Welcome back readers, we are back for another chapter of this little story of mine. Now before I get into it, I would like to announce that I've begun working on my own book so that will take some time away from my fanfictions so I can work on my own fictional story. Now as we all know, both the Star Wars universe, both Disney cannon and Expanded as well as the world of Code Geass-are complicated and vast. So this story as I've stated will not only be only part one of what hopefully will be an entire series of stories but I'll also try to make chapter longer with a minimum of around 8.5k words.
I've also been watching videos made by 'Hello Future Me' and 'Shadiversity'. More specifically, their videos on world building, storytelling and historical facts and legends. Both channels are just great as they gave me some things to think about not only with my own stories but with my new work of fiction so I highly recommend heading to YouTube and watching them as well, they are very informative. Anyway, this chapter will in of itself, will focus now on both sides of this conflict in Area 11 and how the different people on both sides are taking all this bloodshed, fighting and cloak and dagger business so once more, it'll be Euphie's time to shine.
IS6A6E – As promised, your appetizer has been planned out and although it's not the main course, I think it will suffice for now. As for the Sith or the republic, they will became a factor in part 2 of this series I'm working on as we all know if even one of them were to move on them now, Lelouch will lose as I refuse to allow him to beat them back just cause he's the main character. There needs to be some realistic chance of them winning or a smaller chance if her pulls a 'miracle' as we see in the Star Wars universe, single planets are capable of holding back larger armies and navies such as the Galactic Empire, it just a matter of planning, strategies and what are the objectives of each side as glassing planets which sustain life or have an abundance of a resource is not pure evil, its pure stupidity as even with the scorched earth tactics used here on Earth, such methods only make an area unusable for a certain time which in most cases, is too much time for an attacking force to wait or repair the area to a state of working order. A glassed planet can stay lifeless and useless for decades if not centuries as one good example of this is Mandalore itself. Their constant wars and fighting turned a world which was similar to Earth to mainly deserts and wastelands (in some sources, there are areas of the planet which are either toxic to like such as humans or radioactive due to nuclear weapons)
Perseus12 – Funny enough, I always saw Lelouch destroying the Geass Order in the same light as Anakin destroying the Jedi Order as I can't be the only one who sees the similarities between the two of them as some things they share are:
Both were young for man of action, never mind men with the political and military standing they had as with Anakin, he was only 19 at the start of the Clone Wars and 22 when it ended. Lelouch was 17 when he started his rebellion and 18 when he died after conquering his whole world.
Both have tragic childhoods as Anakin was a slave till Qui-Gon Jinn found him on Tantooine while Lelouch was disowned by his own father and banished to a foreign land which the audio books for Code Geass, wasn't pleasant till the finals mouths prior to the war.
Both lose their mothers and this lost helps to shape them as characters to the point where both were likely to either hurt you or kill you if you insulted their respective moms.
Both lost the women they loved and consequently fall even further into darkness, the only difference between them here is that Lelouch didn't become a lord of chaos and evil.
Both are considered to be very attractive.
Both are considered to be great motivators and leaders as the 501st under Anakin would have followed him to hell and back due to his empathy and leading the charge mentality. Lelouch on the other hand inspired people through his 'miracles' and showed more than once he cared for at least some of his soldiers as he proved due the Black Knights when he full heartedly promised to save Kallen after she was captured by Xingke. Another thing that both would sometimes pull victories out of thin air where others would have only seen defeat.
Both have sincere and honest relationships with those under them as for Anakin, this was Ahsoka Tano. Proof of this happens in three instances. The first being how he refused to believe she was dead after she and another padawan blew up a droid factory on Geonosis and actively searched for her. The second is who distraught he got when she was kidnapped and had to find her own way back to him. And the third was how he was the only one who believed in her innocence when she was accused of bombing the Jedi temple of killing a suspect and tirelessly worked to prove her innocence. For Lelouch it was Kallen and C.C as when C.C lost her memories, he treated her with love and kindness and when he lost his temper and lashed out at her, immediately regreted it and worked to make up for it while with Kallen, he wanted her to live and return to Ashford, even if that meant he would die alone.
Both were out of the box thinkers who regularly came up with fantastic and brilliant battle plans or tactics that both allies and enemies would not see coming and therefore be caught flat footed by such designs. However this out of the box thinking would make it hard for others in ranking positions to follow. Case in point, Obi-wan would routinely be surprised by the actions Anakin would take while the entire Black Knight command staff were almost always left in the dark to Zero's plans.
Although both stood for justice and truth, they weren't afraid to use tactics and in some cases, strategies that were more chaotic good. In one episode of Clone wars, when Ahsoka along with another padawan and clone soldiers are infected with a dangerous infection, Anakin was willing to beat their Geonosian prisoner till he told him how to cure it, which he did and he got the cure. When Obi-wan asked how he got it, he didn't give a straight answer. As for Zero…do I really need to say?
Both destroyed orders that took in(abducted) children and trained them as agents and/or members. Sure the Jedi were painted in a better light in the original trilogy but the following sequels and the Clone Wars cartoon showed us that not only were they flawed but backwards in their way of thinking as even in the new trilogy, Luke discovers that the order had fallen from their original path as Jedi started to obsess with being sided/aligned to the light and fearing the dark side to the point where they refused the adapt and sought to destroy those who practiced the dark side in every way.
This was not what the Jedi were supposed to be all about as the first Jedi order sought to be the masters of the grey, they trained and studied to be able to look at a situation, look at the evidence and act on that to reach the best possible outcome. Basically, the order had fallen to fear and paranoia, something that Jedi weren't supposed to feel.
Hell when Ahsoka was accused of bombing the temple, only Anakin was willing to not only believe she didn't do it but do a real investigation into who was the real culprit, even Obi-wan turned on her. We know that the Jedi council decided on this to save face as their participation in the war wasn't popular from the start and as the war dragged on and the bodies piled, more and more people started to question why 'peace-keepers' were generals in an army.
This act showed they favoured public favour over doing their actual jobs and giving the girl, who was 14-15yrs old at the time, a fair trial and conduct a proper investigation. It was actually reasonable why Baris bombed the temple as when she was brought to court by Anakin, she not only admits to it but she preaches about how the Jedi had fallen and become an army of the dark side(Which was kinda true as we all know Palpartine was a Sith Lord and was the head of the republic military due to the senate granting him emergency power, therefore the Jedi were technically warriors fighting for a Sith Lord)
My point here that for someone like me, who knows far more about the sequels and original trilogy, I can say these two were cut from the same cloth and might have been good friends if not friendly rivals.
Vein Bloodborne – My reader, Star Wars is a Space Opera while Code Geass is famed for its plot-twists so expect this won't be a cut and dry story. Order and chaos will make many appearances.
