Fate/Geass: The Eden Vital War
Disclaimer: In this particular universe, I do not own or in any way shape or form hold a claim to the Code Geass, Fate/Stay Night or any other modern works that I may reference in this story.
Long ago, there was a war between Code-bearers and their Geass gifted armies over the power of Eden Vital, a war that destroyed the legendary continent of Atlantis and sent mankind back to the Stone Age. To prevent this, direct confrontations between Code-bearers are now forbidden, with disagreements to be resolved in a ritualized war of champions. But when V.V does the unthinkable and violates this tradition, he will soon learn that he is not the only one able to bend the rules for victory.
" " denotes speech
'italics'denotes thought
'bold' denotes location names
'bold italics' denotes skill use
Airship Construction Hangar, Shikinejima
Compared to the bustling Tokyo Settlement, the center of government and influence in Area 11, Shikinejima was an isolated place, the fourth and smallest of a chain of eight islands stretching south of Tokyo, about 2.5 hours away from the settlement by boat, or an hour by plane. It was for precisely that reason that the island had been chosen as the site of a Britannian military facility, in particular the one dedicated to construction and maintenance of the local detachment of the Britannian Aerial Armada, which in Area 11 currently consisted of the Avalon and several Caerleon-class light cruisers.
The Governor-General did wish he had access to a few Logres-class aerial battleships, but those were very limited in number, with the only two currently in operation being the Great Britannia and the Corbenik, the personal flagships of Charles zi Britannia and the Knight of One, respectively. As it was, Lloyd Asplund resigned himself to having to make do with his current fleet, with as many modifications could be made by his team of—
"Faster, we don't have much time!" admonished a labcoated dark-skinned blonde, who even now took a puff from a long pipe in her hands as she berated her assistants. "The Gefjun Disturbers and the Gefjun Net missiles have to be installed quickly, before the Pacific Fleet arrives, since these designs of the Earl of Pudding had in mind are not quite up to par for the battle to come. I would still prefer to use radiant wave technology instead of this Blaze Luminous as well, but I suppose this will have to do."
At the sound of this voice, Governor General Lloyd Asplund took a deep breath and tried to force himself not to snipe back, since his archrival was helping them to prepare for the confrontation that would take place in…just under 72 hours. Still, in the end, he was…somewhat unsuccessful.
"Just like the world's second best scientist, to complain about a revolutionary new system," the Earl of Pudding shot back, his lips twisted in a crooked grin. "Why you wouldn't be able to claim half your achievements without building off of my work…"
"What was that, you twisted little sociopath?" Rakshata asked sharply, turning her attention on the technical master of Area 11. "And almost none of your glorious inventions would be complete without my contributions…"
"You mean, without your unwelcome modifica—"
"Lloyd, Rakshata, can't we accept that the results are usually better when we collaborate?" Cecile broke in, attempting to play peacemaker to prevent the disruption of work.
"How quaint," Rakshata scoffed. "You expect me to trust this…this…poseur of a scientist to tinker with my children! You may as well say the ends justify the means!"
"Well…yes," answered the Director of Camelot, "since you two are sociopaths who care only for data…and your food or drug of choice."
"At least I don't have a pudding fetish!"
"At least I'm not addicted to opium!"
Those were the simultaneous (and rather indignant) responses of the two mad scientists, who took one look at each other and then looked away as their eyes met, almost as if stung, huffing at even having to deal with one another on such a basis.
'What's the Japanese word for this phenomenon?' Cecile wondered idly, as she regarded the two which so well suited one another, at least in their temperaments and fanatical devotion to science. 'Tsun...tsun…Tsundara? No... Tsunjire? No. Tsungire? Ah…Tsundere!'
Fortunately, before the atmosphere could spontaneously combust from the sheer amount of tension in the air, a sharp rustling of crisp fabric (so very different than the scraping of metal and the footsteps of the workers) alerted the trio to a new presence—their putative 'boss', as it were, who was surveying the progress being made on the fleetwide refit.
"Rakshata, have the modifications to the Avalon been completed yet?" the immortal Zero asked, her tone entirely business-like at the moment. There was no danger of her being discovered or harmed, since the island's garrison had been stripped bare for the Kyushu operation, and the only ones currently occupying the base were Black Knights and Lloyd's technicians.
"Yes, the Gefjun Disturbers have been integrated into the Earl of Pudding's flagship, giving it stealth capabilities and a more efficient Hadron Cannon," the Indian scientist replied, turning her attention to the masked leader of the Black Knights. "Not that it will help, since I doubt he'll ever take it out to the front lines. That's what politicians do, order other people to die for them."
