Snippet spoiler: Umm, kind of.

Perhaps not surprisingly of the European nations that suddenly found themselves at war with the Holy Britannian Empire, it was Great Britain that viewed its participation with the most reluctance. Despite the British royal family's ejection from the British Isles nearly a century and a half ago, a significant percentage of the population still possessed royalist sentiments and viewed the Britannian imperial family as the rightful heirs to the British throne. Combined with a general degree of resentment for the demotion of Great Britain to a second tier power as a consequence of its defeat by France, the British government was forced to walk a very fine line between respecting public opinion and fulfilling its formal obligations to the other European nations. This was not to say of course that Great Britain did not contribute significantly to the war effort. It raised several divisions and deployed them overseas to fight in the various EU theatres and the British Navy, as reduced as it was due to limits imposed by the continental powers, played a major role in keeping the Britannian Navy at bay in the Atlantic.

The Republic of Ireland, having been accorded its independence in the aftermath of Great Britain's defeat by Napoleon, was considerably more enthusiastic in its participation in the war, matching the British contribution in manpower despite a considerably smaller population base and making available its ports for use by European naval forces. Such support for the European war effort was regarded by many hardliner Britannians as tantamount to treason and consequentially there were several incidences of mass executions of defeated Irish units. These massacres remain one of the greatest sources of animosity between the Irish people and Britannia to this day.

-In Blackest Night: The Great War

Chapter 50

Lux et veritas

It was probably a very good thing that Mikasa had a guide leading her through the halls of the palace. This was the first time she had ever even been in the building and despite her acute spatial awareness without some idea of what the layout of the building was she would have still gotten lost. The big, broad shouldered soldier that was leading her would have been hard to lose sight of even in a crowd however so there was little worry of that here today and they arrived at their destination without any difficulty. The lieutenant knocked on the door.

"Enter."

And opened it for Mikasa without entering himself. The young woman nodded her thanks, a gesture the other soldier returned with a warm smile. Once inside Mikasa clicked her heels together and raised her hand in a salute.

"Ma'am, Private Ackermann reporting."

Villetta returned the motion, after which both women lowered their hands.

"At ease private."

The younger woman's stance shifted as she clasped her hands behind her back. Villetta regarded her, trying to recall if she had encountered the private personally during the operation at Koshigaya. Nothing came up in her memory however and Villetta was more or less forced to assess the private with a blank slate. Well, not entirely a blank slate.

"I have examined your service record in detail, Private Ackermann," Villetta said. "You enlisted immediately upon reaching the age of 16 and served a year in noncombatant roles in the quartermaster corps, before transferring to a line regiment." The brigadier paused briefly. This was nothing that the private herself did not already know of course, but repeating it would make clear that Villetta also knew these facts now. "You spent the next year bouncing back and forth between different assignments before being transferred into the 100th infantry battalion. Your service record is fairly unremarkable, you suffered no more demerits than any other soldier your age and your proficiency scores have tended to be middling." Villetta clasped her hands together. "Which brings me to my question. Why did you enlist to begin with?"

Mikasa blinked a few times, the question seemingly taking her off guard. The woman's lips thinned.

"I had nowhere else to go ma'am," she stated.

Villetta cocked her head aside. The grimace on the younger woman's face deepened but she explained.

"My parents died before the invasion, ma'am. I was raised in an orphanage, but you're cut loose when you turn sixteen. I had no other prospects, and the Empire was willing to let me enlist. And so I did."

"I see," Villetta said. "And your view of your service thus far?"

"It's alright, ma'am."

The brigadier raised an eyebrow. "You may speak frankly, private."

Mikasa returned the gaze fore several moments before shrugging. "I get to go to sleep in an actual bed with a full stomach, ma'am. Beats the alternatives."

Yes, it probably did at that, Villetta did not doubt.

"Of the soldiers that assisted General Eyre in his attack on the enemy knightmares, you were the sole survivor," Villetta said. "According to the reports you tried to pull the general out from where he was pinned, despite the risk of being crushed by the still functional knightmares."

Mikasa said nothing, simply tilting her head slightly to affirm the account. Villetta leaned forward slightly.

"Why did you assume such risk, private, when it was clear the general was already dead?"

The private's jaw tightened and she visibly swallowed. "The general saved my life ma'am, when he let me go before the grenade blew. And, you don't leave someone behind, ever."

Villetta smiled slightly. It was obvious that the private was somewhat introverted, but it was equally clear that she had a level head atop those shoulders.

"When General Eyre called upon you and your comrades to assist him in the attack upon the enemy knightmares," Villetta said, "he promised those of you that succeeded a position in her highness' guard."

Mikasa stiffened, her eyes a mixture of apprehension and even confusion.

"The general's radio pickup was active when he made the offer," Villetta answered the unspoken question, "and those on the guard channel heard it."

Mikasa pursed her lips. "I thought he was joking, ma'am."