TianYi – Yes it is, but at the time….I wasn't at my creative best.
Geer123 – Did you expect any less from the same guy who ordered the destruction of an entire order? One with men, women and children?
Chapter 25: Connecting the dots
15th October 2020 a.t.b./3 9688 BBY:
Unknown Region:
Milky Way Galaxy:
Earth/Sol-3:
Area 11:
Unknown location in central Japan
"Sir." One of the guards on duty said as he along with the other saluted their leader as he walked out of the interrogation room. He had been in there for almost seven hours….questioning Rolo for everything he knew and had gotten but he wanted.
"I got what I needed out of the little brat." Zero said as the door closed behind him, allowing both men to flinch when they saw the charred and broken body that was Rolo-the blood spatter on the table, walls and floor merely added to the picture that screamed something really painful happened in there, to be honest they weren't even sure he was alive. "Clean up the mess."
"Sir. How shall we do that?" The other asked as they had yet to need to get rid of bodies in the III so that didn't have protocol for such.
"Shoot him, then have the body burned. Not like he has anyone who would claim the remains." Zero instructed them as figured they could just start a bonfire and toss the body in.
"Right away." They both replied as they saluted again and as one went off to get some garbage bags they can use while the other enter the room with his pistol at the ready. This left Zero alone in silence with but one other person.
.
.
.
"I don't really care for your opinions on my methods. We got the info." Zero said after some tense moments to S.K. as had known he had watched just about the entire session, only leaving in the last hour or so.
"And in the process, you both mentally scarred and physically crippled him." S.K stated firmly as they both heard a gunshot go off from inside the room. Clearly the boy had indeed survived the torture but not the bullet.
"Your point? We've been over this already." Zero retorted as they started to walk off, as they turned the corner the before mentioned guard rushed passed them with a few heavy duty garbage bags. "I'll call a meeting in a few days, didn't think I'll be here so late." He finished as he looked down at his watch and saw it was 3am.
"And what will you do till then?" S.K asked him, still sounding disappointed in his friend's methods but knowing he would neither apologise nor change them.
"Rest of course, I've been awake for almost 25 hours now. I'm quite exhausted under this helmet." Zero said as they met up with Tierra who looked like he had been awake just as long as his superior.
"I'll have them prepare rooms for us to stay the….morning as it seems." Tierra said as he looked over at the corner screen of his data pad and saw the time.
"Excellent, see to it." Zero stated as he turned and walked down another corridor, to where the two of them didn't know.
18th October 2020 a.t.b./3 9688 BBY:
Unknown Region:
Milky Way Galaxy:
Earth/Sol-3:
Area 11:
Black Knight Kanto Command:
"So," Lockon said as he sat down in his seat. "You got some results?" He asked as he along with the rest of the command staff had gathered for this meeting, including Rakshata who had claimed the sofa for herself.
"Indeed. After interrogating our guest I was able to discover some interesting information." Zero said to the group as he pulled out numerous folders and handed them out for each and every person to review.
"More like torture." Nunnally said with a frown on her face as she had already heard what had become of the kid they had captured.
"Sister, we have better things to worry about then my methods of extracting valuable info." Zero said as he opened up his own folder. "Now, onto the subject of this meeting. It seems we have more to worry about then we first anticipated."
"How so?" Alleujah asked as he turned through the report, pausing when it got to the condition Rolo was in prior to his death and cremation.
"Our guest was able to reveal that the power he has is called 'Geass'. It's a supernatural ability that differs from person to person but they all one main similarity. The fact that it effects the mind." Zero revealed to them all, catching all of them off guard enough that even Rakshata removed the pipe from her mouth to seriously look at this report.
"The mind? Like illusions?" The scientist asked him.
"In some cases yes, but what I mean is that is they effect the minds of the user or those around them. Due to this, it can only work in intelligent lifeforms as animals with underdeveloped frontal lobes seem to be immune to its effects." S.K answered as he had watched most of the actual interrogation.
"So droids aren't affected?" Nunnally asked as they made considerable use of them in construction purposes. With the right supervisor, they could work harder and faster than most people. Plus it helped that they were relatively cheap so losing one or 30 in a cave in wasn't that big a loss.
"All machines and inanimate objects. Also, it does share similarities to the force magic used by the Night-Sisters in the regard that it isn't something you are born with but rather something that is given to you…by an immortal." Zero dropped another bomb onto the group. Silencing them all.
.
.
.
"…I'm sorry but for a second there I thought you said that this geass thing is something one gets from immortals." Lockon said as he sat up straight and cleaned his eye with his pinkie.
"That's what I said. It seems that these 'Code Bearers' are a sort of bridge to the force, I speculate that this connection to the force allows them immortality as our guest said more than once that his master, a being by the name of 'V.V' doesn't age and can't be killed." Zero said as Rolo had insisted that this V.V was more powerful than him and would destroy him. He was not ashamed to admit that his pride didn't take that all that well and he wound up breaking the boy's arm.
'V.V…that's the same type of name as C.C.' Nunnally realised as she saw that true to his words, those were the letters listed as the name.
'Lelouch must have made that connection by now, but the question is what he'll do with this information.' Suzaku asked as ever since, he had acted like he hadn't learn something like this around their house-guest.
"Can't be killed…?" Oscar repeated, the very thought was troubling to say the least.
"That's what this…Rolo kept insisting but personally, I'll believe it this V.V. if he survives me cutting his head off." Zero confirmed for them, though he was careful to remind them that even if the source of this info truly believed it, it does not make it true.
"You said that this geass power differs from person to person?" Warwick asked as according to the report, the other geass user had a completely different power, though it was only a theory at this point.
"Yes, from what Rolo said and my own admittedly little experience with the power, each person obtains a unique ability capable of one thing. In Rolo's case, we can assume that his power interferes with how the mind perceives the passage of time, making it that for his victims, time is standing still." Zero informed them, the notion of such a power sending a shiver down everyone's spine.
"Quite the power…for an assassin." Kallen said, trying to shake the fear out of herself.
"Yes, I can imagine that it would be very difficult to defend yourself from someone like that. Well…" Liu Mei added in her thoughts to the discussion. "Besides using automated defences."
"How is that you came out in top?" Alleujah asked their leader since if this was true, he shouldn't have had a chance.
"This is just a theory for now as I haven't had the chance to properly test it but," Zero said slowly as he contemplated telling him his theory but decided to go for it. "I believe that my own strong connection to the force along with years of training against Jedi Mind Tricks have given me and those like me…how should I put this? A strong resistance to such things."
"That might be the case, when he tried to use it when I was in there, time just seemed…slowed and the actions sluggish but I could still tell time was moving." S.K said, they had already spoken about it and decided that they could speck of such matters around Rakshata as one-her communications were being intercepted by their agents before they could reach whoever she was talking to so they could just block out sensitive info and two-she would need proof if anyone was to take her seriously and she didn't have the clearance to access such.
