Snippet spoiler: low to none
The Knights of the Round serve as direct agents of the sovereign of the Holy Britannian Empire, wielding authority that many consider second only to their liege. Limited by tradition to twelve members at most, it is rare for any sovereign to fill every position even in times of war. Each knight officially commands an imperial regiment composed of armsmen sworn directly to the sovereign. Whereas the royal guards of the imperial scions are legally limited to fifty at most, the sovereign is permitted an unlimited number of direct armsmen.
Out of the Knights only the Knight of One possesses a legally defined position and role. Previous to the reforms of the Empress Euphemia he or she would be granted the viceroyalty of any of the Empire's conquered areas, though from a practical perspective actual governorship was always delegated to trusted agents due to the Knight of One's official duties. These duties included command of the Fenrir Guard, the regiment responsible for defending the capital city and the personal safety of the sovereign.
While the other Knights do not have such predefined roles, precedence and tradition has resulted in them being assigned informal ones. Since the formation of the Britannian Air Force the Veðrfölnir Guard, the air combat regiment responsible for securing Pendragon's airspace and also escorting the sovereign whenever he or she travels by air, has been commanded by the Knight of Four. Similarly the Jörmungandr Taskforce, the naval element of the sovereigns' personal forces, was traditionally commanded by the Knight of Two.
-Toward a New Dawn: The Rise of Euphemia I
Chapter 35: Adaequatio intellectus et rei
There were still many unresolved matters, not least of which was the issue of Suzaku Kururugi. It was however getting late and Euphie was sufficiently weary that she determined that addressing the matter of the specialist would have to wait until tomorrow after she got a good night's rest. Of course something always interrupted one's plans.
"Your highness?"
Euphie glanced over at the doorway. "Dorothy? Is something the matter?"
The maid looked hesitant but continued nonetheless. "Sir Ashford has awoken, your highness, and he has requested to speak with you."
All thoughts of sleep vanished from Euphie's thoughts. The elderly man's state after the sudden heart attack was one of the matters she had inquired about before retiring, though Euphie had elected not to pay Ruben a visit so as to allow him to rest more comfortably. Milly was also at her grandfather's side to keep him company so it was not as if Ruben would be all alone. Now though the princess hastily donned a relatively plain blouse and dress and hurried to the room set aside for the old man.
Waiting outside was Milly, leaning against the door as if standing guard despite the fact that two of Milly's armsmen flanked the entryway.
"Milly," Euphie said.
The older girl smiled slightly before enveloping Euphie in a tight embrace. It was remarkable how much tension could bleed away in a hug and Euphie felt her entire body seemingly relax.
"Grandpa's gonna be okay," Milly said, and then more softly, "and Nunnally is fine too, she said to ask after you."
"I'm fine," Euphie responded as the two separated. "No, that's a lie. I'm not fine. There's someone out there willing to murder countless people in cold blood. Until he's caught, I won't be able to stop worrying about something happening to you or your family."
Milly smiled gently and gave Euphie's hands a squeeze. "Even though you are the one more likely to be in danger?"
"The danger I face comes with my duty," Euphie said solemnly before smiling sadly. "And if I could I would not see it shared with those close to me."
"That's what I love about you Euphie," Milly said, her smile widening slightly. "For all the politics and maneuvering, there are times when you wear your heart on your sleeve and I can see the kind person you are."
The words took Euphie aback but then she smiled in gratitude to Milly. The older girl then opened the door and gestured for her to enter. To Euphie's surprise Milly did not enter and closed the door after her, leaving her alone with Ruben. Apparently not even her armsmen would be allowed to listen in on this conversation, though seeing how deeply they were in the palace and the fact that Ruben was one of Euphie's most trusted advisors the brigadier would probably not make a fuss. Probably.
The princess shook off these idle thoughts and made her way to Ruben's bedside. The elderly man was lying down, his complexion still a bit pale but nowhere as haunted as earlier.
"Highness," Ruben said and made to rise.
Euphie immediately reached out and placed a single hand on the man's shoulder. "Please, Ruben. We have no need for formalities here."
The old man smiled wirily but relaxed nonetheless.
"Do you need anything?" Euphie asked.
"According to the doctors all I need is time," Ruben said before gazing at the ceiling. "Time. It is something that I will soon run out of."
Euphie's face creased into a frown, a change not lost upon Ruben. The elderly man reached out a hand and Euphie immediately clasped it.
"Do not make that face highness," Ruben said with a comforting smile. "For one who has lived a full life, the end is not something to be feared or avoided, it is simply the next step on the journey."
Euphie nodded solemnly. What Ruben said was perfectly reasonable, for those who indeed lived a full life. Too many however had been cut short this day and in the princess' opinion Ruben's was nearly one such life, for she did not consider his time to yet be due.
Ruben took a deep breath, the smile disappearing from his face. His eyes were now firm but not cold.
"I spoke with Milly about what happened at Ashford," Ruben said. "About which of my students I have failed."
"You didn't fail anyone," Euphie said emphatically.
"Perhaps not, but I have failed myself," Ruben said. "But that is not what I wished to discuss with you. One of the persons Milly informed me perished was a woman named Cecilia Clermont, not a student, but an assistant to one. I believe you have met her."
Euphie nodded very slowly, wondering where this was going. And then her mind made the intuitive leap and she gasped.
Ruben nodded. "I should have paid closer attention when her paperwork came in, but at the time I was settling into my new duties and so I relied on my staff at Ashford to handle the details. Milly however had a photo of the woman on her cellphone and, it is as you surmise, this Cecilia looks exactly like the woman that entrusted Nunnally to me."
