Hi everyone, thanks again for waiting. This is certainly an interesting chapter, but it's not really too impactful, at least compared to what I have planned in the future. Things are about to get interesting from this point forward however, so let us begin.

Battle at Kyushu

"We hereby declare the resurrection of Japan as a lawful, independent, and sovereign nation!" This was a declaration made by a middle-aged Japanese politician, seen on the latest news report that was broadcasted on the Ark's main screen with Optimus, Zero, Ratchet, Tamaki, Ironhide, Diethard, and Ohgi watching.

"Atsushi Sawazaki, leader of the forces that have occupied the Fukuoka military base, was chief cabinet administrator of the Kururugi Administration in the former nation of Japan." The reporter on the screen explained. "After the war, he fled to the Chinese Federation, but is apparently making his move in response to the recent civil unrest caused by Zero and these still-mysterious beings known as the Autobots. Whether they and the Black Knights have played a role in these unfolding events is still under investigation…"

"We're not part of it!" Tamaki exclaimed.

"What do Kyoto or Peace Mark say about this?" Ratchet asked Diethard.

"Neither knew this was coming." Diethard responded. "Kyoto was only just notified about his unilateral claim over the Sakuradite mining rights."

"By why make his move now?" Ironhide questioned. "Is it only because we're causing such a commotion here in Japan?"

"Zero, Optimus, it's our move, what are we gonna do about this?" Ohgi asked the two.

"Let's not jump on the bandwagon just yet." Zero answered. "It seems he's gaining support from the Chinese Federation; we should know the full story before making any moves. But the real question is, whether or not the Decepticons may become involved?"

"Yes, that does leave cause for concern." Optimus said. "On one end, Megatron may view this as beneath him, as it does not seem like Sawazaki or the forces of the Chinese Federation have any Cybertronian allies. But as Zero said, we should understand the full situation before we make any moves of our own."

The Nemesis

Dreadwing walked onto the bridge of the Decepticon warship where Megatron was standing at the end, his back turned to the seeker. "Lord Megatron, I trust you have become aware of the situation in Kyushu?"

"Soundwave has informed me." Megatron acknowledged as the silent Decepticon hung to the side.

"I believe that this Sawazaki-individual is merely a puppet for the opposing nation called the Chinese Federation." Dreadwing informed.

"Your point?" Megatron questioned, keeping his back turned.

"This could cause a great deal of unrest within Area 11, even more so than before." Dreadwing said. "I propose assembling the Seekers and a small squadron to infiltrate Kyushu and eliminate the threat."

"There will be no need for that." Megatron said, much to Dreadwing's surprise. "It does not appear to be the work of the Autobots and their Black Knight allies, so it is of no concern to us. Let Cornelia handle it."

"But master…" Dreadwing attempted to protest.

"That is an order!" Megatron insisted, finally turning around to address the Seeker in question. "Unless Optimus or Zero become involved, this is little more than a skirmish between two bickering nations and we hold no part in it, and that is final."

Dreadwing merely lowered his head with a frustrated expression. "As you wish, Lord Megatron. But, you should be aware that Suzaku Kururugi has been selected by Prince Schneizel to take part in the battle to reclaim Kyushu."

"He is a soldier of Britannia, of course." Megatron said as if it were rather obvious.

"But he is also one of our own soldiers." Dreadwing replied in protest.

"One that is on very thin ice, given his recent actions." The leader of the Decepticons stated. "Now, is there anything else you wish to inform me?"

Though hesitant at first, Dreadwing decided to back down. "No, master."

"Then you are dismissed." Megatron told him, prompting Dreadwing to turn around with a reluctant scowl on his face.

Meanwhile, the Avalon continued to fly across the clouds, making its way towards Kyushu. Though its commander, Schneizel, was not present, the Camelot Division was on the bridge, along with all four Knights of the Round as they saw the report of Sawazaki occupation of Kyushu.

"Wow, talk about a blast from the past." Gino commented. "Who would have thought the old Japanese government would team up with the Chinese Federation?"

"More likely the Federation is using Sawazaki as a cover for their true objectives." Monica assumed.

"Agreed, and given the civil unrest caused by our conflict with the Decepticons against the Black Knights and the Autobots, it makes sense they'd try to take advantage of the chaos." Anya said.

"Speaking of which, what have the Decepticons said about this?" Nonette asked in a somewhat suspicious tone towards Lloyd.

"When I called Starscream, his exact words were, 'if you need our help to deal with some lowly humans, then Britannia leaves even more to be desired than I thought'." Lloyd said casually. "You know, the typical 'superior alien, lowly alien' shtick."

"At this point, I'm not even surprised." Nonette rolled her eyes. "But I am actually a bit surprised, the Decepticons aren't involved in this at all."