Villetta snorted. "General Eyre, for all his sometimes flippant conduct, never joked about his duty. When you suggested that you might one day have a place in her highness' guard, he meant it. The question now is, do you believe you are fit to take that place?"

The private looked at Villetta quizzically again. "Ma'am?"

"Do you know what distinguishes the royal guard from the rest of the Britannian military, private?" Villetta said as she leaned back into her chair.

"Guardsmen are supposed to be the elite," Mikasa answered, "better than anyone else, and absolutely loyal to their liege, ma'am."

"We certainly strive to be the very best," Villetta said, "but it is the second point that is the crucial one, our loyalty to whom we are sworn. To serve as a guardsman means to believe in our liege, in their worth and in their honor, such that there is no hesitation to lay down our lives for her. This may sound trite, but what we perform is not a job, it is a duty. And it can only be a duty if we believe in the merits of that duty. So tell me private, can you see your service as anything more than simply a means to have a roof over your head and putting food on the table?"

Mikasa lowered her head slightly as if in thought. The private was silent for a minute or so before she looked back up at Villetta.

"I don't know ma'am," she answered honestly. "I've never really thought that far ahead before."

A lot of people probably were much the same, Villetta knew. In the past the knight would not have thought much of it. Now however she was being forced to acknowledge the role the Empire played in forcing people into such deprivation.

"As I said before," Villetta began once more, "your proficiency scores have tended towards middling, until shortly after your transfer to the 100th infantry battalion."

Mikasa seemed to start, her body stiffening.

"Shortly afterwards however, your scores in the physical fitness and especially marksmanship tests increased, dramatically. In fact it is fairly obvious that you were either holding back during your past evaluations," Villetta's eyes narrowed, "or your scores were intentionally lowered."

The private said nothing, her face a stoic mask.

"Either way at a minimum based on your scores you meet the prerequisites to attempt qualification at almost any of the specialist army schools," Villetta continued. "It also means you can be credibly evaluated for a place in her highness' royal guard."

Again Mikasa remained silent, probably appropriately seeing there was nothing in Villetta's statement that required a direct response from her. That was about to change however.

"And so I repeat my question, private. Can you see your service as anything more than simply a means to have a roof over your head and putting food on the table?"

The grimace returned once more and Mikasa took a deep breath.

"I've never thought ahead that far ma'am, never thought I'd get a chance either. But, the general gave me that chance. And her highness too. Doesn't feel right that I don't at least try to prove them right."

Villetta nodded. That was hardly a firm commitment, certainly not for a prospective guardswoman. But General Eyre had obviously seen something in those men and women that he led on his final charge and Villetta was prepared to let the only one left to prove that worth.

"Take the rest of the day to transfer your kit over to the palace, Private Ackermann," she ordered. "You beginning training tomorrow, 5AM sharp." Villetta allowed herself a slight smile. "Make sure to get a good night of sleep."

"Yes ma'am," Mikasa answered crisply.

"Dismissed."


The training gym was effectively empty. Besides Kallen there was the towering armsman that had brought her to the palace, a Lieutenant Armstrong if she recalled correctly, the equally massive captain of the Princess Cornelia's royal guard, General Victor Arseid, and a young woman that was probably a couple of years Kallen's senior. With her deep blue hair and crimson uniform it was fairly easy to surmise that she was the general's daughter, Laura Arseid. Kallen gave the other woman a very thorough look over. She was very obviously physically fit, her bearing was that of a skilled martial artist, and there was no hesitation or doubt in her eyes. In fact since her entrance Laura had spent the entire time examining Kallen herself. Kallen idly wondered what the other girl saw.

"Lady Stadtfeld," Victor spoke, directing Kallen's attention to him. "I have asked you here this day to evaluate your fitness to serve as knight to her highness the Princess Euphemia."

Kallen's eyes narrowed. She should have probably expected this. There was no way the Princess Cornelia, as bigoted as she was, would have ever approved of a half blood serving as her beloved little sister's knight. And that was before Kallen's vigilantism was brought into the picture. That of course did not mean Kallen was prepared to just let herself be coerced into surrendering her post just to satisfy some stuck up royal's sense of propriety.

"It is my understanding that the selection of a knight by an imperial scion was solely her prerogative," Kallen said firmly.

"Indeed it is," Victor said without missing a beat. "Which means that if there is any area where you fall short as her highness' knight, that deficiency must be remedied. I am here to determine where such remedial action will be necessary."

Not if, but where. Even if Kallen herself was prepared to admit that that she lacked the formal training to serve as a knight she was not about to just take that lying down. Her own dignity as much as anyone else was at stake.

"Very well, then let's get to it," Kallen said brusquely.

Victor raised an eyebrow and Kallen could easily sense the disapproval emitting from the man's daughter. The fiery redhead did not care in the least.

"A reminder, Lady Stadtfeld," Victor said. "As you are a sworn armsman of her highness, you are now in the formal chain of command. And so being a part of it, you are required to respect it. Is that clear, Lieutenant Stadtfeld?"