"But, that was eight years ago," Euphie said, more thoughtful than incredulous as she considered the information about Cecilia's supposed regeneration ability. Could the woman actually be effectively immortal?
"Indeed," Ruben said with a deep sigh. "I cannot explain it, your highness, but I am certain that this Cecilia is the very person that saved Nunnally and brought her to us. I do not fully comprehend what she was doing at the school with Kallen and according to Milly she never behaved any differently when in Nunnally's presence, but the resemblance is too perfect for her to be anyone else."
Euphie frowned. This whole affair was becoming more and more convoluted. And it was becoming increasingly clear that losing track of Cecilia and Kallen was an even greater problem than she originally thought.
"Milly never met Cecilia when Nunnally was brought to you?" Euphie asked.
Ruben shook his head slowly. "And she still does not know that Cecilia was the one to do so. I ask that that remain so, your highness, for I have a fear that whatever this woman's secrets they are worth a great deal of blood to someone out there."
A conclusion that Euphie herself had also made. The princess nodded.
"I will investigate this matter discretely, Ruben, you have my word." Euphie smiled once more. "And thank you for informing me of this."
"For the sake of my family," Ruben said, his voice growing softer.
It was evident that the elderly man's energy was leaving him. Euphie gave Ruben's hand another squeeze before setting it down on the bed. As she withdrew the old man's eyes were already closed. It was with great care that Euphie opened the door and with equal care that she closed them to avoid making a single sound. Milly was still waiting outside and gave Euphie a nod as the princess emerged.
"I'll be heading back to Ashford," the girl said. "Can't leave my little sister alone for too long."
"Please give her my love," Euphie said.
Milly flashed her trademark grin. "I will. Night Euphie, and try to get some sleep yourself."
That was an excellent suggestion and Euphie headed back towards her room to do just that. As she reached for the door handle however one of the armsmen trailing her cleared his throat.
"Your pardon, highness, but MacArthur Base just relayed a message," he said very apologetically.
"Is it pressing?" Euphie asked with considerably less humor than was her usual wont.
The guardsman looked at Euphie for several seconds before finally answering. "There is the possibility, your highness, but at present no further action should be necessary beyond simply keeping you informed."
"Then inform me," Euphie ordered.
"Yes your highness. MacArthur Base reports that they have received and verified a request for landing clearance from Dame Monica Kruszewski, the Knight of Twelve."
Euphie was now giving the armsman a very flat look.
"She is expected to land within the hour," the guardsman added.
A most unladylike word passed the princess' lips. The armsmen within earshot all wisely decided they had heard nothing.
The supersonic transport that was available to the most trusted agents of the emperor was capable of speeds up to Mach 2 even when hauling the knightmare frame of said agent. This put the travel time from Pendragon to Tokyo at five hours, far faster than any mere commercial airliner. Of course a lot of things could happen in a mere five hours as Dame Monica Kruszewski, Knight of Twelve, was finding out.
"So at present we have no idea where she is," Monica stated.
"That is correct Dame Kruszewski," Jeremiah said.
Monica refrained from sighing. Had this task been easy it would never have been handed to a knight of the round, much less to her specifically. It would also be grossly unfair to imply incompetence on the part of the soldiers here. Monica only knew Brigadier Eyrie by reputation but she doubted that anyone entrusted with the safety of an imperial scion would have selected anyone not of the highest caliber for her guard. Nevertheless the simple fact was that C.C. and her contractor had managed to escape in the confusion of the second attack on Ashford and could well be anywhere in the area by now. Not easy was starting to sound like a gross understatement.
"This Red Knight has known associates?" Monica asked.
Jeremiah grimaced. Technically there were suspicions about certain individuals but there was no hard, concrete evidence. Making the matter even more complicated was the fact that one of those individuals was associated with the Keio project and upon learning of the knight's impending arrival the viceroy had ordered a complete block on anything related to the hospital.
"None confirmed," Jeremiah finally answered, "and to move against them without confirmation carries with it substantial risk of destabilizing the area."
Monica raised an eyebrow as she regarded Jeremiah. "I would not have presumed you would bend words like a bureaucrat, margrave."
The man's anger flared for a brief moment but he kept it in check. "Respectfully Dame Kruszewski, while you are an agent of the emperor so is her highness the princess in her capacity as viceroy. And as you are newly arrived to Area 11 you may not be familiar with the complexity of the current social and political climate. That being the case, I would advise that you not perform any acts that would have undue consequences such as undoing her highness' progress in establishing order outside of the concessions."
Monica raised an eyebrow. "Such progress that the area has suffered perhaps its worst terrorist attack ever?"
"Thus far the only hard data that we have is whomever orchestrated the attacks was able to compel members of the gendarmerie to attack not only the Lady Stadtfeld but members of her highness' royal guard," Jeremiah replied firmly. "Seeing as the objective of this unknown party was obviously to silence the Lady Stadtfeld and her companion Ms. Clermont, it is interesting that thus far you, madam, seem focused on apprehending the Lady Stadtfeld and not in identifying whom managed to suborn the gendarmerie."
The knight regarded Jeremiah silently for a few moments before cracking the slightest of smiles before assuming a sterner expression.
"You make a valid point, margrave," Monica finally said. "However I assure you that my primary concern is identifying the perpetrator or perpetrators behind the Ashford attack. Seeing as presently there are no leads as to whom that may be, it seems reasonable to me that attempting to find the Lady Stadtfeld and determining what she may know about this assailant is the best course of action at present."
Jeremiah tilted his head. "That may be the case, but in frankness Dame Kruszewski we simply do not know where the Lady Stadtfeld disappeared to. She has not returned home and if she has left the Concession then by this time she could be miles away from Tokyo."