"Well he won't be a problem so why don't we move on to the one that got away?" Liu Mei asked as no matter how scary an opponent this Rolo could have been, he was dead and gone.
"That would be wise." Zero agreed with her as he turned the page of the folder to another section. "The other agent from what I was able to pull from Rolo is called/named whatever you prefer-Reginald. He had the ability to turn others into puppets so long as they are in his range. Now role wouldn't say but judging from the distance he was from Hajime Yuko during the…incident," Zero paused as everyone gave a moment of silence for the dead, though Rakshata only kept quiet as to not stick out as much. "That is range must be greater than 200m"
"So it means they could pull this stunt again?" Alleujah asked them group.
"Not likely," Oscar interrupted. "Before they were moving with complete secrecy and in the shadows, but now not only do we know about them but we know that these accidents were directly caused by them. If I were them, I would go to ground and think of a new course of action." He posed his thoughts to the group who took them in and thought about them and supposed they were a sound observation.
"Another shocking thing I found out was that for the past 20 years or so, this….Geass Order has been aligned with the Holy Britannian Empire or at the very least, their leadership and the emperor are allies, we have reason to believe that the OSI also makes use of these geass killers on lease for special mission assignments." Leila revealed to the group as she and Zero had looked over all the evidence they could get on this. She was confused as to why he called them an order till he explained Jedi and Sith to her and how the Jedi are actually a order of what should be religious warrior monks.
"Wait a minute, are you saying that the Goddamn emperor has these kinds of assassins at his beck and call?" Akito asked him, a vague memory his brother flashing in his mind causing a cold spike to move down his spine.
"That it what the evidence points to and it does add up." Leila told him, concerned that she was bringing up bad memories but she also knew it was necessary for him to know this. "Zero and I went through suspicious deaths and/or accidents over the past 20 years both within the empire, union and thanks to and our friends in the china, the federation n as well." She said as she took out her own series of folder, these ones thicker than the last and passed them around. "The results are troubling to say the least."
"What do you mean?" Kallen asked, scared of what the answer will be.
"If the files are to be believed, then Rolo alone would be responsible for the assassination of at least 56 people. When taking into account the abilities of the other one and same vague accounts Rolo spat out in his final hours of sound mind, this order has killed at least 450 people." Zero ripped the metaphorical band-aid off and told them all, making them all pause in shock as sure, they knew not to judge the boy by his looks but still, a body count that high wasn't anything to scoff at.
"When we looked into the identities of the victims, we found the victim pool contained two types of targets: Those who were a threat to Britannian national security or military operations; the second…were those who could have proved or were threats to Charles zi Britannian and his rule." Leila said as slowly but surely, everyone opened up their files and started reading. Needless to say, the amount of victims and locations, styles of killing and the sheet effective nature of this shadow organisation was terrifying.
"Jesus, this kid killed an entire family?" Kallen asked as she read file Case number C-06: The motor accident(COD) of Viscount Joseph I Walton, Baroness Elizabeth Walton, Kennedy Walton and youngest Simon Walton. Date April 9th 2011 a.t.b
"From what the report said, that Viscount was an important figure in the movement to reduce the power of the emperor. After he and his wife and two sons died in a car accident, all those who sided with him in the House of Lords backed down." Zero said to them as they could all connect the dots about how each and every one of these assassinations only benefitted Britannia or in many of the cases, the current ruler. They all turned the pages till they came to the next one. Case number C-07: The murder of Colonel Lorenzo Pagliacci. Date May 3rd 2011 a.t.b
"Colonel Pagliacci was an intelligent and cunning man. I only met him once or twice but he was a diamond in the rough. He was pushing for the EU to abolish the practice of member states having their own armed forces and for the EU as a whole to create a single, unified military complex." Leila said as she recalled the rough faced brute of a man but he had an uncanny intellect and was strongly loyal. "Such a thing would mean that the EU would be much harder for Britannia to fight since it would mean more troops, equipment and resources can be brought to bear at any time." She finished as she revealed what they believed to be the reason he was killed, which also proved that Britannia was really gearing for a war in Europe and wanted it to run as smoothly as possible.
"And it says here he was shot during a rally in Vienna." S.K said as he went thought the small report as the Austrian police clearly didn't do a good job with this. "What's more suspicious is that bullet that killed him didn't even match the models carried by the soldiers in the hall at the time, and that the security cameras were turned off." This was also odd as it would have made more sense of Rolo used the make of gun or even stolen one of theirs, it would have thrown them off his trail. "Did they find the one who did it?"
"Maybe, the person who should have been watching the cameras was found dead in a bathroom stall, time of death was found to be at the same time as the colonel so he may or not have been in on it." Zero said as they all saw the picture of the dead man seated on the toilet, judging from the white substance coming out his mouth, he must have been poisoned.
"Another incident was 9 years ago, an investigative reporter was found dead in Rhode Island. Officially, the police reports concluded it was a robbery gone wrong as he was missing his wallet, phone and watch." Zero said as they turned only two pages this time to the new one. Case number B-13: The Robbery of Richard Angle. Date April 17th 2008 a.t.b. "But when we looked into it, we discovered there were rumours that he was investigating a low level noble who was deeply connected to the royal family. If the rumours are the believed, then if his investigation went on and was brought to light, it would have been quite the scandal." Zero revealed to them.
"And there was another account of a Burgravine who died in a 'freak boating accident' off the coast of Florida six years ago. According to what we dug up about her life, she was fervently opposed to treatment of numbers and was a vocal critic of the empire's more daring conquests in northern African as the regions themselves didn't offer enough resources to justify invasion and occupation." Lockon said as he read ahead to case number E-14 The death of Burgravine Ashley Hamilton. Date 11th August 2018 a.t.b
"And as a reward for a humane stance, her boat suffered an engine failure and blew up. She and three of her friends were killed." S.K said as he tightened his hold on the folder. If this was all true…then there was no saving Charles, he was willing to kill anyone who opposed him.
"So essentially, your father is using magical girls and boys to hunt down and kill any who would threaten his rule or dare to challenge his directives?" Liu Mei asked him as this was what it boiled down to.
"That would be the case, I always knew that greedy bastard was just a tyrant but this…this proves that a quick death would be too merciful." Zero growled out as he felt the dark side start to swim through his veins much more intensely than normal. If he was looking in the mirror then he would have seen the white of his eyes turned black as night while his royal, rich purple eyes changed to crimson, malevolent red.
"What I want to know is how so many deaths, so many 'accidents and tragedies' could not be noticed." Kallen asked as they went through the files and more and more Britannians showed up in them. Spread from commoners to low level nobility.