Kallen grimaced. Okay, that one she had coming, and it was even something Euphemia herself had warned her on. Right now Kallen was still a very junior member of the royal guard, even if her position as the princess' knight was a prestigious one. If she was to work with these people she would need their respect, and letting her temper get the better of her all the time would only ostracize her from the rest of the guard.

The young woman straightened and assumed an at ready stance. "My apologies General Arseid. It will not happen again."

Victor nodded approvingly, even cracking a slight smile. He then looked over at his daughter.

"Lieutenant Arseid, if you would."

"Yes sir."

It seemed right now the two were superior officer and subordinate, not father and daughter. Laura stepped forward, and Kallen's eyes were immediately drawn to the massive claymore on the other woman's back. It was, almost comically large, but the bearing with which Laura stood made clear she was more than able to whip it out and beat into the ground anyone that might be tempted to disrespect.

"I would see the extent of your skill with that blade you wear, Lieutenant Stadtfeld," Victor said. "On your guard."

Laura reached behind her back and drew her sword. Kallen raised an eyebrow and looked questioningly at the general.

"A question, if I may sir?"

"Go ahead."

"The, katana is significantly smaller than a claymore, sir. Does this technically not put me at a disadvantage already?"

"You have elected to wear that sword over others you could have chosen," Victor stated simply. "You had therefore better be prepared to use it against any opponent, regardless of what they may wield, lieutenant."

That was a fair enough point, and Kallen certainly was not about to let any stacking of the deck be used as an excuse for her own poor performance. She drew her katana and assumed a ready stance, both hands clasping the hilt and right foot forward. And her geass flared, full force.

"Begin!"

The viscount's daughter was skilled, that Kallen was ready to admit even before this. She was also incredibly, incredibly fast even with that oversized claymore. In fact without her geass Kallen was not sure she would have caught the charge before Laura was upon her. As it was the younger girl barely stepped back in time to avoid getting her head cleaved off. She was right back in however, taking advantage of the opening created as the momentum of Laura's claymore carried it to the side. This should end quickly.

A loud clang sounded as the slash of Kallen's katana was met by the thrust of Laura's claymore. Or not. The other girl had somehow managed to stop her swing and transformed the motion into a forward thrust. How, Kallen had no idea. She also did not have time to worry about it as the weight of Laura's sword easily pushed aside her katana and continued straight for her chest. Kallen leapt, trying to sail over the claymore while using her sword to push down on it as leverage. It was a neat trick, assuming one actually pulled it off. Kallen, found her own attempt much less successful as Laura suddenly angled her blade down, resulting in Kallen literally falling towards the ground. That was not the other girl's intent however and Kallen cried out as a roundhouse nailed her in the side, her arm a moment too late to block the blow.

Tumbling, Kallen rolled back and breathed heavily. Getting kicked in the kidneys hurt, a lot. Somewhat shakily she rose, but her stance was nowhere as solid as it was before. This, this was going to be tricky. She could see the easing and tensing of Laura's muscles, the point where the other woman's eyes focused, and the minute shifts in her posture. For all the advantage that provided her however, Laura possessed frighteningly fast reflexes and was just physically stronger than Kallen and possessed greater reach, a combination of both her natural height and her claymore.

Taking a deep breath Kallen composed herself. She needed to step up her game. Closing her eyes, she focused on Laura and Laura alone. The viscount disappeared, Lieutenant Armstrong disappeared, even much of the room seemed to vanish. Only her, and Laura were left in Kallen's vision. The other girl was looking at Kallen quizzically, seemingly confused by Kallen's shutting of her eyes. She approached tentatively, testing to see if Kallen was even paying attention. Kallen heard every single footstep, and felt the vibrations even through the matted floor. She angled her blade downward ever so slightly to more directly point at Laura's form. And then she leapt.

To Laura's credit she was not caught off guard by the sudden motion. Somewhat more incredulously she immediately shifted her stance towards the right, blocking the whirlwind that spun towards her from that direction. Kallen's katana skipped off the claymore before the girl used the reversed inertia to spin towards Laura's left. This left her center open, which Laura wasted no time in exploiting, thrusting her claymore forward with the blade perpendicular to the ground. Kallen had been expecting that however and once more utilized the momentum of her own spin, swinging out her left arm and striking the flat of the blade before it could reach her. The claymore went veering to the side away from Kallen and her own katana, leaving Laura completely open for Kallen's counterattack, or not as Kallen immediately realized. It was too late however, she could not pull back or stop her own spin quickly enough to avoid the incoming blow. But that did not mean she would not try.