That, Monica conceded both mentally and with a nod, was also true.
"Then how would you recommend we proceed, margrave?" Monica asked.
"Under normal circumstances I would suggest interrogation of the prisoners," Jeremiah said. "Unfortunately the only gendarmerie that was taken alive has been, hysterical."
"Hysterical?"
"Or possibly deranged. When he first gained consciousness he attempted to bite off his own tongue. The nurses were able to stop him but they have been forced to keep him heavily restrained to prevent him from hurting himself."
The man frowned.
"Is something the matter margrave?" Monica asked.
"It is just, eerily similar to some prisoners we took from amongst the Blood of the Samurai a few months back," Jeremiah answered.
This elicited a frown from Monica herself. "I recall a note attached to the debriefing that indicated suspicion of a foreign element influencing the Samurai, driving them to fight to fanatical levels."
"Indeed. And according to the reports by her highness' guardsmen when it appeared that the gendarmerie would be unable to achieve their objective those still fighting to the man committed suicide, as if determined to be prevented from revealing something."
That was speculative but Monica felt certain that the margrave was onto something.
"Where is this prisoner now?"
"In one of the secured wards."
"I would like to see him."
Jeremiah raised an eyebrow. "As I said, the prisoner is currently hysterical. Efforts to interrogate him have gotten us nothing thus far."
"That may be so margrave," Monica said with another faint smile, "but my duty demands that I bear personal witness before declaring an avenue exhausted."
"Very well," Jeremiah said as he turned towards the door. "With me then."
Despite the hour MacArthur Base was still buzzing with activity, meaning there were plenty of people that gawked at Monica as she passed. A knight of the round was not exactly a common sight even back in the homelands. To have one here in such a remote area of the Empire was sure to elicit attention, especially when her features were so graceful. Monica however paid the onlookers no heed and simply followed Jeremiah over to the base hospital. There the two proceeded underground until they stood before a series of heavy looking doors. The two guards standing watch immediately snapped to attention at their sight.
"M-my lord, madam knight."
"The prisoner's status?" Jeremiah asked.
"He's in one of his collapsed periods, my lord," the soldier said, "but I expect that he'll start back up within a couple of minutes."
Jeremiah nodded and at seeing Monica's quizzical look offered an explanation. "The prisoner does not cease struggling even after being strapped down and gagged. In fact the Samurai we took prisoners all eventually died of cardiac arrest because of their refusal to rest."
"I see," Monica said thoughtfully. "I wonder if that was intentional."
"I know not," Jeremiah responded before looking back at the guard. "Open the door."
"Yes my lord."
The soldier futzed with a key for a few moments before the lock clicked open. He pulled the door open and promptly shut it once Jeremiah and Monica were in.
The woman barely heard the door clang shut behind them, her attention was fixed solely on the ragged looking form tied down on the bed. The man's face glistened with sweat and his eyes darted about, not even looking at Jeremiah or Monica. None of that however mattered in the least to the knight. She closed her right eye and regarded the man with her left and immediately picked out the flickers of a faint red light in the prisoner's eyes.
"Interesting," Monica said aloud.
Jeremiah looked over at the woman. "You see something?"
Monica chewed her lip as she considered how best to approach this matter. It was unlikely that she could get the margrave to leave her alone with the prisoner and even if she ordered him it would be a moot point, the room was obviously wired and so any information she extracted from the man would eventually reach the authorities responsible for Area 11. On the other hand she could lessen the inevitable questions with a bit of misdirection and by ostensibly cooperating with the authorities here they would likely be more willing to lend her aid should the need arise. Arriving at a decision Monica turned to Jeremiah.
"The man is obviously under some sort of conditioning and as a knight of the round I have some experience with methods of overcoming or disrupting such conditioning. I can attempt them on the prisoner, but I will require your word that you will not reveal the means by which I make the attempt."
Jeremiah's eyes narrowed. "Are you asking me to withhold information from her highness?"
"Merely what I personally do," Monica said. "Any information we obtain from a successful interrogation you are free to share with the viceroy or the marshal. Is that acceptable, margrave?"
Jeremiah spent perhaps another moment or so regarding Monica before finally giving a nod. Monica however was not entirely done yet.
"Your word, margrave."
The noble raised an eyebrow but acquiesced nonetheless. "I give my word as the Sixth Margrave of Winchester that I will not reveal to any other soul the means with which you overcome the prisoner's conditioning."
Monica nodded in satisfaction. The theatrics were completely unnecessary of course but it would do nicely to distract Jeremiah from what she was really doing. She turned about and stepped to the side of the prisoner, making sure that her back was to the margrave. Placing fingers on the man's temple on both sides of his head she pressed down. With the prisoner's head also securely fastened the minute shaking he was capable of did not offer any particular difficulties to Monica. Then again all this was for show to hide what she was really doing.
Closing her right eye Monica focused her left sight on the prisoner's eyes. The man stopped fidgeting and soon was gazing blankly back at her. Then for the briefest of moments a blue light invisible to all but a select few flared in Monica's left eye. To the woman's surprise the blank gaze did not disappear. She focused once again, letting the light of her geass shine once more and this time longer. The prisoner's eyes started to focus and Monica allowed her geass to recede. At the same time however the glassy look started returning to the prisoner's expression. Monica grimaced. This was unheard of, for her geass to be unable to completely negate another's. But neither was it completely ineffective. Monica gazed at the prisoner and allowed her power to shine without pause. Finally the empty stare of the prisoner disappeared. Instead he looked up at her in confusion, and then consternation.