"I don't seem to recall you going to the front lines much yourself, Rakshata," Lloyd replied, looking pointedly at a couch that had somehow found its way into the hanger, one of those padded affairs of velvet and pillows on which his Indian colleague had a habit of reclining.
"As much as I'm sure you two enjoy listening to the sound of your own voices, I think Zero still has some more questions," Cecile admonished, not wishing to give Zero an excessively bad impression of the two…admittedly eccentric individuals she knew, not knowing that C.C. had seen much worse in her very long lifetime. One did not live for 12,000 years without encountering some rather…strange individuals.
"As do I," Avenger broke in, with the exiled prince suddenly striding into view, having just completed a circuit of the hangar to inspect the ongoing work with his own two eyes. "What is the status of the modified Caerleon-class cruisers?"
"Proceeding," Lloyd replied, the light of the bright workspace glinting from his glasses. Rakshata looked at him strangely, but the Earl just shrugged it off. Like it or not, the organization was Camelot, and there were certain conventions to be maintained, even in rebellion. "The basics are done but…hohoho, I think you'll enjoy what we're doing to the Skeith …your flagship, and the first of what we are dubbing the Camlann-class stealth battlecruisers."
The Governor General gestured at the (nominally) Camlann-class airship that was currently trapped in rigging, with throngs of workers swarming over it, frantically swapping out components, testing weapons packs and…
"Are those components from the Siegfried?" Zero asked, her interest piqued as she saw what seemed to be the rather large Slash Harkens that had been mounted on the orange Giga Fortress she'd fought before.
"Yes, Slash Harkens enhanced with harken boosters," Lloyd said with obvious pleasure, "as well as the overall Blaze Luminous technology, electrifiable hull sections, a hypervelocity cannon—
"Stealth systems, and a Baryon cannon, similar to the one on the Shen Hu," Rakshata finished, not about to let the Earl of Pudding take all the credit. The man might be a brilliant scientist, as even his archrival would concede (grudgingly, if threatened by a blast from a radiant wave surger), but he could also certainly be less-than-considerate of others' contributions, to put it mildly.
"Very impressive," Zero acknowledged with a nod of her head, noting that even Avenger seemed to be pleased with the hardware. "I assume that this has also been loaded with Gefjun Net missiles, among other things?"
"That's correct," confirmed the Director of Camelot, with Cecile being the only practical details oriented person among the trio. "With these modifications, the Skeith should be significantly more powerful than the escort vessel it began life as."
"As it should be, should it have to face the Great Britannia or the Corbenik in battle," Avenger returned, lips pressed together in a line as he considered the new vessel, which had once been called a "Light Avalon", but now made for an impressive ship of its own. Given the need for an unobtrusive deployment to the Chinese Federation, this would serve rather well. "Well done, I'm impressed. And have you managed the same with the repairs to the Guren?"
Rakshata chuckled lightly at this question, a lazy smile spreading across her face.
"Well, I was wondering when you would finally ask," replied the dark-skinned blonde, walking towards a corner of the hanger where her personal research team was finishing up some enhancements.
There stood the familiar red-painted Knightmare called the Guren Mk-II, although there were some key differences from the last time Zero and Avenger had seen it. Perhaps the most obvious change was the Air Glide Wing system added to its back, allowing it to fly, though the new radiant wave surger was evident as well, as this time, it matched the Knightmare's overall color scheme (save for the claws, which were still silver).
"So you managed to replace the arm," the immortal C.C. noted, evidently pleased. "I take it that the differences from the original are not just cosmetic?"
"Oh, not at all," Rakshata answered with a rather languid glee. "This is a special armor-piercing bombardment type to deal with those pesky Knights of Round, able to fire radiation blasts at long ranges or over wide areas while retaining the power of its close-range surge."
"Don't forget about the Blaze Luminous shield mounted to its left arm," Lloyd Asplund added smugly, which almost set the other scientist off on a rant about how the Earl of Pudding had molested her child without her consent, though they silenced themselves as Avenger raised a hand.
"Most excellent," Avenger rumbled, just barely managing to resist breaking out into an evil laugh on the spot. "The three of you have outdone yourselves in producing such a fine Knightmare. I trust the Sutherland Airs are being distributed as we speak?"
'So Servant Rider will have a chance to pilot the Guren once again, which should be a nasty little surprise for the Britannian Army. But who will pilot the Lancelot then…I only recall one person more skilled in combat than Suzaku, but…would Sayoko do it?'
"That's correct," replied Cecile, nodding once. "The modified Knightmares are being shipped to the arranged transshipment points."
