Kaguya!" Diethard gasped. "I thought the heads of the six houses still in Japan had remained in Fuji!"
"I followed after you!" She said before looking away coyly. "So I could watch my future husband fight!"
C2 resisted the urge to snort in amusement.
She could sense Lelouch's irritation with her already.
Nemo and Diethard looked at Kaguya like she'd grown a second head.
="Don't joke around."= Zero stated, Lelouch trying to prevent his annoyance from rearing its ugly head.
"Well, once you win this battle, you'll eventually need a wife, won't you?" She asked as she preened herself, trying to look either more attractive or cuter.
Nobody was sure which.
"I mean, I know your identity is a big secret and all, but you're gonna need someone as your public face, right?" She asked, her real goal becoming clear to Lelouch.
"Clever little minx." C2 thought approvingly.
Once again, Lelouch's mortal enemy just so happened to always be women outsmarting him by acting impulsively.
="Really? You believe we're going to win this battle?"= Zero asked, causing C2 to pause as she took that admission in.
That Lelouch himself was unsure of their chances overall.
Then again, they were actually at least a month off from being fully ready to launch the uprising, most of their equipment and trained cells were still out of position, and proper orders hadn't been issued to most of them, leaving the bulk of their forces as literally untrained militia and a variety of forces that would have issues following a well defined chain of command.
"Of course! I am the goddess of victory after all!" Kaguya said smugly.
"I thought that was Cornelia?" C2 mumbled just loud enough for everyone to hear.
Zero tilted his head back at her, a sign that if it were possible, he'd be glaring at the Reploid.
He turned his attention back to Kaguya. ="I'd be lucky to have you then."= He told her. ="Unfortunately I've already made a contract with the devil."= He apologized, Nemo blinking as Kaguya leaned forwards slightly, confused.
="Therefore, I have no room in my life for deities right now, only demons and war machines."= Zero stated as he walked past her, C2 and Nemo in tow, leaving an even more confused Kaguya in their wake as C2's metal footfalls drowned out all else in the silence.
October 11, 2017 ATB.
Code R Biomechanical Research Facility, Tokyo Settlement, Area 11.
"HURRY! WE HAVE TO GET THIS EXPERIMENTAL SUBJECT BACK TO THE HOMELAND!" Bartley shouted as the researchers worked quickly to get their subject, and the vaguely leaf shaped transformable Knight Giga Fortress, prepped for air transport.
The other unit they'd produced, Siegfried, had already been shipped off some time ago.
"The pressure!" One of the researchers yelled as an alarm began to blare. "The internal pressure is rising too quickly!"
Bartley swiveled to face the fluid filled tank, hearing the ominous noise of glass beginning to crack.
The tank promptly shattered, exposing the cyborgized Kewell Soresi to the air for the first time in weeks.
"Oh no…" Bartley groaned. "And now of all times!" He said as Kewell got back to his feet slowly.
"Good morning to you, it was…" The man stated, glaring at Bartley.
All the while Colonel Madd watched from the side, the Reploid grinning with barely restrained glee.
October 11, 2017 ATB.
Black Knights staging area, Area 11.
The Gawain took flight, hovering above and ahead of a vast army of vehicles, Ride Armors, Mechaniloids, and Knightmares below.
[="HEAR ME BRITANNIA!"=] Lelouch announced. [="THIS IS ZERO!"=]
Inside the cockpit, he removed his mask. "A rebel against oppressors who abuse their power!" He declared as he looked out towards the lights of the settlement. "We will wait until midnight! You have until then to surrender to me!" Lelouch proclaimed. "This is your only warning! Heed it! You have until twelve midnight exactly, not a single second later."
He activated a countdown timer.
SAZ, Japan.
With a royal guard Gloucester clutched in its clamps, a T-4 VTOL roared into the sky, unnoticed by the few Japanese out and about.
["General Darlton, I'm afraid that Princess Cornelia has ordered me to hand you over to the MPs upon our return."] The pilot apologized.
"What… For…?" The wounded man asked.
["She believes you've been compromised by Zero after I relayed what you said about your blackout to her…"] The man replied.
"I see, then I accept her orders…" Darlton acknowledged, knowing Cornelia had the best interests of the Empire in mind.
Tokyo Settlement, Area 11.
"Your little bluff is meaningless Zero, I've already removed your ability to take down our walls and the interior areas." Cornelia scoffed as she watched the clock count down as well.
She gave the order, instructed her forces to take defensive positions, but not on several sections of the settlement wall that she'd pre-designated.
"Still… It's a good idea… Mind if I borrow it?" She thought with a smug grin growing on her face.
Black Knights Staging Area, Area 11.
"You can still turn back you know." Nemo stated to Lelouch. "Your actions here will affect more than just Area 11… You, and this entire world, will be steeped in war."
"I'm aware of that… And yet, all the same." He began before his phone rang, Lelouch picking it up.
The caller ID read 'Euphemia'.
He gasped. "Euphie…? How is this possible…? No… It must be an impostor."
He picked up the call.
["Lelouch… It's me…"] Suzaku's raspy voice answered.
"Suzaku… Why are you calling me now…?" Lelouch asked warily, the hairs on his neck prickling up at his friend's tone.
["Lelouch… Are you at the school?"] Suzaku asked him.
"No, but I will be soon." Lelouch replied truthfully, worry beginning to set in given what Nunnally had told him about Suzaku and Euphie being 'close'.
["I see, I called because there's something I want you to tell everyone for me."] He explained.
"Yes, and what would that be…?"