The knight undid the gag in the man's mouth before straightening.
"Wha-what is going on?"
Jeremiah was immediately at the beside opposite Monica at hearing coherent words from the prisoner.
"Soldier, name and rank," he snapped.
"P-Peter Wake. Private. Britannian Gendarmerie."
Jeremiah looked back up at Monica. "You did it Dame Kruszewski."
Monica frowned, a genuine expression on her part. "To an extent. The, conditioning is severe in the extreme. I do not know how long we have before it reasserts itself."
"Then we best begin," Jeremiah said before looking back down at the gendarmerie. "Private, what is the last thing you recall?"
The man looked up at Jeremiah in confusion. "Wh-where am I? Why am I tied down like this?"
Jeremiah bit back the urge to yell at the man to focus. That would probably be counterproductive no matter how satisfying venting would feel, initially at least.
"Private," Monica began, "look at me."
The prisoner did so, his face still one of near panic.
"I am Monica Kruszewski, Knight of Twelve in service to his majesty the Emperor Charles."
Said panic quickly elevated.
"We are trying to determine whether it is safe to release you from the bindings," Monica continued, "so please answer our questions. What is the last thing you remember."
The man's eyes widened at the seeming lifeline being extended. "We-we were dispatched to a school. Ashford Academy. There had been a terrorist attack and we were to secure the area." The man's eyes glazed slightly as he recollected what happened. "We got to the school, established a perimeter." A frown crossed his face. "And, I got a text message on my cellphone."
Monica frowned. "What did the message say?"
"I-I'm not sure. I pulled out my phone to check it but, everything after that is a blank."
The knight exchanged looks with Jeremiah. This at least was something.
"C-can I get up now?" the private asked.
"We still have some questions," Monica said. "Within the past couple of weeks, were there any other periods of time that you can't seem to account for like after you received that text message?"
"I-I'm not sure," the man said. "I-maybe?" He frowned. "There, was this one time, I'd helped a guy that had tripped. He-it was only a minute, or that's what it felt like. But I ended up missing my check-in and got chewed out by the sarge."
And this was more than just something.
"Can you describe him?" Monica asked intently.
"He, looked fairly young. M-maybe high school age? University age? Umm, had short black hair, and eyes, his eyes, his eyes, eyes, eyeseyeseyesey-GAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!"
Jeremiah and Monica both jerked back momentarily as the prisoner began screaming. And then blood began pouring out of his nose and the man slumped down. The margrave immediately reached for the intercom.
"Medical personnel to the secured cell now!"
Monica's eye flared again but it was no use. The failsafe, and it had to have been a failsafe, had unraveled so quickly that there was nothing for her to cancel. And without being aware of its existence she had not been able to prevent it from triggering. The man shuddered for a few moments longer before slumping down on the bed, eyes rolled up and form still. The door to the cell slid open and two nurses rushed in. One nearly pushed Monica away from the bedside but the knight offered no resistance, watching the already futile attempt by the nurses to administer to their patient. After a minute or so they too reached that conclusion and one of the nurses closed the man's eyes. She then regarded Jeremiah and Monica.
"Margrave Gottwald." The woman turned to Monica. "And you would be?"
"Monica Kruszewski, Knight of Twelve to his majesty the Emperor," Monica responded.
An eyebrow arched upward ever so slightly but the woman took Monica's declaration in stride.
"And what, Dame Kruszewski were you and the margrave doing to our patient to cause him to suffer a stroke?"
"Why do you presume we were the cause?" Monica countered.
"Because the last few instances where we had patients in such a condition they expired from cardiac arrest," the nurse stated. "Private Wake here did not and the only difference is the presence of the two of you."
Monica found herself mildly impressed with the other woman. If nothing else she was ably reinforcing the Nursing Corps' reputation for iron will.
"You would be?" Monica asked.
The woman blinked. "Lieutenant Victoria Celeste."
"Well met lieutenant," Monica said. "And to answer your question, I was attempting to undo the conditioning that was driving the private to such extremes."
Victoria's eyes widened. "Conditioning?"
Monica nodded. "No rational person would drive him or herself to such lengths, I am sure you would agree, and while the Samurai prisoners might have had reason to wish to deny the Empire the ability to question them, that seems unlikely to be the case for Private Wake. Hence I suspected conditioning, and sought to undo it."
The lieutenant regarded the private's still form before looking back at Monica. "You did not succeed."
"On the contrary," Jeremiah spoke up, "Dame Kruszewski was able to return the private to his senses for a few moments. In that time he was able to provide us with invaluable information before, something seemed to happen to him."
"A failsafe," Monica followed up. "It appears that whomever placed this conditioning upon the private wanted to guarantee that he would die if captured or compromised."
The lieutenant's eyes narrowed. "Why was this attempted without one of us present to render assistance?"
"At the time it did not occur to me that it would be necessary," Monica answered frankly. "That may well have been a mistake, lieutenant, but my responsibility to the emperor is to determine who is responsible for the Ashford attack. While I regret the private's death, I do not consider it to have been wasted, and neither should you."
The army nurse gave Monica a very cool. Ultimately however Victoria understood that she did not have the authority to call a knight of the round to account on this matter.
"Is there anything else that you need then?" the woman asked somewhat icily.
"No," Monica said. "I will leave the private's arrangements in your hands, lieutenant."
Victoria nodded ever so slightly and Monica proceeded to take her leave. As she passed through the threshold of the door she could hear Jeremiah speak.
"I apologize for how this matter developed, lieutenant. I should have summoned one of you immediately upon learning what Dame Kruszewski intended."
"What is done is done," Victoria could be heard saying. "Dame Kruszewski seems to believe that the private's life was not wasted. Make sure of that, margrave."