"Why would they be?" Gino asked. "I get we're not best-buddies with them right now, but I don't think they'd switch sides to the Chinese Federation."

"I don't think they were ever on our side." Monica said. "Given their recent actions, I think it's safe to say they're only using us just to get an advantage over the Autobots and the Black Knights. Suffice to say, I've completely lost my trust in them."

"Except Dreadwing, he's still cool." Gino put in.

"Putting all that aside, how's Suzaku doing?" Lloyd asked Cecile.

"He says he'll do whatever the mission demands." Cecile answered.

"I still can't believe he actually quit being a knight." Gino said with genuine concern. "Sure, he made a few mistakes; who hasn't?

"I believe the situation is more complicated than that." Anya said.

"What about Prince Schneizel, where is he?" Cecile asked the Knights.

"He's in the Settlement, trying to keep a panic from breaking out." Monica informed. "But he said he'd have a strategy in place soon if Cornelia can't penetrate the enemy front line."

"Avalon doesn't have its commander right now, but we have to finish this up if we want to counter the Gefjun Disturber." Lloyd commented, as Nonette and Gino glanced back, though they couldn't see him, both of them were thinking in concern with Suzaku who no doubt was all by himself near the Lancelot with a great deal of troubling thought in his mind.

Flashback – Yesterday

Suzaku stood in front of Euphemia in her office as he handed her back the knight-pin she gave him. "I've dishonored you." Suzaku said to her. "I'm not worthy to be your knight."

"If this is about you disobeying orders, my brother Schneizel said it was an unusual situation and you shouldn't be blamed for it." Euphemia said.

"It's not just that…" Suzaku's voice began to crack. "I… I can't do this."

Euphemia looked to him with concern. "Has knighthood become a burden for you? Something that troubles you?"

"No, I'm grateful for it." Suzaku replied.

"Then why?" Euphemia questioned.

"I… I killed my own father." Suzaku revealed, causing Euphemia to look at him with absolute shock. "I was never punished for it, I just lived on like nothing happened. But even that isn't it… I… my actions… have put people that I care about in danger. What kind of person am I? That I put people that I love in jeopardy, while I'm being protected?!" His eyes shook as tears were almost ready to fall. "Someone like me doesn't deserve this." He put his pin in Euphie's hands and closed them around it. "I'm sorry, Euphie." He turned around and began to leave.

"Wait, Suzaku, where are you going to go now?" She stopped him, but while he did stop, he didn't turn around to face her. "You're... you're not going back to the Decepticons, are you?!" Suzaku said nothing in response, which was all the confirmation she needed. "Suzaku, please you can't go back to them!" Euphemia practically begged. "They're not what Megatron says they are! He's a monster, he's just using you Suzaku! Even if you're no longer my knight, that doesn't mean we can't find a solution! Please! I… you can't go back to them! I'm… I'm ordering you not to go back!" Tears were already streaming down her eyes.

Suzaku clenched his fists as his whole body shook, tears were built up in his own eyes as well, but he forced them back. "I'm sorry, your majesty. But… I can't obey that order. Forgive me." He left her office, leaving a saddened Euphemia as she fell to her knees and placed one hand over her mouth a she cried alone.

End Flashback.

A raging storm had formed over Kyushu, which made it almost impossible for the Britannian forces to advance any further. Any and all aquatic Portland Knightmares that made an attempt to get close were instantly shot down as all airships couldn't get through either due to the tempest.

"Princess Cornelia, we're taking too many losses!" Guilford reported to the Viceroy as they were on a carrier-ship outside the battlefield. "This tempest is preventing us from using our airpower! We'll have to delay the landing operation until the weather changes."

Cornelia could only scowl as she knew her knight was correct.

"It's a stroke of good fortune that this storm hit" The Chinese General Tsao commented as he stood next to Sawazaki within the occupied base. "We must use it to tighten our grip on Kyushu."

"You see General Tsao, Heaven is on our side." Sawazaki boasted. "And soon, we'll have even stand side-by-side with titans."

"You're certain these Autobot beings will side with us?" Tsao asked with concern. "Based on what we've seen, it seems as though there are other metallic beings they seem to be in conflict with besides Britannia."

"I'm quite certain we'll come to terms with them." Sawazaki smirked. "What's the old saying 'the enemy of my enemy', and that prison-fight that was broadcasted nationwide has shown has that Britannia is starting to lose its grip, even that wretched Emperor hasn't made a statement, showing that even he is scared. Once they lose Japan entirely, that pitiful empire may completely fall apart entirely!"