"Good, then we are on schedule for Operation Morrigan," Zero rumbled, though under the helmet, her brows knit together in puzzlement as C.C. looked at Rakshata. "One question though: if this is the Guren Mk-II, what happened to the Guren Mk-I?"
To the immortal's surprise, the Indian scientist actually stopped puffing on her pipe for a moment, her lips curling into a rather sour expression.
"There were…feedback errors with the radiant wave surger," Rakshata admitted after a few unpleasant moments of silence. "The Mk-I didn't survive the little accident."
'In other words…her machine cooked itself…but this one won't do so, right?' Avenger thought to himself, taking a deep breath and exhaling as he shook his head.
"But that problem has been fixed in the Mk-II?" he questioned more sharply.
"Of course," Rakshata answered, taking a puff to calm her from the unpleasant memory of melted metal and other burning smells. "I could hardly call myself the best designer if I couldn't make a working machine that outperforms any of the Earl of Pudding's works."
"In any case," Zero cut in, before the squabbling could begin anew. "It seems that we are on track. You have the ocean floor map data loaded into the Portmans?"
"Of course."
California Base, Holy Britannian Empire
In accordance to the Emperor of Britannia's orders, all of the Knights of Round had gathered at the Pacific Fleet's main port, accompanied by the Royal Guard and their acolytes. The most feared soldiers in all of the Holy Britannian Empire, answering to the Emperor alone, the seven of them were warriors known for being ruthless in battle, matchless from within a Knightmare Frame.
Still, outside of a Knightmare, some of them were known for being decidedly eccentric at best, with the man dubbed the "Vampire of Britannia" being the worst of them. He was Luciano Bradley, the Knight of Ten, a violent and confrontational man who called himself a "homicide genius", a man whose sole motive for fighting was to cause destruction, to be able to freely kill without restraint. Many times, he had sacrificed allies for his own gain—acts for which he had not been punished, due to Britannia's policy that those who died were not to be mourned, since they had been weak enough to perish—something that segued nicely with Bradley's penchant for mass murder.
Gino Weinberg was little better, an arrogant young noble who in a Knightmare Frame lived for the sheer exultation of battle, focused only on victory and the thrill of the fight—while outside of the fight, he was rather more known for violating the personal space of those he came across, and acting like a clown. True, he was a noble who had no idea of what appropriate was in the real world, but he was also a young man trying to heal old wounds and resentments by drowning himself in war, as so many other addicts did. Once, he had been a child in love with an Eleven maid, but his first love had been beaten by his family and left for dead—leading him to run away from home, abandoning name, station, and true attachments to others, except for the relationships at the point of the sword, where there was a certainty of kill or be killed, without ambiguity.
Then, there was Anya Alstreim, the youngest member of the Rounds, who could usually be found updating her blog with pictures from her camera phone. Not much was known about her past, as she was a quiet and introverted person who didn't speak to many, declaring the world to be dull, at best. In battle, she was overwhelming, swatting aside her opponents without emotion, as if simply eliminating minor nuisances. Not once had anyone seen her actually become angry, which was…odd enough that even the Vampire of Britannia stayed away from her, thinking that she might one day decide to squash him with her Knightmare when he was out of one.
The others (Dorothea Ernst – Knight of Four, Nonette Enneagram—Knight of Nine, Monica Kruszewski—Knight of Twelve, and Bismarck Waldstein—Knight of One) were rather more what one expected of elite soldiers, as they were noble, competent individuals fiercely loyal to their country.
Any one of them alone would have been a dire threat for a foe to face—which was part of the reason why there was some slight confusion as to why they had all been ordered to move out to Area 11 in order to eliminate Zero (though the three odd ones were tasked with heading to the Chinese Federation first to protect Prime Minister Schneizel and Crown Prince Odysseus during the wedding with the Tianzi).
Surely, whoever the masked woman was, she could not be that great of a threat to the empire, could she?
'War should only be used as a last resort,' thought Bismarck, the leader of the Rounds, 'as strength without restraint is merely needless violence.'
The Vampire of Britannia was somewhat more sanguine about the situation, as this would no doubt give him license to kill without restraint yet again, and the psychotic murderer had wondered whether or not Zero valued her life…
Still, no matter their qualms, they who were known and feared through the entire world would follow orders, leading the Pacific Fleet to Area 11, where the Knight of One would assume governance of the territory and organize the Knights in crushing Zero once and for all.
Transshipment Warehouse, Order of Black Knights
Upon reporting to the location where they had first received their Burais, the gathered members of the Black Knights were frozen in shock at the sight of their latest "present." When Zero had mentioned that the Governor General would be rendering the Knights some assistance, they had been slightly skeptical of this, thinking that any assistance would be minor at best.