"I will see to it personally," Jeremiah reassured her.
A few moments later the margrave was at Monica's side once more. Glancing over at him the knight could pick out no indication of irritation or anger on the deceased private's behalf. In fact Jeremiah had a thoughtful expression on his face.
"An interesting development," Monica remarked as the two proceeded upstairs.
"Yes," Jeremiah agreed softly. "A shame you were not here when we still had prisoners from the Samurai. Perhaps if you had discovered that, failsafe, back then, we could have averted the private's death."
Monica was somewhat dubious of that but did not annunciate her doubt.
"Nevertheless I am here now," she said instead, "and there appears to be much work left to do to unravel this mystery."
"That there is," Jeremiah agreed.
"Then let us get to it."
Kallen curled up. For some reason she felt somewhat chilly despite the fact that she should have had a comforter covering her. Her hands wandered over her body but felt nothing. Had she rolled out of it? Eyes still closed she swept her arms aside to try to find it but came up empty. Just as the girl was about to give up and just deal with the slight lack of warmth instead of waking up more to consciously acknowledge the missing comforter a sneeze sounded. At first Kallen thought that sneeze was from her and if so then she must have been even colder than she realized. Then the girl realized that there was no itching in her nose or the release of pressure that usually followed a sneeze. Her eyes opened and she blinked a few times before rolling over to look in the direction where she heard the sneeze coming from. Kallen's eyes widened.
At the bedside wrapped up in what had to be several layers of blankets was a green haired girl staring at Kallen with what could best be described as an expression of irritation.
"I say," C.C. began. "Doth thee think it be a grand jest that I awake sepultured in ice?"
Kallen's jaw refused to close for several long seconds before the girl's hand shot up to point at C.C.
"You were dead!" she cried.
"Doth I look deceased to thee?" C.C. responded before sneezing again.
Kallen spent a few more moments gaping at C.C. before bolting forth and throwing her arms around the other girl. It was almost an instinctive action but Kallen nevertheless gave C.C. a tight squeeze.
"Oh gods, don't you ever do that to me again," the red haired girl hissed. "I-I thought you really had died."
C.C. seemed taken aback but eventually one arm emerged from under the blankets and wrapped around Kallen. Even through her admittedly thin shirt and the few places of skin contact Kallen could feel the coldness of C.C.'s body. Apparently the other girl really did need all those blankets. Then again she had spent most of yesterday subsumed in ice in Ohgi's bathtub to preserve her body while they figured out what to do. That fortunately was no longer a problem.
Kallen released her and slid back a bit but she kept her gaze fixed on C.C. The green haired girl was still a void as far as her geass was concerned but unlike her current physical state it was no longer a cold void. Instead it appeared more that there was something within her that shone so brightly as to completely swamp Kallen's geass.
C.C.'s trademark smirk appeared as the girl returned Kallen's gaze. "Doth thee seek to make me blush with thy attention?"
Kallen snorted but kept her own expression composed and serious. "A lot of people died that day that shouldn't have. And regardless of how irritating you can be, you have stood by me through thick and thin. So, I'm glad that you're okay."
Again C.C. seemed surprised at Kallen's response but when the smile reappeared on her face there was a softer touch to it. "Thy kindness be duly noted, Kallen. And I bid thou gramercy for it."
Kallen chuckled slightly. "Are you thankful enough to start speaking plainly?"
That elicited a chuckle from C.C. as well. "This is this and that be that."
"I figured." Kallen's expression turned solemn. "C.C. I caught a, well, glimpse of the person who launched the attack on Ashford."
The green haired girl's face soon mirrored that of Kallen's.
"He's the past contractor that went insane, isn't he?"
For a few moments C.C. remained completely frozen. And then she dipped her head ever so slightly in affirmation. Her body was almost shaking from the effort. Kallen took in a deep breath.
"Well alright then." And her eyes hardened. "It looks like you and I have a common enemy."
The corner of C.C.'s cheeks twitched as if the girl was trying to say something but after a few seconds of trying the girl seemingly gave up. Instead she simply nodded again.
"Don't worry," Kallen said with a slight smile. "I'll figure out a way to break the chain that binds you."
Before C.C. could respond pounding sounded on the bedroom door.
"Kallen," Ohgi's frantic voice sounded, "we've got trouble. C.C.'s body is gone and someone, raided the fridge. I think."
Kallen frowned before redirecting her gaze at C.C. "You raided the fridge?"
"Doth thee think mine expiry be averted through lack of vittles?"
Kallen spent perhaps a single second staring at C.C. before snorting. "Everything's fine Ohgi, C.C.'s returned from the dead and needed to gorge herself to make up for missing dinner last night."
The girl in question sniffed derisively before allowing a smile to crack.
"Uh, okay, what?" a very confused sounding Ohgi responded.
"Just wait a sec and let us get dressed," Kallen said before she directed her attention back to C.C. "So I guess you really are immortal after all."
"Were that so," C.C. replied, "but alas true immortality be not the realm of mortal men."
"The power of this compulsion was in the extreme, your majesty, and I was barely able to override it with my geass. In fact I suspect that whomever placed the compulsion on the private and the other gendarmerie possesses a geass on the cusp of transforming outright into a Code."
The projection of Charles assumed a thoughtful expression. "Another bearer in Area 11. It must be one of C.C.'s past contractors, and one that holds a grudge against her."
Seeing as the emperor's words were statements and not questions Monica kept her mouth shut.
"Determine the identity of this contractor," Charles pronounced. "If he is amiable to recruitment, do so. Otherwise eliminate him."