"That's simple. For those within the empire. You forget that just about every news organisation is either state owned, controlled or heavily rely on financial support from the state or the wealthy. They would never report on anything that would make the empire look bad and as we all witness, would rather put a nationalistic spin on things to make the empire look good or make them the victims. Remember the terrorist attack in Osaka?" Nunnally asked them all, though some drew blanks since it wasn't prime time news even when the story broke.
"Yep, they reported that there around 65 victims but emphasized the 8 Britannians who died." Tierra said as he made it his business to watch the evening news every day. if he proved to be busy, he'll record it.
"For the murders outside of Britannian colonies, would the EU or federation really report that so many of their people were dying and they had no clue as to why?" Zero asked them even though they all knew the answer. "Of course not, that'll make them look bad."
"Another thing to consider is the fact that for most people with full citizenship in Britannia, life is good, high standard of living, good healthcare and education, good income even for the lower class, plenty of distractions such as the arts and sports. So it's naturally that people won't look too deeply or seriously think of their foreign and domestic policies." Nunnally said as it was sad but true. When people have something to lose and are not assured a gain if they step in and voice their thoughts, then more often or not. They won't.
"Add that in with a good dose of propaganda being subtle spoon fed to you since diapers with a pinch of ignorance about the world around them and its clear to see why many Britannians, even commoners are so patriotic or merely willing to do nothing." Zero said as he could pull anyone off the streets and ask them and chances, 8 out of 10 will say they support the government and military.
"So what's our play?" Akito asked, all this talk was getting to him and he wanted something he could do about it.
"I was able to extract the details on two OSI safe-houses. I say we raid them and capture as much information as we can. Zero proposed to them all, a vote that didn't even need to happen since all present were for it.
"Agreed, but how would we go about it?" Lockon asked as they started to brainstorm ideas about how to strike each of the locations. They wanted to do so within minutes of each other to give no quarter for their targets to escape or destroy the information they wanted. This went on for three whole hours as such a strike would need back-up on back-up plans to ensure the highest rate of success.
18th October 2020 a.t.b./3 9688 BBY:
Unknown Region:
Milky Way Galaxy:
Earth/Sol-3:
Somewhere in Area 3:
Unknown Location:
Geass Directorate North American Command:
"Director. You summoned us?" One of the cloaked and masked members of the directorate command asked as he along with 3 others stood in front of their master.
"Yes, I've had some time to think about that…issue in area 11 and have come to a decision." V.V said as he played with a lock of his extremely long hair.
"Which is?" Another inquired of him.
"Reginald will stay in area 11 but he will join up with Cornelia. That way he can still be of some use." V.V announced as he had taken time to seriously think about this and came to the conclusion that they needed their agent to remain where he was.
"So he will still act against the Black Knights?" One asked as another wrote down those orders for later.
"Yes, I want you to create a new identity for him and send him the information. Now that Zero knows what he looks like, it's only a matter of time before Zero acts not that he thinks he has the upper hand." V.V replied. He wasn't foolish enough to think that Zero wouldn't act not that one of his own was captured. Lucky for them, Rolo and Reginald weren't told too much about their operations in Area 11. The most they knew would only affect the OSI while they didn't know anything of consequence about the order. It paid to divide his agents into sects and ensure that they knew nothing about the others.
"And what shall Reginald do to gain the viceroy's trust?" One asked as Cornelia was well to hate the intricate nature of politics and decorum. It would not be easy to just send someone her way.
"He is to give her all the information he has on Zero and the Black Knights," V.V revealed to them, shocking some as they didn't think he would so open about this. "Don't act so surprised, even if Cornelia has no hope of defeating him as things stand now, she can still prove useful in bleeding him of men and resources as well as giving us more chances to see what his capabilities are."
"Of course my lord, it shall be done." One replied as they all bowed to him before making their way out.
"See it so." He dismissed them as they all left the room, leaving him with his thoughts. 'If only I can capture this Zero, he would make a wonderful pawn. But that's unlikely so I'll have to settle for killing him instead.' V.V thought to himself as he got up from his throne and turned around to gaze at the painting behind him.
A painting of a thought elevator.
20th October 2020 a.t.b./3 9688 BBY:
Unknown Region:
Milky Way Galaxy:
Earth/Sol-3:
Area 11:
Tokyo Settlement:
Viceroy's Palace:
Knock Knock
"Your highness." Guilford asked through the door. He had been rather busy as of late and as a consequence, had not seen his princess since breakfast hours prior.
"Enter Guilford." He heard the response through the door before he opened it and stepped in before closing the door behind him.
"I hate to sound cliché but I bring good news, bad news and a something that can swing either way." Guilford said as he approached her desk and saluted her like he usually did though from the looks of it, she hadn't had time to relax either seeing how there were numerous reports scattered around the table top. From a passing glance, he could see that they were all about attacks credited to the Black Knights.
"Of course that's what I have to deal with." Cornelia grumbled to herself as she reached for the bridge of her nose to try and keep the headache away. "Alright, let's start with something to lift my mood, good news."
"Yes your highness," Guilford responded before he handed her the report he had been holding this whole time. "I just received word from the A.S.E.E.C unit. Lady Enneagram new knightmare has been completed. They only need to run some tests to make the final adjustments."
"That is some good news. My brother was also interested in the project and granted that lunatic scientist another 1,500,000 just to ensure it was completed." Cornelia replied as she read through the report on the new model and was quite jealous that her dear friend and senior soldier was the one to have such a weapon of war.
"Well them, let us hope it was money well spent." Guilford replied though he kept it to himself that he thought that money came from the 2nd prince's own pockets.
"Indeed, so what name did Lloyd give his new knightmare?" She asked him as she read through it and only saw it's model number which was ZEOP-01
"Bors."
"The king or the younger?" Cornelia asked as she raised her eyebrow at the name. she may be versed in Arthurian legend like any of other royal but it always puzzled her why their R&D divisions insisted on branding their knightmare after such figures.
"Younger, the one who proved worthy of the Holy Grail." Guilford replied as he had asked the same question when Ms. Croomy had informed him. It would have been the mad scientist himself but he apparently passed out as soon as he finished it hours earlier. It seemed that pulling two all nighters with only coffee to sustain him had finally caught up with the man.
"Hmmm…fitting seeing how she was always the stubborn one when it came to how she did things." Cornelia had to concede there. She could recall one time during a party Nonette had forced her to attend that Nonette kiss a duke's son merely because she was holding out till she found 'the one'. Of course, she would have done same, she was never one to care for truth or dare.
"I was also informed that the upgraded Gloucesters were scrapped, rather the A.S.E.E.C chose to completely build the Glaston knights new machines based on the Lancelot." Guilford said as he had originally gone down to R&D to demand why it had been so long since they last got an update reporting on their progress.