They certainly had not expected…this.
"I've never seen anything like these. Are these…Sutherlands?" Ohgi asked, as he and the rest of the Knights looked out at the rows of Knightmares lined up shoulder to shoulder, filling the available space, hundreds in this warehouse alone. Most of them seemed to be Sutherlands with a strange backpack system, but painted black and silver, instead of the traditional purple, though there were some units modeled after the Guren, and one that looked rather like a black and silver version of the once-hated White Knightmare.
"Sutherland Airs, to be specific, courtesy of our Governor General," boomed the voice of Avenger, as the Gawain touched down outside the facility, and the man of shadow and flame exited the double cockpit, walking into the warehouse, where the throngs parted for his passing. "Sutherlands modified for higher performance and given the energy shields of the White Knightmare—and did I mention they can fly?"
Jaws dropped, and for the second time in his life, Lelouch was amused to bear witness to a silence quieter than dead.
"You're…kidding," Tamaki voiced in disbelief. "You mean…that Britannian bastard actually came through for us?"
A rather amused chuckle came from the masked visage of Avenger, as the man acknowledged.
"You should remember that there are Britannians that hate Britannia," the Servant replied, his arms moving and sweeping dramatically as he spoke. "Britannians such as the Governor General…and such as myself..."
There was a stir, as the gathered Black Knights remembered the little fact that their leaders were not Japanese (as they themselves had admitted at the meeting with Kyoto), though they collectively agreed that they could not argue with results.
"Avenger," Tohdoh spoke up, gesturing at a separate group of five Knightmare Frames that had been placed off to the side, four black-painted Gekkas and a black and silver Vincent. "What about these frames?"
"These, Tohdoh, are for you and the Four Holy Swords," Avenger's voice rumbled out, bowing ever so slightly to that group of elite pilots. "They are frames that have been customized for each one of you, in recognition of your skill and ability, for the battle that is to come."
At this, Tohdoh bowed in return, with the Four Holy Swords following suit.
"You have my thanks, Avenger," the former Lt. Colonel said with sincere gratitude. "And that of the Four Holy Swords."
But the Servant merely bid them straighten, his mirrored gaze moving to each of them in turn.
"I need no thanks, Tohdoh," answered the subcommander of the Black Knights, his voice pitched so that all could hear. "None, that is, save victory. If you are grateful for what you have received, then for the sake of Japan, we must prevail in our upcoming battle."
"Your orders then, Avenger?" Ohgi asked, eager to get the rest of the Knights familiarized with the new equipment.
"Ohgi, you are to help train the Black Knights with this equipment, familiarizing them with its use. Tohdoh, to you will fall the responsibility of devising useful tactics, as you and Kallen will coordinate with the Governor General on tactics to hold back our mutual enemies," the Servant ordered, mirrored visage displaying no trace of emotion. "His aerial battleships will be instrumental in fending off those of our opponents, for the Britannians have sent their entire Pacific Fleet to crush us, along with the Knights of the Round."
"The Knights of the Round, but—"
Voices of shock and disbelief arose once more, but an upraised hand silenced them, as Avenger's gaze swept over the assembled warriors.
"Britannia is sending against us its most renowned warriors in an attempt to break us once and for all, not because they see us as worthless, but because our actions have shaken the homeland to its very core," intoned the masked man of shadow and flames, to a chorus of nods and murmurs. "Because we have defeated the Chief General of their armies, they fear us as the only real threat to their power, thus this all out assault."
Underneath his mask, Lelouch smiled, plying this opportunity for drama to the utmost.
"Should we weather the storm and crush them once and for all," he spoke, urging his troops onwards, "we of the Order of Black Knights will be immortalized as those who truly render judgment on the oppressors of the weak. Should we weather the storm, we will have brought hope to all those who suffer around the world. Should we weather the storm, Japan will be free, my comrades, released from the grip of Britannian tyranny."
A moment of silence, while he allowed his words to sink in, then…
"So I urge you to fight," he finished softly, yet firmly. "To fight, not for me, not for Zero, but for yourselves, for the wish you hold within you, the geass that will not allow you to fail. Not for the me that believes in you, or the you that believes in me, but the you who believes in yourself. For you are the Order of Black Knights, the ones who stand in judgment of the world, who make the impossible possible, the ones who will forge a miracle with your own hands."
Student Council Clubhouse, Ashford Academy
Within the Student Council Clubroom, Rivalz, Shirley, Nina, and a recently returned Milly were watching the news uneasily, as program after program announced that the shocking news that Knight of One, along with the rest of the Rounds, were on his way to Area 11 to take over the duties of governance from Earl Asplund, a man who had proven himself incompetent with his failure to stop Zero, as well as to "restore order" to the territory, as the Emperor was concerned about the state of "unrest."