"Yes your majesty," Monica said with head bowed.
"Call upon whatever resources you require from the viceroy. If that is still not enough, you are authorized to summon reinforcements from the mainland."
It seemed the emperor really wanted to catch whoever this other contractor was.
"Understood, your majesty."
The connection terminated, summarily concluding their conversation. Just in time too as Monica exited the room and made her way to one of the many conference rooms at MacArthur Base. Seeing as this meeting was meant to update all of the relevant persons on the progress of the investigation on the Ashford attack she would not want to be late. As Monica entered the room she found that despite not actually being late she was still the last one present.
"Apologies for keeping all of you," the woman said with a nod of the head. The only one a knight of the round bowed to was his majesty.
The others returned the motion, some regarding Monica more intently than others.
"I believe we have not yet been formally introduced yet your highness," Monica said to the young woman looking at her from the head of the table. "Monica Kruszewski, Knight of Twelve in service to His Majesty the Emperor Charles."
Euphemia nodded. "A pleasure, Dame Kruszewski."
The only other persons of real note present were Prince Schneizel and Princess Cornelia. The former Monica already was acquainted with while the latter she had paid a courtesy visit earlier in the day so the knight took a seat. Euphie's gaze lingered for a few moments longer before she shifted it to Jeremiah.
"Margrave, if you could please begin now that we are all here?"
"Yes your highness." Jeremiah worked the keyboard before him and brought up an image of a long tube and some metal fragments. "We were able to recover the weapon used in the initial attack on Ashford and have conclusively identified it as a French Mistral anti-air missile."
Frowns appeared all around the table.
"French?" Cornelia said.
"Indeed your highness," Jeremiah continued. "This is in fact the first time we've encountered such a modern weapon from a foreign source, which has all sorts of unpleasant implications."
"Someone is smuggling in weapons from the EU," Euphie stated. "Our missing military attaches?"
"That is in fact a distinct possibility your highness," Jeremiah agreed, "especially in light of this."
The image shifted to a blond hair girl in the uniform of Ashford Academy.
"Charlotte Dunois, officially enrolled very recently into the academy. After the attack she disappeared without a trace, resulting in the Inquisitio running a more detailed background check on her. Her credentials and documentation are all fakes."
Euphie's eyes narrowed. "What was she doing at Ashford?"
"To be frank we do not know," Jeremiah said. "According to the few students we have interviewed thus far Ms. Dunois, assuming that is her real name, did not seem to do anything out of the ordinary while at school. It may be that she was simply there to perform reconnaissance on the Lady Stadtfeld."
The gears turned in the princess' mind as she considered that possibility. While plausible, her instincts told her that there was more going on. Unfortunately there was simply not enough information.
"And what of the Lady Stadtfeld herself?" Euphie asked. "Have any irregularities been discovered in her documentation?"
"Not as of yet your highness," Jeremiah said, "or at least nothing that indicates alternation. The Lady Stadtfeld was however born in Area 11 before its incorporation into the Empire and so her birth certificate was issued by a Japanese hospital. That is posing some difficulty in acquiring the original records."
Euphie nodded. Not surprising in the least seeing the chaos and destruction wrought by the invasion.
"Very well. Please continue, margrave."
"Yes your highness. The other development related to the attack itself came from Private Wake," Jeremiah said. "The, compulsion that he was under was broken long enough for him to reveal a few pieces of information before he regrettably passed away."
Samantha's gaze flickered ever so briefly in Monica's direction and the knight thought she saw just a hint of irritation. Monica pretended not to notice. Hopefully there would not be cause for further friction with the woman, Monica was an experienced enough soldier to understand the importance of not angering any of the Nursing Corps.
"It would appear that the person responsible for this conditioning was a young man, of high school or university age. The only other physical description the private was able to provide was that he had black hair."
"Not much to go on," Andreas murmured.
"Indeed so sir," Jeremiah agreed, "which was why I pulled up the visa records of the European delegation to see if any of them might have similarities. It was then that I noticed some very interesting discrepancies."
The image shifted again to two documents, which on closer inspection appeared to be applications for diplomatic visas. Euphie frowned.
"These are, incomplete."
"Quite so your highness, yet they were still approved," Jeremiah said. "I sent a request to the Britannian embassy in Paris to determine how this could be but according to the personnel there no one has any recollection of ever processing these, despite the fact that they are notarized by the embassy's seal."
"How is that even possible?" Cornelia wondered aloud.
"It shouldn't be," Schneizel stated, "unless someone was able to completely circumvent the entire chain of safeguards we have to prevent such things from happening."
"And considering the, conditioning, that we have already witnessed, how unlikely is it that someone managed to do just that?" Euphie said.
"That there exists such a means," Andreas said grimly, "it sickens me to think of it. A man's will should not be so easily bent."
That Monica more than agreed with but she remained the passive observer for now.
"But is that even possible to begin with?" Jeremiah said. "Even after having witnessed what happened to the private I find the entire notion, incredulous." The margrave turned to regard Samantha. "Is there any medical foundation for this."
"None that I am aware of," Samantha stated immediately. "Nevertheless, the limits of our scientific knowledge does not necessarily define the boundaries of what is and is not possible in the real world."
"But how do we defend against something which we do not understand?" Jeremiah asked.
"By increasing our understanding," Monica finally spoke up. "The first step to defeating a threat is in identifying it. We have already done so to an extent. We must not stop here however."
Cornelia and a few of the other officers nodded approvingly while Samantha was joined by Euphemia and Schneizel in questioning looks.
"And do you have a plan of action, Dame Kruszewski?" Euphie asked.