"Is that right?" Cornelia paused as she considered the possibilities of that which in hindsight, outweighed those of just refitted gloucesters. "What are they?"
"They are prototype models that if they prove successful, will enter limited mass production for now. They are called Vincents and we along with the Glaston Knights will receive the Commander Models." Guilford reported verbally as Ms. Croomy had assured him she would prepare a report on it and send to straight to the viceroy as soon as she completed it.
"Excellent. If there as effective as the Lancelot, then we can start making some progress against those elevens." Cornelia said as he mind flashed to a certain masked man and her grip on her pen tightened to the point where it bent a little. "But since I know there was more, what's the bad news?"
"Our order for more knightmares as well additional pilots was met but rather than sunderlands and gloucesters. We are being sent sunderlands and liverpools." Guilford couldn't help it as he made a face as he revealed that piece of information.
"Liverpools!? Those things are just glorified security units. You'll have better chances with the Gun-Rus. At least they cost less to replace." Cornelia was of same mind as him as really, the Liverpool was a complete screw-up of a knightmare as even a Glasgow could run circles around it and according to reports from the field, would suffer lower losses. Why the Liverpool was still in production was something Cornelia would never know.
"I'm afraid so." Guilford replied with a sigh as he fixed his glasses. "I've already started working on the refusal letter and have contacted another base in area 3 to see if they can't pick up the slack."
"See to it that you do. And what's the last thing you wanted to tell me?" Cornelia asked as she recalled he said he had three things to discuss with her.
"There appears to be an OSI agents here," Guilford started as a frown worked its way onto his face. "He wishes to speak with you, and only you."
"OSI? I was never informed that they were active in area 11." That wasn't protocol dammit, she was the current viceroy and should have been informed of those cowards and backstabbers operating in her jurisdiction.
"That was the concern but all his credentials and ID checked out. He was also searched for listening devices and weapons. He only had a small dagger on him which has already been confiscated." Guilford informed her as personally saw to it that this agent was no threat to his princess.
"And his name?" The 2nd princess asked, an anger growing inside of her at the blatant act to disrespect her committed by the OSI who didn't even see it fit to inform her of their actions.
"Michael Pennington. We've contacted the OSI Regional HG and they confirm he is one of them." Guilford reported.
"Then send him in." She ordered him to which he saluted her again and crisply walked out of the room. It was a minute or two later that the door opened again and her guest walked in.
'Is this him? He seems too young to have legally made it this far but when has the OSI ever cared about the legality of an issue?' Cornelia wondered to herself as she took in his appearance. It looked to be far too young physically since he appeared to be at best, 16 but from the look in his eyes she could tell her had seen his fair share of death and destruction. The dirty blonde hair and cold steel eyes cemented the look. "You're Pennington?" She asked him aloud, having taken all she could from his outward appearance.
"Yes your highness, Michael Pennington. Indo-Pacific OSI section." The newly names Michael replied as he gave her a salute while keeping his emotions hidden.
"I have been informed that you wish to speak with me?" She inquired as she gestured towards the seat in front of her desk.
"Yes your highness. For the past few weeks. I have been conducting spy work in the ghettos. Gathering any information on the Black Knights that I could." Michael answered as he took the before mentioned seat.
"Weeks? And why wasn't I informed if this?" Cornelia asked him, her frown an easy tell that she wasn't pleased.
"I would not know, you highness, I merely did as I was ordered. You would have to speak with my superiors if you wish for an explanation." Michael gave his answer, though he could care less as to how she feels, so long as he did his mission as directed by his master.
"I think I will. Continue." Cornelia ordered him, already thinking of how she have to deal with this new…annoyance.
"Yes your highness. From my efforts, I was able to discover that not only are the Black Knights clearing the debris from ghettos they have the largest influence but they are recycling it. From what the rumours and few foot soldiers talk about. It seems they are taking the concreate the recover and turning it back into concreate mix." Michael reported as he laid out some photos of said Black knights moving concreate into trucks and flatbeds and transporting them away. Another one showed them entering an old subway tunnel.
"So that would point to Zero building something. Perhaps a fortified headquarters." Cornelia theorised as they already concluded the masked man kept on the move and didn't still in one place too long.
"That would be my first assumption but it could be that they are building smaller regional bases as it has already been discovered that the Black Knights operate dozens if not hundreds of locations across area 11." Michael revealed as the order had themselves concluded that there were numerous smaller BK bases across the board so that even if one or two are hit, it would affect the organisation as a whole.
(Meanwhile with Euphemia)
"Apologies once more, your highness. I wish that I could have done this sooner but-" Claudio said as he and the pink princess cleaned out his father's old office.
"There is no need to apologise Sir Claudio. We have all been rather occupied as of late so it would make sense this would have been pushed back." Euphemia honestly replied as she went through the books and files on the book case.
"Still your highness, my brothers and I should have done this sooner." Claudio countered as he put some used paper into the desk bin which was starting to fill up, her father always had the habit of planning with pen and paper which always lead to well over a dozen pages with nothing but useless plans or scribbles.
"They are all conducting piloting tests with the A.S.E.E.C unit and couldn't make it. However I would like to know why you aren't with them." Euphemia noted as she paused to think about it. She did recall hearing about them booking some training time.
"Believe it or not, your highness but," Claudio started with a laugh. "We all drew straws and I got stuck with the shortest. With them gone, I thought it would be best to use the time to clean up our father's office. Things in her have been collecting dust for too long." At his answer, Euphemia also laughed as she could definitely see a child of Dalton having such a plan. He rarely did it himself but when he did-he always won against both Guilford and Cornelia.
"That is quite the tale, though I'm happy to help since this is not really a one person task." She said as she looked around at the relatively small office but nonetheless, she recalled how it took the man himself two days to everything in.
"And I will be eternally grateful." Claudio answered with a smile but he looked around the place, a tear in his eye. "It's hard to believe it sometimes, that he's gone. Some days it just feels like he shipped out on one of longer tours like he used to when we were younger." Euphemia came closer to him and placed a friendly hand on his shoulder, she would have been miffed about the fact that like everyone else around here, he was taller but she didn't let it bother her right now.
"Losing someone close to your heart is always a challenging experience." Euphemia told him with a cheerless smile, one he picked up on.
"You speak from experience?" Claudio asked as but she didn't respond immediately, rather she looked at the wall, as if gazing at something he could not see for himself but must have been captivating.
"…Yes….yes I do…" Euphemia said as she recalled the funerals of her many half-siblings she had attended over the years. She was sure that some of them were legitimate accidents and illnesses but for the most part, it didn't take a genius to know they were killing each other off. One thing she disliked was the fact that since there were over 200 imperial children, most of them never stuck out to the public so the death of one or two of these lesser sons and daughters of the emperor never made the news.