A thud sounded and Laura's boot buried itself in Kallen's chest. It stayed buried however as Kallen seized hold of the leg, locking it in place. That should have let her throw Laura off balance. Instead Kallen gave a sharp cry as her body was suddenly spun about, Laura having twisted her hip into a side stance and somehow carrying Kallen with her. Her own legs literally swept off the ground, Kallen flayed about a bit before releasing Laura's leg and tumbling down. She had just enough warning to give out another cry before Laura's foot slammed down again, nailing her in her abdomen a second time. Kallen curled up, clutching her poor stomach. She stayed down this time.

Picking herself up, Laura knelt by Kallen's side. "Are you alright, Lady Stadtfeld?"

"I'll live," Kallen wheezed. "I think."

Laura smiled slightly and extended a hand. "Well fought, Lady Stadtfeld."

Slowly uncurling Kallen accepted the hand and allowed Laura to pull her up. At least the other girl was also breathing heavily, for all the consolation that was. Her strength was borderline inhuman and even after cheating profusely with her geass Kallen still got herself knocked onto her ass, twice. It was certainly a humbling experience and clear proof that she could not rely solely on her geass to carry her.

"Impressive," Victor said as he approached. "Keeping pace with Laura is no mean feat even for those of her own age." The viscount looked Kallen up and down. "You carry yourself well, but it is evident that you remain a novice in wielding that blade. If you intend to continue carrying it, I would strongly recommend you find someone whom can properly instruct you in its forms."

There might be a formal distinction between a recommendation and an order from a general. Practically speaking however said distinction meant very little.

"I will have to see whether my previous instructors and I are still on speaking terms, sir," Kallen said somewhat wearily.

The look that Victor gave Kallen was actually sympathetic. If nothing else the viscount was able to read between the lines. He said nothing further to Kallen however, looking over to the side and nodding. So signaled, Lieutenant Armstrong walked over and came to attention.

"Lieutenant Armstrong, I leave my daughter and the Lady Stadtfeld in your care. See to it that they are trained well and do not bring shame to the Princess Euphemia's name."

"I will impart upon them the sum of my knowledge my lord," Alexander said firmly.

Victor nodded and then gave his daughter a proud smile. "I look forward to seeing how much you will grow, my dearest daughter."

Laura's eyes seemed to shine as she gazed back at her father. "I will make you proud, father."

With one final nod Victor turned about and made his way for the exit. The way Laura looked after her father was almost wistful. As Kallen thought about it, it was very likely that the two had actually not seen each other for quite some time before their arrival in Japan seeing as Laura would have been busy with her brigade training. Come to think of it she had not actually spoken with her father since the attack on Keio, at least not directly. The message letting him know she was okay and things were going well with the princess was probably, not good enough. Another item on the long list of things she needed to do.

"Well thing," the gruff voice of the lieutenant sounded, causing Kallen and Laura both to look over at him. Alexander crossed his arms. "That was a most splendid display of swordsmanship, any who bore witness to it could not help but feel a great urge to join in the dance."

Kallen gave the lieutenant a very confused look. Even without her geass she was sure Laura was doing the same. Said look changed from confusion to something else entirely as suddenly Alexander tore his shirt off to reveal a bulging muscular form.

"Now that the test conducted by the Viscount Arseid is concluded, I have no need to so restrain myself." The man flexed his arms, his wrist flicking and a pair of brass knuckles flipping into place. He assumed a ready stance, a wide grin on his face. "On your guard, Lady Arseid, Lady Stadtfeld."

Kallen stared at the lieutenant, her mouth agape. There really was only one response for such a situation.

"What?"


When Kallen entered Euphemia's office there was a noticeable slouch to her posture, noticeable enough that Euphemia raised an eyebrow at the sight of the girl.

"Is something wrong, Kallen?" the princess asked.

Kallen gave the princess a beady look. "It was your idea to put Lieutenant Armstrong in charge of my training, wasn't it?"

Euphemia cocked her head aside quizzically. "Lieutenant Armstrong comes from a distinguished family and he has always performed his duties to the highest standards."

"Those standards might be a bit too high," Kallen grumbled.

The princess continued looking at Kallen for a few moments longer before shrugging. "Well, if you are tired have a seat. Cecilia is supposed to be here to discuss the resources needed to attempt to reopen the thought elevator."

Kallen accepted the invitation, slumping into the chair across from the princess. The was a subtle look of disapproval at such seeming laxity from the armsman on duty but the girl was too tired to care. C.C. fortunately did not keep them waiting long and when she entered the room the woman was carrying a large stack of papers with her. She plopped them down without ceremony on Euphemia's desk.

"The scheme thou hast asked for."

Kallen leaned forward to get a better look as the princess fingered through the papers. The pages were covered in diagrams of various sorts, none of them making a lick of sense to Kallen. Then again she possessed no formal training as an engineer so that came as no great surprise. The surprise lay that C.C. apparently did possess such knowledge and understanding, but seeing that she was apparently immortal there was plenty of time for her to have acquired said skills.

"So this will reopen the thought elevator?" Euphemia asked.

"Nay," C.C. responded, "that be beyond the ken of any contrivance crafted by mortal hands. This shalt restore the lambency of the gate. With yander light, thou may once more gain adit to the empyreus."