"I intend to investigate further the connection between this attacker and the Lady Stadtfeld and Ms. Clermont," Monica stated. "There was a reason this assailant went to such lengths to attempt to silence them and if I can determine what it is then I will be one step closer to the truth."
The princess regarded Monica levelly. In truth there was nothing that Euphie could formally do to stop Monica, a Knight of the Round answered only to the emperor. Indirectly however as viceroy Euphie possessed a few means of interfering with Monica's investigation if she so desired, not without risk of course.
After a few more seconds Euphie nodded. "Very well. I will task a unit of my guard to assist you in this matter, Dame Kruszewski."
Monica raised an eyebrow. It was fairly obvious that the princess intended for these armsmen to keep an eye on Monica. The unspoken question was whether that was all they would be there for.
For some reason a slight smile appeared on Euphemia's face. "Dame Nu will be commanding them. Perhaps she will be able to learn something while rendering you aid, Dame Kruszewski."
Monica allowed a nod. For the moment it seemed that indeed was all the princess intended. "I thank you for your generosity, your highness."
"Please report to the palace after the meeting," Euphie said. "I will instruct Brigadier Eyre to make the necessary arrangements."
The meeting wrapped up shortly after, the salient points having been covered. The relative sparseness of information meant the only productive thing they could do was to go out and try to get more, which was exactly what Monica intended to do. As she emerged from the conference room however she found two other officers standing outside, one a bespectacled man with a slight slouch in his posture and the other a woman with shoulder length dark hair. The woman stiffened to attention, likely more due to all of the high ranking officers following Monica, while the man continued standing there lazily until a jab of the woman's elbow got him to straighten ever so slightly. Monica gave the two no more than a passing glance as she walked off. That likely explained why she did not notice whom had not left the conference room upon the conclusion of the meeting.
Lloyd and Cécile entered the conference room, the two bowing to the three imperial scions still seated within.
"Captain Croomy, Earl Asplund," Euphie greeted.
Lloyd grinned. "Please, Lloyd is just fine, your highness."
Cornelia rolled her eyes while Euphie maintained a relatively impassive face. Schneizel however cracked a slight smirk of amusement while Cécile seemed to be contemplating whether to grind Lloyd's feet into the floor again.
"Have a seat," Euphie instructed.
"Thank you year highness," Cécile answered for both of them.
Once everyone was settled in Euphemia continued. "Let us begin, there are many matters demanding our attention this day."
"Of course your highness," Cécile said. "I propose that we begin with the details of the Gawain's field test, then the progress on the Lancelot's reconstruction, and finally a progress report on Ms. Einstein's progress. Is that acceptable?"
Nods all around answered her. Cécile took a deep breath before plunging into the presentation. It promised to be a very lengthy meeting.
Upon first meeting Villetta Nu the impression Monica received of the woman was a quiet competence. The soldiers under Villetta's command shared in that assessment but the knight of the round would not have expected anything less from someone of Brigadier Eyre's reputation. Even if Villetta's primary objective was to monitor Monica's movements the other knight would at least not be dead weight should the situation go awry.
The car carrying the them stopped and the two women stepped out.
"So this is the Baron Stadtfeld's residence," Monica remarked.
"Yes, though the baron himself is back in the homelands," Villetta said, "and when we interviewed the baroness her ladyship was, less than helpful."
In other words, why were they wasting their time here. Monica allowed herself a smirk.
"I expect that will not have changed since yesterday," the woman said. "The servants on the other hand, they are always there yet few pay them any attention."
An eyebrow rose on Villetta's face as the knight comprehended Monica's meaning and in the process a grudging smile appeared as well. The two walked up to the door but as Monica prepared to push the doorbell a muffled noise sounding like shouting could be heard. Monica frowned but after a moment proceeded. A few moments later the intercom buzzed.
"Yes?"
Monica glanced over at Villetta and tilted her head. Villetta quickly inferred the other woman's intent.
"This is Major Nu of her highness' royal guard. I was here yesterday pursuing an investigation on the attack on Ashford Academy. I have returned for a follow-up inquiry."
Silence answered them for a few moments before the servant on the other hand finally responded.
"I apologize but the master and mistress are presently indisposed, may I request that you return another day major?"
The two women exchanged frowns. Now this was unexpected. Apparently the baron was not back in the homelands after all. Had he returned upon hearing of the attack on his daughter's school?
"I am afraid that is not possible," Villetta stated. "This investigation is time sensitive and thus I must insist that I speak with the baron and baroness now."
The wait this time was noticeably longer and Monica was about to press the doorbell again before finally the servant's voice sounded once more.
"The baron will see you, Major Nu."
The door clicked and a somewhat harried looking maid opened it for the two.
"Please, this way," she said after closing the door.
The three women walked through the halls of the estate before stopping before another set of tastefully carved hardwood doors. The maid opened it but seemed to intentionally position herself such that she would not be seen by those inside. After giving the woman a curious look Villetta and Monica entered to find themselves in the presence of a visibly irritated middle aged man.
"May I presume you are the Baron Stadtfeld," Villetta said.
"You may," Henry Stadtfeld, Third Baron of Denton, stated brusquely. "And what is this I hear about you interviewing my wife about my daughter? Kallen was a victim of the attack on Ashford, so why are you wasting time inquiring about her instead of searching for the sons of bitches that nearly killed her?"
For what seemed an eternity both Monica and Villetta simply stared at the man. Neither had ever met the Baron Stadtfeld in person and what little they knew of him was at best second or even third hand. None of those descriptions had mentioned just how forceful the man could be. Villetta cleared her throat as she responded.
"Your daughter is a person of interest as we believe that she and her assistant were deliberately targeted during the attack."