"Forgive me if I brought up sad memories." Claudio apologised as she wiped away a tear from her eye.
"Oh no, it's nothing really. It's just…been some time since we lost them." She said as she thought back to a particular sibling duo she hadn't seen in over a decade.
'Them?' Claudio asked himself as he caught that slip-up but for the sake of her privacy he didn't push it. And with that, they got back to work cleaning up the place but while the princess was cleaning out his desk, she found some odd looking notes as they were held together in a single red binder in a sea of green and light yellow binders.
"Hmmm? What's this?" She asked herself as she picked it up and saw that it was larger than she thought.
"Notes?" Claudio asked as he came round to see it for himself.
"Is that odd?" Euphemia asked she moved the thing around in her hands and found that there was an unusual bump in it, meaning there was something else in it.
"Well yes, father always used a data pad when he could help it." Claudio started before she opened the thing and saw the contents of the file, along with a small flash-drive taped to the back of the binder's cover. "What in the world…"
"Are these…?" Euphemia asked as she looked over what was in front of her and saw that Andreas was onto something big.
"He was conducting his own investigation unto who Zero was." Claudio breathed out as she gazed at the detailed reports that not only Dalton put together but copies of other reports pertaining to the BK and their masked leader. "And it looks like he had a breakthrough." He suggested as he eyes the flash-drive as he pulled it out and examined it.
"We need to get this to Jeremiah, right away." Euphemia said with urgency as she decided that cleaning could wait.
(Some time later)
"Jeremiah, was there a reason you requested this meeting." Cornelia asked as she along with her knight of honour, the knight of nine, the two premier members of the A.S.E.E.C., the Glaston Knights, the two highest ranking members of the purists and the sub-viceroy.
"There was, you highness. Thanks to sub-viceroy and sir Claudio. We have uncovered more information on Zero." Jeremiah started with a nod to the before mentioned two as he pulled out the flash he was given to analyse and plugged it into his terminal.
"How?" Edgar asked as like the rest, he was left in the dark to what Jeremiah had been reviewing for the past three hours.
"It seems that our later father was conducting his own smaller investigation into him and he found a connection we can explore." Claudio told the gathered group before all their screens changed when a new window opened up to show one of the two videos on the flask. "Here watch this video footage." Then Jeremiah pressed play. The video itself wasn't too shocking as it was one of the few videos they had of Zero fighting outside of a knightmare. This particular incident was when Zero took down a small refrain den on the outskirts of the settlements a couple mouths prior.
.
.
.
"And? Zero beats the ever loving hell outta of some thugs and drug pushers. We've had this on record for months." Bart said as he waved off the video. As impressive that was the man's fighting style, he didn't see the important of such.
"Yes but now watch this." Jeremiah said as a second window opened up and this time, they saw a match between two Britannian youths in military academy attire fighting. Guilford was about the question the meaning of these two unrelated scenes when like everyone else, he spotted the connection. The student in the video pulled off the same sword thrust feint-slash-spinning heel kick as Zero did.
.
.
.
"Notice something?" Villetta asked them all as she saw the shock on each and every one of their faces at this piece of information.
"That move Zero did, it looked similar." Cornelia breathed out as Jeremiah played both moments side by side and they could all see that Zero performed the technique flawlessly.
"Not just similar. We went over it over a dozen times. It was the same." Kewell said as he was one refused to believe this at first but after the 6th time, even he had to concede. "That was a recording from the Imperial Knights academy in Area 5, taken in 2016 during their graduation performance."
"General Dalton put the two together and realized that since the different knight academies all have their own unique regiments for training. Whoever Zero is, he would have been either trained there or been in close contact with someone who did." Jeremiah explained to them as he head read through the dead man's finding and was very surprised by them. If the man were still with them, he would suggest he retire and become a criminal investigator.
"Which means we can focus our search on anyone who had been a student there along with their friends and families. Also look into their financial records if you can. They may have gotten paid to do so or to buy their silence." Cornelia caught their drift and picked it up from there. If this was true then it meant that they could decrease the pool of suspects for Zero.
"Yes your highness!" They all replied, though Lloyd's was half-assed but Cornelia had already gotten used to it to the point the urge to shoot him wasn't as strong.
"Is there anything else?" Cornelia asked the assembled group but much to her ire, the one person she wanted to keep still and shut up chose this moment to pitch in.
"Why yes there is. With Lady Enneagram's knightmare complete. We can begin work on our other projects immediately." Lloyd announced to the group as a whole "With the extra funding Schneizel provided, we can have them finished by the end of the week." At least he gave them good news. After this the meeting went on for a couple more hours before it ended.
(Meanwhile – With Lelouch)
While this important meeting of the colonial forces was taking place, Lelouch sat at home-in the dojo as he knelt in the middle of the room. He was meditating as to calm his soul and keep himself rational. In this state of silence he could feel the winter's cold touch since he wore nothing but a sleeveless sweatshirt and some baggy pants. He could hear the sounds of the chimes as they sung their soft, soothing melody by the opened wooden panel doors. In this silence, he meditated as he had long since accepted, accepted that unlike his friend and dear younger sister. He would never truly stand in the light. His soul was too tainted, his spirit too broken by his struggles. Over the years, he had been put through counselling and training regiments as to keep himself from giving into his anger and falling to the same trap as any Sith-the dark side.
As much as Nunnally wanted to believe otherwise, his connection to the dark side was powerful, far more powerful than most Sith Lords of this age and the past. If not for his masters, he would have begum something truly terrifying. He could still recall those days, when all he and his confidants did was train.
(Flashback – Six years ago)
"Again." Master Kaden said for what felt like the hundredth time that day. It wasn't the best time for training as the Martian sun was baring down on them through the artificial atmospheric barrier, why his master thought it was a good idea to train outside was beyond him.
"But…Master…" Lelouch tried to oppose as he was tired and sweating through the light training garb he had been wearing for the better part of the day. He wished that his master chose the air-condition training hall but sadly for him, they were training a section of the base with no cover from buildings or any of the new trees that were planted two years back.
"Again!" Sadly for him, his master was not in a forgiving mood and merely used to force to harshly pick him and up and drop him on his feet. It was because this wasn't the first time that he was able to land on his feet and stay up. "How do you expect to survive if this," He said as he motioned to what he had been doing for the past two hours. Lifting up a upside down glass pyramids of three different sizes and gently placing them back into their stands so they don't break. "Is the best you can muster."
"I…can't!" Lelouch breathed out, exhausted from doing nothing but this the whole damn time. He used to think that telekinesis would not affect the body like this but he was wrong, so wrong. It felt like he had ran a marathon around Central Park in New York, twice.