Euphemia looked up at C.C. and Kallen a second later as the last word clicked.

"Empyreus?" Euphemia said. "Are you suggesting the thought elevators lead to, the afterlife?"

"Tis a land not meant for mortal ken nor mortal company," C.C. stated.

"That is not an actual answer," Euphemia pointed out.

"Tis sooth enough for thy query."

The princess regarded C.C. for a few moments longer before apparently deciding not to press the matter. She looked back down at the diagrams.

"A frame constructed of menachite and ceresium, and an internal module that is made of a nickel and rhenium alloy, with an iridium core." Euphemia looked back up at C.C. with an unamused expression. "My dear Cecilia, ignoring the archaic element names, do you have any idea how expensive your proposed device is?"

"Many a marvel hast moved beyond the ken of man," C.C. responded. "Without thereof we must maketh what poor surrogates our meager hands may."

"Gods above and below," Euphemia said in a resigned tone before flipping through more of the pages. Her hands suddenly froze however and her eyes went wide. "What?"

Kallen peered over to see what the princess was looking at, and saw a diagram of what looked to be an octagonal ring with four diagonal sides mounting something pointed inwards.

"Why the Hel would you require an electromagnet that uses this much sakuradite?" Euphemia said incredulously.

Kallen raised an eyebrow herself. She knew what an electromagnet was, though she was somewhat surprised the princess could tell that was what the design was for. Her understanding of its applications was minimal however so she had even less of an idea why C.C. would be asking for one.

"For that matter, why do you need three of them!?"

"Tis for cynosure of the prescribed lambency."

Euphemia looked down again, spent a second gazing at the paper, and quickly flipped through to the last few pages. A hiss sounded from her as she stared at them after a minute or so.

"I need a proper engineer, no, physicist, to look these over," she said.

"It's that complicated?" Kallen asked.

"Unbelievably so," Euphemia stated. "This, this level of physics, assuming Cecilia is not just making things up, it is beyond anything the Empire's finest laboratories have managed to produce."

Kallen frowned and looked over at C.C. again. The other woman had an almost petulant look on her face.

"There be no need for such innuendo," she said. "Thou hast asked of me a key and I hast answered. If thou art lacking in faith in mine veracity then thou wasted thy breath with thy petition."

"She's got a point there," Kallen said. "At this point all we can do is have some faith that she isn't leading us on."

"I suppose," Euphemia said before shaking her head. "No, you are both right. Very well Cecilia, I shall see about procuring the materials and resources necessary to construct this, system. I will however need to consult with a few others so we can understand just what exactly is being built."

"Take heed with whom thou commends these matters to," C.C. said. "Confidences thin as those whom share it grows."

"Duly noted," Euphemia said. "Now-"

Before the princess could say anything else her intercom beeped. Without missing a beat Euphemia answered.

"Yes Rachel?"

"My sincerest apologies your highness," the secretary said, "but Dame Kruszewski is here and absolutely insists on speaking with you now. She, has stated that she is here in her official capacity as a Knight of the Round."

Euphemia frowned, an expression that was quickly mirrored on Kallen's face. The princess looked over at her armsman.

"Security level bravo."

"Highness," the soldier said before speaking very quickly into his radio.

Kallen continued regarding the princess quizzically.

"Kallen, are you armed?"

The older girl's eyes widened but she nodded. "I have my katana."

"Then assume your post."

"Yes your highness," Kallen said crisply and hurried to stand behind the princess.

Euphemia looked over at C.C. "I will deal with this matter. Is that understood?"

C.C. raised an eyebrow but nodded nonetheless. Euphemia unmuted the microphone again.

"Please show Dame Kruszewski in, Rachel."

"Yes your highness."

The doors opened and Monica strode in. She stopped three steps away from the desk and waited until the doors closed before speaking. Just as her mouth opened however side doors opened and four more armsmen entered, taking up positions around the room. The knight regarded them before looking back at Euphemia with a raised eyebrow.

"You are a very cautious woman, your highness," Monica said.

"All indications are my caution is not overly abundant in this case, Dame Kruszewski," the princess replied. "Now, what is it you wish to discuss?"

Monica's lips perked up into a slight smile. "What you probably have presumed. I am here to take Ms. Clermont into custody."

Kallen's eyes narrowed dangerously while C.C. actually snorted. Euphemia's expression remained somberly composed.

"Your request is denied."

And her tone held no hint of compromise.

"This is not a request, your highness," Monica said. "I am under direct orders from your father, his majesty, to take custody of Ms. Clermont and return her to Pendragon."

"I am countermanding those orders."

Monica, no, everyone in the room was now staring at Euphemia. More than one had wide eyes. There was at least one mouth hanging agape.

"Your highness, you do not have that authority," Monica stated.