Tokyo Settlement

"Marshall law is not necessary." Schneizel said to Darlton and a few Britannian officers in his own personal office. "Such measures would only upset and frighten people. Contact E.U. Foreign Minister Gandalfy. Oh, and put a call in to the Totama Agency in Cambodia."

"Prince Schneizel, using the Totama Agency could be a…" Darlton attempted to protest, but was interrupted by Euphemia's entering the office.

"Prime Minister." Euphemia addressed her older half-brother professionally.

"Yes Euphie, is something wrong?" Schneizel asked in a friendly manner.

"Is there anything I can do to help? I'm the Sub-Viceroy of Area 11, I should be assisting you." Euphemia offered.

"Thank you, just your offer to help me is more than enough." Schneizel said.

"But I…" Euphemia tried to protest.

"The Viceroy gave strict orders that you not be entangled in this matter, Princess." Darlton told her.

"She did?" Euphemia asked in minor surprise. "Is this because I choose my knight without her consent? Or is it because of the fight we had?"

That took Darlton by surprise. "You got into an argument with the Viceroy?" Apparently, he wasn't aware of that.

"Please understand, Euphie." Schneizel choose to intervene. "Cornelia can't take any chances now; the situation is much too treacherous."

"You mean…" Euphemia's eyes shook slightly, having a good idea what he was implying.

"Darlton, concerning the matter we were discussing, I know someone who has a way in with them, so I will ask for help." Schneizel addressed the knight.

"Yes, your highness." Darlton nodded.

"Schneizel, there's something else I need to talk to you about!" Euphemia got his attention. "It's about the Decepticons, please you have to listen…!"

However, Schneizel raised his hand. "Euphie, I'm sure whatever you have to discuss regarding the Decepticons is important, but right now we've got our hands full with the current situation. I'm sorry, but it'll have to wait."

Euphemia had left the building with a distraught look on her face. Even though she couldn't help with the situation in Kyushu, she at least hopped she could tell her brother about the Decepticons' true colors, but much like with Cornelia, it seems her attempts were all for naught. However, her distraught thoughts were interrupted by the sudden appearance of a blue fighter jet flying down toward her, which slowed its descent to transform into Dreadwing.

"Dreadwing…!" Euphemia was honestly surprised to see him here.

"Princess Euphemia, where is Suzaku?" Dreadwing asked. "I had been attempting to make contact, but I have had no response."

"He's… he's on the Avalon, approaching Kyushu." Euphemia answered.

Though he had his answer, Dreadwing noticed the troubling look in Euphemia's eyes. "Is something the matter, your highness?"

"Dreadwing, did… did Megatron order Suzaku to resign as my knight?" Euphemia questioned.

To say Dreadwing was surprised was an understatement. "What?! Suzaku resigned as your knight?!"

Euphemia was slightly caught off guard. "So, you didn't know…?"

"How did this happen? Why would he resign?" Dreadwing questioned urgently.

"He… He said he did something that he was never punished for and… people he cared about were placed in danger." Euphemia answered. "But he never went into the details."

Dreadwing had a serious expression on his face. 'Could this be the issue regarding his father? Is that the reason?'

"Dreadwing…" Euphemia got his attention again. "Please… you're the only Decepticon I can trust. Please, I'm begging you, help Suzaku! I don't care if he doesn't want it, I want you to help protect him! He… he means so much to me… even more than a soldier… Please!" She begged.

The Seeker was surprised by this request, but he understood. He easily noticed that there was a connection between Suzaku and Euphemia, and for that reason, he would assist both of them however he could.

"I will, I promise." Dreadwing nodded, much to Euphemia's relief. "Princess Euphemia, whatever reason it is that has caused you to distrust the Decepticons, I promise you can trust me. I will look after Suzaku Kururugi for you."

"Thank you." Euphemia smiled as Dreadwing gave a small smile of his own before transforming and flying off. Once he was gone, Euphemia reached into her pocket and pulled out the special communications device Lelouch gave her back on Kanime Island.

Ashford Academy – Student Council Room

"After all our hard work getting ready, it looks like they're gonna cancel the school festival." Milly said as the room was nothing short of a mess, with all sorts of boxes and supplies scattered across the floor.

"That's hardly a huge consideration since we're at war." Rivalz commented as he worked on a laptop.

"Did you say 'war'?" Nina asked in surprise.

"Gino texted me." Rivalz answered. "They're using this 'government-in-exile' thing as a smokescreen, but this is a war with the Chinese Federation."

"Oh, I see." Nina said.

"Nina, what about the booths we were planning to borrow from the art museum?" Milly asked her.

"Uh, I'm going there today." Nina answered. "If I have some extra time, I'd also like to drop into the science department."

"Are you talking about that 'present' of yours?" Milly questioned.

"Huh, what present is that?" Rivalz asked in confusion.