"Yes you can! Your connection to the force is unlike anything I've ever seen. Your body is still much too weak, your sister can already beats you 6 out of 10 times in your sparring matches." Kaden just had to remind of that, he still couldn't get over how hard everyone laughed when he got pinned trice by her. "However, when you tap into the force, your physical capabilities rapidly increase, to the point where you can fight on par with Suzaku. Do you know why?" Kaden went on, bringing up one particular incident when he was able to fight off Suzaku for over 20 minutes before he lost.
"Because….the force….gives me streng-!" He started, giving the answer he often heard Nunnally and Suzaku give when asked something of this nature but his answer was found to be wanting.
"No, it is because of emotions!" The ex Sith lord told him. "You despise defeat, loath being weak, are disgusted by the very notion of not being in control of yourself!" He listed off the more competitive aspects of his personality. "But…more than anything, you seek the power to protect those you hold dear, and to avenge what you have lost." He explained as he came forward and placed a hand on his sweaty shoulder.
"Whenever you find yourself backed into a corner, you tap into a well of the force to give you the power you need to survive, to protect…. to avenge. I have never encountered anything else like in all my years boy, you have the potential to be great, but only if you train yourself hone your skills, keep trying new things." The old master told him as he laid another on his cheat, right above his beating heart.
"There is more to you then hate and anger. You also hold love, kindness and mercy in your heart." He continued as he gestured at some of the pyramids and stepped back.
"Call on that connection, that hatred, the anger will be your fuel. So light the fires!" With those words, Lelouch took them to heart and calmed himself down before he lifted his arms out and called out to the force to life his targets.
"grrrrrAAAAAAAH!" He screamed as he felt the exhaustion setting in as the rocks rumbled before slowly but surely lifting up into the air. He kept them like that for a few seconds before he gently placed them back down into their slots.
"Excellent. What is your weight limit?" Kaden asked him out the blue.
"[Ha-ha-ha] 875kg." Lelouch answered, though he was too tired to wonder why that was important right now.
"And how much do you think you just lifted into the air?" Kaden asked him, a ghost of a smile on his face as he looked at his confused pupil.
"I d-don't know[ha] maybe 850kg." Lelouch answered him, he wasn't really paying attention to the sizes of the pyramids he lifted, only focusing on lifting them and not breaking them like he did the first couple…dozen.
"Hmm." Kaden smiled at him before he pointed to the three that he had lifted, two were of the largest weight and the second was the middle weight. "More along the lines of 1,275kg."
"I did?" Lelouch gaped as he couldn't believe it, he blew his old record out of the water with that!
"Yes my apprentice. Your emotions are your fuel, your goals are your drive but logic and peace of mind will be your control. Now," Kaden instructed him as he pointed to another four, three of which were of heaviest they had. "Try again but this time, try to control yourself, direct the force as it passes through you. Remember, true focus lies between rage and serenity." He preached to him his findings after years of study and conflict with the Jedi.
"Yes master." He replied to the older man before he centred himself and let both good and bad memories flow through his mind's eye. He allowed himself to get lost in his emotions but never drown in them, it was principle he didn't understand till now. 'Don't just use your hate, but also your love.' With that final thought, he rose his hands and as he did so, all four of his targets slowly lifted into the air. He didn't stop there as he then moved them around, spinning them in a circle around himself much to his master's joy before he paused and then spun them on their own axis. Unlike before, he could feel the force keeping his stamina up so he wasn't nearly as drained as he should be. It did this for another few seconds before he moved each one back into its original place and softly let them touch down.
"How was that?" Lelouch smiled to his master as he turned to face him. The look of pride on the older man's face was something he felt he had earned, making it feel all the more satisfying.
"Impressive, very impressive. You just lifted and moved around a 2,125kg worth of solid glass." Kaden praised him as he closed his own eyes. Never before had he seen someone so young do such a thing. Most is age could life maybe 1,900kg if they pushed it.
"Master, why do I have to use the glass pyramids when Suzaku and Nunnally use the stone?" Lelouch asked him as he walked over to his gear and pulled out a towel to wipe away the sweat he had worked up.
"Control my boy, control." Kaden explained to him as he gestured to the pyramids which even after all this, were still in perfect condition. "I have seen you to be a perfectionist, what better way to hone that trait by having you move around glass pyramids, and not break them?" He asked his pupil who paused to think about it for a second before seeing that his master wasn't wrong.
"Still feels like a punishment." Lelouch muttered to himself as he dropped the new used towel and walked back on over to his master since he had a feeling that his training for the day wasn't over.
"Perhaps but don't ever forget that I am proud of you my student. You have come a long way these past three years." Kaden told him honestly as he looked up towards the sky as the sun set, giving them a excellent view of the approaching stars, some of the stars were ones you couldn't see from Earth.
"Only because of your guidance." Lelouch responded, he may be prideful but he liked to think he could reign that in and show respect when needed.
"The teacher opens the classroom door, it is the student that walks in." His elder shot back with an old quote. "Your dedication to your training is nothing to scoff at. I have none no youngling that has progressed as fast as you three." He told the boy as he thought back to the training he had done with the other younglings they has picked up. Nunnally was really growing into something of a wonder as the sensual aspect of her abilities was stunning to say the least.
"Never forget that there is love in your heart, my boy. Mercy, kindness and a desire for friendship. These things are what keep you from becoming a Sith, so never let go of them." Kaden told him with a sincere smile as he knew that to be the defining trait of this young boy. He could never be a Jedi due to his past but he could have made a cunning and powerful Sith Lord if he had gone that path but he knew that the principles of the dark side were very flawed.
"Yes master." Lelouch responded with a smile as he thought about all he had to protect, to cherish and to love. "I'll cherish the bonds I've made till the day I die and become one with the force."
"Good, now" Kaden started as he reached for his Standard(vanilla) lightsaber hilt, a smile he had seen too many times growing on the aged warrior's face, the one got before he kicked his ass into next week. "Why don't we get to our practice duel, shall we?" He asked/ordered as he activated his blade to let loose a long red beam of energy.
"Yes master!" Lelouch responded as he used the force to pull both his curved hilt(duelling) lightsaber hilts into his hands and activated them, the purple blades matching his eyes in both beauty and intensity. For a moment, all was quiet as both merely locked eyes with their opponent, as they did so they started to move around, circling one another as Kaden took the standard stance of Form II while Lelouch took on a hybrid stance of Form II and Form V, though it was clear to the trained eye that Lelouch's stance was rather amateurish and unrefined.
As this happened, the two of them had garnered a small crowd, though Kaden noticed them-Lelouch did not, he was far too focused on the force master he was about to duel. All was quiet as they two surveyed each other, looking for an opening. One Lelouch saw.
He dashed forward with haste and thrust one of his blades towards his head, forcing him to move his head out of the way, once he did-he retracted the blade and with a quick twist, turned to slash both blades to Kaden's opposite side to which the elder blocked. Deciding it was time for a counterattack, Kaden knocked back his younger and swung down his blade onto his head, in response-Lelouch brought up both his blades to block with the standard 'x' block used by duel wielders.