"On the contrary, as viceroy I am the voice of his majesty in Area 11. My word is his word, and remains so unless he recalls me." Euphemia's expression hardened. "You are free to advise my father to do so. Understand however that should he deign to lose faith in my judgment, so shall I in his."

Monica pursed her lips. This was interesting, the two were at effectively a standoff. Yes the emperor could recall Euphemia but only at great political cost. The people of Area 11 loved her, her sister commanded the entire Britannian military, and Schneizel held the balance of power in parliament. Even that all paled in comparison to what the princess probably knew about the geass now that she and C.C. were speaking to each other and the damage she could do with access to a thought elevator. Monica grinned. She could not have asked for more perfect circumstances.

It was obvious from the confused looks everyone, well, save C.C. gave her, that they found the sudden change in Monica's mood strange. Not for nothing the Knight of Twelve possessed a certain reputation for whimsicalness.

"Your highness, might we discuss this matter more privately?" Monica asked, still grinning. "Lady Stadtfeld and Ms. Clermont may remain of course, but this matter really should be restricted to the minimum numbers possible."

Euphemia raised an eyebrow but nodded. "Very well." She looked over at the senior armsman present. "Sergeant, position your room for forced entry, and then monitor the situation via the cameras. Make sure the audio pickups are disabled."

"Yes your highness," Maes said before nodding to the other soldiers.

They quickly filed out, leaving the women alone. After a minute or so the intercom buzzed.

"Your highness, we are ready," Maes' voice sounded.

"Thank you sergeant." Euphemia looked back up at Monica. "Now, say what you will."

Monica grinned again. "Before we begin however your highness, a reintroduction is in order." The woman came to attention. "I am Monica Kruszewski, Knight of Twelve to His Majesty the Emperor Charles. I also hold an additional appointment, that of Lord Inquisitor, of the Ordo Malleus."

Kallen sucked in her breath. She was pretty sure Euphemia had a similar reaction. C.C. however continued to observe the entire thing as if bored. After a few long moments Euphemia broke the silence.

"The Order of the Hammer," she said. "There is no Inquisitio Ordo so named."

"Indeed there is not," Monica said, "publicly."

Euphemia pursed her lips thoughtfully. "Hereticus deals with threats from within, Xenos threats from without. What does Malleus defend from?"

"Threats from beyond, your highness," Monica stated, "which I think you will agree the geass counts as one."

The princess continued regarding Monica, a mixture of thoughtfulness and wariness on her expression.

"Well, this is certainly enlightening," she said. "Is there a point that you are trying to make however?"

The grin was inexplicably still there on Monica's face. "The point, your highness, is that I am not your enemy. Far from it, you and I are natural allies in the mission to destroy the Directorate."

Again several moments passed in silence as Euphemia and Kallen digested the statement. The response that the princess managed about summed up their reactions.

"Pardon?"

The grin disappeared. "Your highness, you and your siblings have spent the past couple of years tracking down Directorate activity in an effort to determine the extent of its influence in the Empire, for the purposes of executing a decapitating strike. The progress you have made, while impressive, unfortunately is not sufficient for the decisive blow necessary to destroy it. Namely, you do not possess the means to actually kill the leader of the Directorate." Monica cocked her head towards C.C. "She does, however."

Both listeners looked over at C.C., whom remained seemingly nonchalant about the entire discussion. Kallen could tell however, there was a gleam in the woman's eyes. She was most definitely paying attention.

"Is that true, Cecilia?" Euphemia asked.

The other woman looked back at the princess. "Ponder this, highness. Were I to possess such means, what would thou presume to be of equal sooth?"

Euphemia's eyes narrowed. "That the leader of this, Directorate, could also kill, actually kill, you?"

"Aye," C.C. confirmed.

Euphemia looked back at Monica. "And you would propose to take C.C. back to Pendragon, where the Directorate holds such sway?"

"A sleight of hand, your highness," Monica said. "With C.C. in custody, the Directorate would assume she is not a threat. As such she can be kept safe until the time to strike arrives."

That, was a relatively reasonable stratagem. Reasonable did not however mean acceptable.

"I am afraid that is not good enough Dame Kruszewski," Euphemia stated. "The opportunities for something untoward to happen to Cecilia far outweigh any confidence I have that the Directorate would consider itself, in control, with her in Pendragon. Everything I have seen of the Directorate's activities indicates that the organization is obsessively paranoid. If they follow their usual pattern, Cecilia would be dead, permanently so, within the week of her arrival."

Kallen looked back over at Monica to see how the knight would respond. To her surprise the older woman was actually nodding.

"Hmm, yes, you hardly have reason to take my word for it. And it would not do me much good if in the process of taking C.C. into custody I cause an open schism in the Empire by antagonizing one of his majesty's more competent children. Remind me to tell you about one time when your brother the Prince Schneizel fudged the Exchequer's records and stranded me in Guam for about a week. Though that was not so bad, was probably the longest vacation I had since becoming a Knight of the Round."