"What? Whatever the Hel for? Kallen's just a normal teenage girl, why would anyone want to gun for her instead of me?"
While Villetta was fairly certain that the baron was hiding something, his outrage at his daughter being so endangered seemed entirely genuine. That however was not enough to deflect either woman.
"Baron," Villetta tried once more. "At present we have reason to believe that your daughter remains in danger, but we have been unable to locate her to take her into protective custody. If you genuinely care for her safety I implore you to aid us in finding her."
The man's nostrils flared. "I have kept my daughter safe for many years without any aid from the government. I do not require it now, especially seeing how little worth that aid would be." The baron strode towards the door. "A servant will see you out. I bid you ladies good day."
Monica smoothly interposed herself between the baron and the doorway, eliciting a scowl from the man.
"Stand aside Dame Kruszewski."
The knight had to give the baron some credit, he at least possessed nerve even if he seemed to lack any sense to go with them.
"If you know who I am then you should also know whom I represent," Monica said. "His majesty has taken a personal interest in this matter and it would behoove you to lend your cooperation, baron."
The emphasis on that last word was hardly subtle but in this sort of situation there was little need to be so. If nothing else that seemed to be a point of agreement between Monica and the baron.
"I bore personal witness to the means by which his majesty ascended the throne, Dame Kruszewski," Henry stated coldly. "Do not presume to lecture me about what I am obliged to do, girl."
Monica blinked, her irritation spiking upon hearing that last word from the baron's mouth. In that moment Henry stepped around her and pushed open the door. He paused and looked to the side.
"See Major Nu and Dame Kruszewski," he said, presumably to the maid standing right outside. "And not one word to either of them beyond what courtesy demands."
With that the baron strode off, not waiting to hear any protests. Villetta and Monica exchanged mutually stunned looks.
"What, just happened here?" Villetta said.
"It would seem that the Baron Stadtfeld has just reminded us whose father he is," Monica remarked dryly.
This investigation was turning out to be a tad more complicated than she had anticipated.
End of Chapter 35
Blarg. It's actually starting to look like I might have trouble finishing the R1 arc within fifty chapters. We'll see.
I had intended to include Euphie and Suzaku's conversation in this chapter but it just kind of went on and on and on. We're already over eight thousand words and that conversation was threatening to add another thousand or two on so I decided to cut it off here and save it for next chapter.
The main reason this chapter went on so long was I needed to get certain scenes out of the way to set the stage for future developments. In theory Kallen and C.C. should have had a much longer conversation about her seeming immortality but I think I'll pretend that it happens in the background so that I can keep the story moving. There is a lot of stuff that needs to happen over the next three or four chapters.
Millicent. You know, that actually sounds like a name Milly would hate even more than Melinda. And it's very interesting how the Code Geass wiki itself doesn't list it anywhere on her page. I suppose I shouldn't be that surprised considering the other problems with some of the articles on that wiki. I think I'll use Millicent. Though I don't know if/when I'll ever go back to fix the text in that previous chapter. Thanks to the various people that chimed in with the tidbit.
That said I am also likely not going to portray Suzaku's court martial in full. That would by itself eat up an entire chapter if not more and seeing as Suzaku is a supporting character I don't intend to exert that level of effort. We'll see the conclusion of it and maybe snippets but otherwise it'll mostly be a background event.
We're never shown much of anything about Kallen's father and the girl herself doesn't seem to give him much if any thought. If I remember correctly he was either disgraced or outright executed for having a daughter that was an insurgent. Seeing as this is an AU and it is centered around Kallen and Euphie however, I decided that I needed to give Kallen's father a bigger role. And seeing as most of the other male adults have been more, reserved and seemingly levelheaded, I decided to make Kallen's father a bit more bombastic. Kallen has to get her temper from someone after all, and it sure wasn't her mother from what little we saw of her in the anime. We'll see if I can make the character work.
As is evident, Monica will be having a much greater role than what she got in the anime. And fortunately her position as knight of twelve actually allows for an, interesting thing on my part. More will be revealed in the coming chapters.
Speaking of ascended extras, uh, hey look, this story has a page on tvtropes. Woot. I foresee that shoutout page getting a lot longer. And the historical-domain character list. And a few other points. But we're maybe a third of the way through the story so there will be lots of opportunities for more tropes to sneak in. Though I have to wonder if In Tune hasn't gotten a page because the EVA community is less active these days or because no one wants to attempt to document all the tropes in it. Oh and just a slight note, I tweaked the summary of this story so that it sounded more natural.
I kind of just shrug when it comes to the question of Grayson's popularity in the Honorverse series. Its people are presented as hard working, fiercely loyal, and extremely determined. To a large segment of the American audience these qualities often seem to embody the ideal of what a person should be due to the country's Puritanical roots. Weber usually does a moderately decent job justifying any social constructs he uses in his series but in Grayson's case since the more (relatively) recent books it always felt like he wanted a way to justify Hamish and Honor's relationship and that's why Grayson is the way it is. Romance, is not what I would consider one of the things you read a Weber book for. I just kind of shrug, skim over those scenes, and enjoy the relatively coherent technobabble, battles, and politics.
Anyway, drop a review or leave questions as they arise.
C.C.'s very brief stuff.
I say. Doth thee think it be a grand jest that I awake sepultured in ice? – I say. Do you think it's funny that I wake up buried in ice?
Thy kindness be duly noted, Kallen. And I bid thou gramercy for it. – Your kindness is dully noted, Kallen. And I thank you for it.
Doth thee think mine expiry be averted through lack of vittles? – Do you think that my death can be averted through lack of food?