["The sky… Make sure no one looks up at the sky."] He said cryptically.
"What…?"
["Lelouch… Is there anyone you could ever hate so much that you want to do more than simply kill them? But to make them cease to have existed in their entirety?"] Suzaku asked him.
"So, that's how it is then…" He thought.
Lelouch closed his eyes, accepting what destiny had decided for him. "Yes, there is." He replied, remembering Mao, Gareth, Berkana…
And the Emperor…
["I used to feel that sort of thinking was unacceptable… That unless you followed the rules, killing someone was just… Murder…"] Suzaku explained to him. ["Executrix Liath told me that sometimes there's a person too dangerous to let live, even if you're told otherwise… I didn't believe her at first, at least, for the most part… But now… I see where she's coming from... It's hatred that's guiding me."] He admitted. ["I'm fighting to kill someone, to end their very existence..."]
There was a brief pause before Suzaku continued. ["I'm going to become a murderer in the skies above Tokyo. So please…"]
"Embrace your hate." Lelouch interrupted, having come to terms with Suzaku wishing worse than his death.
There was a gasp at the other end of the line.
"Just think of Euphie." He told his now former friend. "I made my own mind up long ago… I have no intention of turning back." He hinted.
["For Nunnally you mean…"]
"Yes…"
There was another pause as Lelouch watched the time run down. "I have to go now."
["Thank you, Lelouch…"]
He smirked. "Forget about it, I mean, you and I are friends after all."
["For the last seven years…"] Suzaku noted.
"Right, see ya then."
["Yeah. Later."] His unknowing former friend replied.
Lelouch hung up just as the timer hit midnight.
And nothing happened.
Lelouch's eye twitched before he began to laugh, not even mad in the slightest as he realized that Colonel and Cornelia would naturally have drawn up contingencies in the event his powers be proven to exist. "I should've known that she'd be so thorough! That they'd've intercepted all of my Geassed agents!" He cackled as Nemo glanced over her shoulder at him. "Well now Cornelia, I guess it's your move! Let's see who's the better commander!" He chuckled with mad glee.
October 12, 2017 ATB.
Tokyo Settlement Border Wall, Area 11.
Cornelia smirked as she watched a timer on the TACNET screen count down from the cockpit of her Bors. "Blow the labeled sections." She ordered.
["Yes, Your Highness!"]
October 12, 2017 ATB.
Black Knights Staging Area, Area 11.
C2 and Rokusho watched as several key sections of the wall collapsed, followed by several sections of the settlement proper, which formed ramps leading to the upper levels as a result.
"Oh no…" The green-armored Reploid whispered.
"I see it too… They've created kill-zones…" Her second on Squad Seven agreed.
"Well, there goes our numbers advantage…" C2 sighed as she rubbed the back of her head. "Looks like we're bashing our skulls against the wall the hard way."
"Let's hope we have the troops after this to hold the Settlement."
"Agreed." She replied.
["All forces are to begin an advance under the cover of artillery fire! All helicopter, VTOL, and air wings! Engage at full speed after Kusukabe's forces perform their role!"] Zero ordered as a wave of fire rippled out towards the settlement, while aircraft roared overhead, waiting for the order to pounce.
A furious "BANZAI!" rose from the army they'd assembled as the Black Knights surged forth.
"Of course, knowing Zero, he'll have ways around this…" C2 admitted as the APC she and Rokusho were sitting on rumbled forwards as well, joining the great push and what would the deciding battle of the Black Rebellion.
Inside the Gawain, Lelouch chuckled. "Colonel Kusukabe, fire the Type 4s at the designated locations I'm sending." He ordered as he tapped a button on his console.
["At once Zero!"] The Colonel replied.
Lelouch smirked and cut the comm line.
Shortly thereafter over three dozen painstakingly acquired Type 4D cruise missiles flew over the Britannian defense line, the missiles breaking open and dispersing sub-munitions over the enemy forces, ripping them apart and clearing his line of advance for the moment.
"Dear sister, did you honestly believe I hadn't planned for the possibility that my infiltrators would fail? Against anyone else your plan would've worked perfectly, but like you, I don't fall for the same tricks twice." He thought before turning his attention to other matters.
"These hands of mine have been dirty for a long time now Suzaku." He monologued to himself, knowing Nemo was likely only tacitly paying attention as he tightened his gloves. "Your coming to face me now doesn't matter at all. Hell, I welcome it even." He stated smugly as he watched the Britannians scramble to reform their lines before the airstrikes and a second round of artillery disrupted their efforts. "I mean of course, you and I are friends." He said as he began to chuckle again, while the Britannian air defense units and fighter squadrons engaged his air forces, tracers, SAMs, and flak shooting up from the ground while air to air missiles streaked across the skies, either detonating harmlessly in mid-air or striking aircraft and swatting them down like gnats.
All the while, Lelouch's laughter became increasingly deranged while flames spread through the settlement as missiles, shells, bombs, and fallen aircraft rained down upon the silver blight that marred the natural beauty of Tokyo bay.
"Destruction and the loss of everything. That's right. Destruction always comes before creation. And for that goal, even my own conscience must be cast aside." He chuckled as he calmed down. "The only path left for me is straight ahead." Lelouch said as he grinned madly.
"Now then…"
AN: And thus, the final battle begins, this time with Cornelia better prepared for Lelouch's attack and most of her troops, and the city for that matter, intact.
But the real question is will it actually matter in the face of intense urban fighting and ongoing rioting inside the settlement and Ghettos?
Stay tuned to find out!