By this point Kallen had given up glaring at the knight and was simply staring at her with a look of incredulity. There was either something very off about Monica or the woman was feigning a flippant attitude to throw people off guard.

"In fact having you sit on C.C. would even make my life easier, since you want the Directorate's leader dead as much as me, if not more. The only problem however is that V.V. is something of a whiny brat."

At that C.C. snorted as if in agreement.

"If I leave here without C.C.," Monica continued, "he's likely to throw a tantrum and try to take matters into his own hands."

A ruthless smile crossed Euphemia's face. "He is welcome to try."

The amused look disappeared from Monica's expression. "Would you say the same knowing that he has a cadre of other geass wielders at his disposal?"

A hiss escaped Kallen before the girl even realized it. That, that was not good. One geass bearer had managed to sic basically the entire JLF on Euphemia and her with his powers. There was no telling how much damage the others might cause in an attempt to get to C.C.

Euphemia cocked her head aside. "You obviously have a proposal in mind, one that takes into account the fact that I will not surrender C.C. to yourself or the Directorate."

Monica began pacing back and forth pensively. She then turned and faced the princess directly.

"C.C. will keep. If you allow me to station a few soldiers to keep tabs on her to make sure she does not disappear, we can stall, if there is a matter that is even more pressing." The knight's gaze now fell to the woman in question. "For example, dealing with this other contractor that seems to possess the ability to compel others to his will."

Kallen fought hard to keep from flinching. That, might work, save for the fact that said contractor was one Lelouch vi Britannia, elder brother to Euphemia and one whom she likely still harbored some affection for. Would the princess be willing to betray knowledge of his survival? Somehow Euphemia herself managed to keep a completely impassive face. Kallen idly marveled at the younger girl's restraint.

"If it is information you wish, Dame Kruszewski, then I shall require that you divulge something of equivalent value?"

"Oh? And what would that be, your highness?"

Euphemia clasped her hands together. "What is your geass."

Kallen blinked. She then looked over at the knight, and realized that she could not read her either. Or rather, the impression was as vague and shallow as whenever she tried to read the princess herself.

Monica clucked her tongue. "Well, I see your reputation is well deserved, your highness. And since the secret is out, I might as well show you."

Kallen's hand fell onto the hilt of her sword and her own geass fired up, just on the off chance that it might end up being useful in some way. There was a slight, flicker, in Monica's left eye, a dim blue light that was growing brighter with every passing moment. And then, it was gone. In fact, everything was gone. Kallen could no longer feel anything beyond what her normal senses could tell her. A gurgle sounded in her throat.

"Kallen?" Euphemia said.

"I-she-" Kallen tried. "She's, jamming me?"

Euphemia frowned and looked back over at Monica. A few moments later her own eyes widened, the princess apparently having tried something herself that was failing. And then her eyes narrowed again.

"That was how you were able to break the compulsion placed on the gendarmerie private."

Monica nodded.

"Then, can you do the same for the compulsion placed on C.C.?"

"What comp-" Monica began as she looked directly at the woman. Suddenly the knight jerked back, clutching her left eye as she let out a scream, almost toppling over.

Kallen nearly jumped at the sound and Euphemia herself seemed to start. And then the entire palace was restored to Kalen's sight, Monica seemingly having turned off her own geass.

"Hels, what is that!?" the knight exclaimed.

"Evidently not," Euphemia noted dryly as it became apparent Monica was more or less okay.

The knight straightened up and gazed at C.C. without her geass, giving the other woman a dirty look.

"That's the first time I've ever seen anything like that," she said. "What was it?"

"C.C. is under some form of compulsion imposed upon her by her previous contractor," Euphemia stated. "It prevents her from answering freely questions about said contractor and geass in general."

Monica frowned and shook her head. "That, is impossible. The code and the geass do not work that way."

"And you know all there is to know on the matter to be able to so decisively proclaim this?" Euphemia countered.

Monica adopted a pensive look. "Huh. Point. But this is far outside the bounds of precedence." She regarded C.C. "Though, if this compulsion really does prevent her from talking about the geass, then has she ever actually specifically stated who put this compulsion on her?"

That, was an equally good point. Both Euphemia and Kallen followed Monica's gaze and looked over at C.C.

"She be here amongst thou," C.C. said somewhat irritably. "Twould seem gentleness is now démodé."

Kallen rolled her eyes. As far as she was concerned C.C. really did have it coming. The important bit now however was to get some real answers, assuming they could.

"Yes, yes, people aren't as polite as they were back in the day, you had to go to walk the school in the snow up the hill both ways," Kallen drawled. "Now, how about the plain and simple truth?"

For a moment Kallen became the center of attention as everyone in the room openly gaped at her. Their mouths were not quite hanging open, not quite. C.C. for her part met Kallen's gaze for about five seconds before suddenly bursting out laughing. She continued laughing for a good minute or so, redirecting everyone's attention back to her. When she finally stopped it was with noticeable effort that the woman pulled herself back up into the chair.