"They're sending in all of the Rounds for something like that?" asked Rivalz, a horrified expression on his face. "Isn't that…overkill? Especially as Zero hasn't actually ever acted against Britannia without provocation? And since rumors say that it was the Black Knights who dealt with the Chinese Federation's invasion?"
"Yeah," answered Shirley, her eyes clouding with concern for her fellow students—or one, in particular. "If Britannia goes to all out war with the Black Knights in Area 11, turning this place into a warzone, what's going to happen to us?"
For once, even the usually cheerful Milly Ashford looked grim, her eyes haunted as she took in the news that she had been expecting for some time.
"Those of us without a side will only be caught in the crossfire…" she replied, an answer that only further unsettled the students there. "Britannia doesn't care about the lives it has to throw away, since it can just blame the fighting on Zero…in the end, all of us are disposable."
'Sooner or later, we all will have to choose a side, since as soon as the Rounds land, the Governor General will declare his defiance, as all of us rise in rebellion against the Crown.'
A/N: So, the pieces are assembled…soon, battles for survival itself will commence, with the forces of the Knights necessarily split, as things begin to move towards a grand confrontation that will shake the world itself! Thanks for reading, and reviews are much appreciated.
Omake
"Well done," Avenger acknowledged, his voice dripping with honeyed praise. "I'm impressed with your achievements. Though I wonder…have you managed the same with the repairs to the Guren?"
Rakshata chuckled lightly at this question, a lazy smile spreading across her face.
"Well, I was wondering when you would finally ask," replied the dark-skinned blonde, walking towards a corner of the hanger where her personal research team was finishing up some enhancements.
There stood the familiar red-painted Knightmare called the Gurren Mk-II, although there were some key differences from the last time Zero and Avenger had seen it. Perhaps the most obvious change was the presence of a black and yellow W-shaped wing to the back, allowing it to fly, though it had also been given a new paint job, making it look as if the body of the Knightmare was a giant grinning face with glowing yellow eyes. The head had been overhauled, now apparently silver steel, covered by a crimson helmet with a yellow crescent as adornment, and the rest of the Knightmare had been liberally reinforced with black and yellow armor, but most disconcertingly of all—
"…Rakshata, why is a Knightmare wearing sunglasses?" the immortal C.C. asked, somewhat confused by the change in design. "And why are there…drills?"
Indeed, it appeared that this upgraded unit had the ability to extend drills from most of its body, with the wrist mounted drill attachments apparently being the main hand to hand weapons, designed to shatter swords, lances, or other melee implements.
"Well, I was wondering when you would finally ask," replied the dark-skinned blonde, walking towards a corner of the hanger where her personal research team was finishing up some enhancements. "We are to the ones who oppose Britannia's wall to progress, are we not? Then is the drill not a perfect symbol for us, tearing open holes and breaking through barriers every time—showing that once we've dug through, we've won?"
"Oh?" the immortal asked, somewhat amused by this. "Go on."
"Yes, just as science evolves moment by moment, so do people," Rakshata continued, growing somewhat more animated with each word. "Little by little, we advance further with each turn, walking the path of the spiral! That's the way a drill works! In this world, Britannia acts like a king, sealing away the numbers…and that…that is its limit."
"O…k..." Avenger said—
But Rakshata was not finished yet, taking a deep breath as she continued.
"Mark my words!" she cried out, gesturing at the upgraded machine. "This drill will open a hole in the universe, a path for those who rally behind us! For the dreams of those who've fallen! The hopes of those who'll follow! Those two sets of dreams weave together in a double helix, drilling a path towards tomorrow!"
"Are you sure—"
"Of course, rejecting common sense to make the impossible possible, isn't that the way of the Order of Black Knights?" Rakshata asked, eyes wide, speaking rapidly as if possessed by something. "The probabilities of your victories were close to zero percent…but I've learned that probabilities are meaningless when it comes to you, Zero."
"Are we still talking about the Guren Mk-II?" Avenger asked, raising an eyebrow, once the Indian scientist seemed to calm down slightly. "Or…"
"Guren Mk-II?" the scientist replied, laughing. "No, not the Guren Mk-II, such a technical name, but Gurren Lagann, the raging inferno that shall pierce the order of heaven!"
With that, Rakshata collapsed onto a conveniently placed couch, her pipe clattering to the floor as Avenger and Zero stared.
"Did someone give Rakshata something besides her usual?" Avenger demanded, though no one dared to answer.
"…I don't know what she was on," Zero said at last. "But I want some."