Tapping into the force, Lelouch pressed his blades against his master with increased strength, pushing him back and forcing the blade-lock to break. With this, he spun around and brought one of his lightsabers which was quickly redirected by the more experiences fighter who fired off his own attack that Lelouch saw coming, and prepared for by blocking with his second lightsaber.
Wanting to switch things up, Kaden with his up till now, free hand reached out with the force and picked up one of the pyramids and threw it at him. Seeing it was one of the smaller ones, Lelouch battered it to the side. However in that small time he wasn't focused on Kaden, he used it to close the distance to try and end the fight. By the time Lelouch saw him, he was already bringing his lightsaber down-aimed for his side. He hastily blocked the strike but felt the strain of doing so in his wrist-in some corner of his mind, he remembered how they were shown how using proper form prevented wrist injuries.
The force of the blow, combined with his sloppy defence-drove him back where he could feel his feet lose contact with the ground. Seeing the situation for what it was, he tucked in his feet, back-flipped to right himself and landed back on his feet. Not one to give up easy, Lelouch went for another attack-thus beginning their bout as both showcased their skills by dodging, evading, striking, parrying or redirecting each other attacks. It was quite the sight.
"Brother has improved." Nunnally noted as she and Suzaku watched the two going at it.
"Yes, once upon a time, he would have lost by now." Suzaku agreed with her as they both saw how the dark haired boy was holding his own for the most part.
"He does spend more time practicing his blade control than anything else." Nunnally added in as she could recall all the late hours he spent working on getting used to form II.
"Still, it seems like his hasn't gotten rid of that pride, just look at his fighting style." Suzaku observed as they both turned their attention back to the two of sure enough, from his stance-fencing like thrust, reversals and counters. It seemed less like Lelouch was fighting and more like an intricate dance routine,
"You see it." He asked the younger girl who nodded, they could both see the grace and pride of form II in his movements but there was something more to it. They already knew he incorporated more aspects of form V into his style then they realised.
"I do but its part of who he is." Nunnally said as they saw her brother be knocked away but before Kaden who press the advantage, Lelouch used to lightsaber to swipe dirt at his eyes, temporarily blinding him, allowing him to jump back to his feet-ready for more.
"That was a dirty move." Suzaku remarked as they Kaden use a multi-purpose force push to keep Lelouch back while he worked the red sands out of his eyes.
"You will find in battle, there is no such thing as 'fair'." Stephen told them both as he announced his presence to them, coming up beside Suzaku. He point was proven true when Kaden grabbed the boy by his hair and kneed him in the gut.
'Is that the reason you were a lightsaber resistant ball guard?' Suzaku asked himself as he recalled seeing that piece of gear….though if he was honest, he wouldn't mind getting one himself.
"One must be flexible in combat if they wish to succeed, not everyone can merely out power their opponent. You'll have to out-think them as well." Kaden advised them as Lelouch found himself thrown towards one of the many glass pyramids but unlike the other times, he turned himself to land on the side of the thing feet first, once his foot made contact with it-he allowed it to bent as he built up the force he needed. Once reached-he kicked up the now cracked surface back towards his opponent. He was determined to win.
(End – Flashback)
He didn't win that duel, sure he lasted much longer than usual-a full five minutes before he was disarmed and knocked to the ground. He wouldn't lie to himself and think that didn't piss him off but from a logical POV, it was to be expected. Kaden had decades upon decades worth of experience battling Jedi knights and masters. The best thing they had over the years was routine training spars with their masters and a droid by the name of Proxy which could imitate the fighting styles of up to 7 different people.
He felt the breeze getting colder and opened to his eyes to see that the sky was darkening. He had been in here for over two hours. No doubt his loving wife and child would come fetch him if he stayed any longer so he got up, left the place after locking it up and made his way for the main house. Sure he was a monster when it came to conflict, battle and war but right now…
He was a loving father and husband.
And that readers, marks the end of this chapter. I hope you all enjoyed it since it was quite enjoyable to write. The parts about supposed victims of the Geass Order was based off the list of people Rolo is suspected of killing that we see in episode 4 of R2. From Rolo's own point of view, it is clear that he isn't physiologically stable to mentally balanced as according to him, he kills people because he geass suited for it, nothing more. Also, we can see that he is either extremely arrogant or was never taught the value of teamwork as he thinks to himself and I quote: Team? The mission is what's important isn't it? Who cares about the team?" So it obvious that Geass agents rarely ever work together as he does not seems to understand that in order to increase the likelihood of a mission succeeding, there needs to be good team chemistry, you must also be able to trust any other member of the team and it's clear that Rolo does not as he kills a man just because he walked in on Villetta and himself talking about geass(which of itself, was a stupid move because (1) why send people to monitor Lelouch and track C.C if they aren't fully aware of what both can do, all C.C needs is a touch-even an indirect one to fuck up your head while Lelouch needs only eye contact and for you to hear his voice. And (2) how was Rolo going to explain to their superiors why they keep losing men? Because from the complaints of the other two men working with them, that was the fifth person he killed. I don't care if Charles and V.V are unfeeling bastards, do you know how hard it is to find and train good spies that you know won't stab you in the back? Rolo is basically killing off a rare resource because the only thing he knows how to do is kill.
Also, on the matter of V.V and the geass Order. This one is based in North America so an attack on it would acquire the attacker to have the skills, equipment and man-power to launch an attack so close to the Britannian homeland on what is basically their home continent and get away with it. Also, from series, we see that very few actually knew where the order was based so the Bk at the moment doesn't even know where to look. On the topic of V.V supposed immortality, Lelouch and the others aren't going to take Rolo's word for it but they all know that such things aren't too far out of the realm of possibility but next chapter, they'll confront C.C about it. As one person pointed out, she hasn't done anything worth wild so far.
Nonette's new knightmare will be unveiled in due time so don't worry about it. Also the whole thing with Dalton making the connection is a nod to his actual character as he was the first to realize that Zero not only fights against the ideals of Britannia but he in fact hates the royal family and wanted as he said 'blood' we can assume he didn't want to kill…all of them but a good chunk of it. So yes, I made it that he was conducting his own investigation in secret as a man who is willing to accept non-britannians into their military command structure also seems like the kind of man to suspect full blooded Britannians in that very same structure to be the untrustworthy ones.
As for the flashback, pls keep in mind that Lelouch was 14 at the time, around the same age as Ahsoka in the Clone Wars cartoon so his skills were lacking. Also, I kept the whole weak body-at least in comparison to others with combat training and physical conditioning so he has to rely more on the force to keep up, much like someone like Palpatine or Yoda would due to their age.