"Oh how sharper than a serpent's tooth," C.C. said with a wide grin. "Thou thinks the sooth be so easily found?"

The smile darkened as suddenly C.C.'s eyes seemed to flare a golden light. And then her hair seemingly parted, revealing a glowing crest on her forehead. Crunching sounds, mixed with the clinking of what seemed to be chains, started echoing in the room. A dark miasma appeared about C.C. before twisting about all over the woman's form. In fact it was more than just the miasma twisting, a sickening crack sounded as suddenly C.C.'s arm snapped off and a gush of blood erupted.

"Bloody Hel!" Kallen exclaimed.

A second later armsmen burst into the room, weapons drawn.

"Highness!" Maes shouted.

"No threat!" Euphemia quickly shouted. "See to Ms. Clermont now!"

One of the soldiers quickly pulled out some bandages and began wrapping the stump that was left of C.C.'s arm to stem the bleeding. The woman was noticeably paler, her breathing ragged. Kallen was at her side as well, helping hold her steady.

"Bloody idiot," she hissed. "What were you thinking!?"

The only response from C.C. was a slight smirk. Watching all this Monica frowned.

"Yeah, okay, I think this just became my top priority."

End of Chapter 50

That last scene went on a lot longer than I was expecting it to.

Note that we're in a somewhat slow period of time progression. There's a lot happening, but it's all happening within a few days to a week of the Black Rebellion. As it takes at least two weeks to traverse the Trans-Siberian railway from Vladivostok to say Paris, Lelouch is going to be out of action until sufficient time passes for him to, you know, get to Paris. That being said, I might need to skip a few events that I was originally planning on showing just to get the story moving again. I don't want to end up taking five chapters or something just to portray what boils down to background developments over the course of a single week.

So, any guesses as to what C.C. is asking Euphemia to build?

I have plans for Mikasa. Oh, I have so many plans for Mikasa. Should be interesting.

I think some of you might be underestimating the degree of ruthlessness that is necessary for the characters to achieve their goals, but maybe that's just me. None of the characters in the original anime would have achieved much of anything if I had attempted to use them verbatim in my story, simply by virtue of the fact that I've made the world not revolve around solely them, so their mistakes and etc are not simply forgiven or handwaved. As such to get what they want they need to actually take into account how other people will actually react, for better, or more importantly, for worse.

I've already noted that the official religion in my version of the Britannian Empire is Nordic. As such Hel is somewhat of a natural alternative to hell as an expletive. My rationale and further explanations can be found in past author notes.

This fic already has a tvtropes page. Feel free to add to it. Would be nice to get a character page for it, to see what people distinguishes my version of the characters from the canon.

I will not be answering any questions about Lelouch, Zero, and the geass that I feel constitutes a spoiler for the wider story. The things that I have revealed thus far in the opening snippets were strategically chosen, to give a sense of what I consider to be important but at the same time does not spoil what I consider to be the true story. Ahem. Maybe I've said too much already.

That said continue to ask questions, there are times when I accidentally screw up something and something that was not meant to be ambiguous appears so to my readers and those I'm happy to clarify. And in the times where I outright refuse to answer a question, I will note my refusal in the author notes, so if there are questions that do not have such a refusal and remain unanswered, chances are I forgot about them and you can poke me again with them. Though do note that repeat questions that I have answered will get directed to look through my author notes.

C.C. translation because I'm not feeling lazy today.

The scheme thou hast asked for. – The designs you asked for.

Nay, that be beyond the ken of any contrivance crafted by mortal hands. This shalt restore the lambency of the gate. With yander light, thou may once more gain adit to the empyreus. – No, that is beyond the ability of anything made by mortal hands. This will restore the light of the gate. With that light, you can once again gain entry to empyrean.

Tis a land not meant for mortal ken nor mortal company. – It is a land not meant for mortal knowledge or mortal existence.

Tis sooth enough for thy query. – It is truth enough for your question.

Many a marvel hast moved beyond the ken of man. Without thereof we must maketh what poor surrogates our meager hands may. – Many a miracles are beyond the reach of man. Without them we must make what poor substitutes our meager hands allow.

Tis for cynosure of the prescribed lambency. – It is to focus the required light.

There be no need for such innuendo. Thou hast asked of me a key and I hast answered. If thou art lacking in faith in mine veracity then thou wasted thy breath with thy petition. – You don't need that kind of doubletalk. You asked me for a key and I have provided. If you do not trust me then you were wasting your breath by asking to begin with.

Take heed with whom thou commends these matters to. Confidences thin as those whom share it grows. – Be careful with whom you share this with. Secrets become less secret as they are spread.

Ponder this, highness. Were I to possess such means, what would thou presume to be of equal sooth? – Think about this, your highness. Were I to possess such means, what would have to be equally true?

She be here amongst thou. Twould seem gentleness is now démodé. – She is right here. It would seem common courtesy is now out of fashion.