"Professor Asplund said that I should ask him if there was something special that I wanted." Nina answered with a small blush on her face.

"You mean Lloyd?!" Rivalz exclaimed. "That philandering playboy?!"

"That's enough." Milly lightly chastised. "Could you get a little work done."

"Easy for you to say; more than half the council's missing!" Rivalz stated. "Suzaku, Gino, Anya, and Monica are all in the army, both Kallen and Rai are in the hospital, and Lelouch is completely MIA." He looked to the only other member in the room. "Hey Shirley, anything going on with him? I saw that you and Lelouch have been spending a lot of time together lately."

Shirley was somewhat surprised by that. "Oh, well… he had something personal he had to take care of with Nunnally. A family emergency and all that…" She sent a glance towards Milly, which she seemed to understand.

"Ah well, guess it can't be helped then." Milly played along.

Rivalz sighed. "Yeah, well I still think something weird is going on."

Shirley inwardly winced as she didn't like the idea of deceiving her friends like this, but she knew it was for their own protection. Of course, it wasn't just that, as she remembered when Rai confessed to Nunnally the previous day.

Flashback – Yesterday

Rai had kneeled down in front of Nunnally, holding his hand over hers as he had told her everything about his past; that he was her half-brother, as well as Suzaku's cousin, how he got his Geass, what happened to his mother and sister, as well as V.V. putting him in the Thought Elevator only to be extracted by Clovis seven years ago.

Lelouch, C.C., Kallen, Shirley, and Sayoko were all present in the room as well. Though Lelouch, Kallen, and Shirley were already aware, it didn't stop them from looking to Rai in complete and utter sympathy. However, it was the first time both C.C. and Sayoko had heard of this; the ninja-maid covered her mouth in shock, and even C.C. had been completely stunned, though she felt a great deal of pity for Rai, her resentment towards V.V. had increased substantially.

"Rai… I… I'm so sorry…" Nunnally said to him, her voice already cracking.

"Hard to believe huh…?" Rai asked with a hollow voice. "Your mysterious roommate is not only your half-brother, but also a mass-murder…"

"Rai, no, that was not your fault!" Nunnally told him. "And I'm not going to let you think that about yourself!"

"I know, Lelouch and the others already told me that it's just…" Rai looked away. "I don't know if I'm ever gonna get over that."

"But, at least you're not alone." Nunnally reached out to caress his cheek, causing him to slowly look up in surprise at the sight of her smile, despite the tears that streamed down her cheeks. "Rai, I am so sorry all of that happened to you, but I don't think of you any differently. I've always cared about you ever since you came here, and now you're my brother. I know I can never replace Erina but… you have a sister now who loves you deeply and wants to be here for you. So please let me."

Rai stifled some tears as he smiled as well. "Thank you, Nunnally." She didn't hesitate to pull her brother into an embrace, which he was more than happy to return. Such a scene caused Shirley to shed some tears of joy, even Sayoko wiped a tear from her own eye. C.C. didn't cry, but she nonetheless smiled and gave a small nod, even Lelouch and Kallen shared genuine smiles with one another.

End Flashback

The Ark

Rai, clad in his Black Knight uniform, had recalled that memory of the previous day as he sat in a cargo-hold on a few boxes next to the Jackhammer as he saw a familiar white Autobot walk in.

"Hey, how you holding up kid?" Wheeljack asked.

"Hanging in there." Rai said with a small sigh. "So, Bulkhead told you everything?"

"Yeah." Wheeljack nodded. "Listen Rai, I'm sorry for all that."

"Thanks, but it's not like you got a reason to be." Rai said. "None of that is your fault."

"No, but you're still my friend." Wheeljack said as he kneeled down closer to Rai's level. "Kid, look. I'm not exactly good at these heart-felt speeches or whatever, but I just wanna say that no matter what kind of baggage you got going on, your still one of us, and I always got your back." Rai looked up to Wheeljack with a genuine smile as the Autobot soon smirked. "And hey, if that V.V. guy shows up to give you a hard time again, just let me know. I'll test that fancy immortality of his, Wrecker-style." He smirked as he held out a grenade for emphasis.

Rai chuckled. "Yeah… thanks Wheeljack."

"Don't mention it kid." The Wrecker nodded as he offered his fist for a fist-bump, which Rai was happy to return.

Meanwhile, Lelouch, still in his Zero-outfit, sat in the living room area of the Ark's bridge with Optimus behind him as Tohdoh, Kaguya, and Katase sat down across from him.

"You wanted to see us?" Tohdoh asked.

"We would like each of your opinions on Sawazaki." Optimus requested. "Given the situation, we need to be certain whether or not we can count him as our ally. And given you three were among those who worked closest with him, anything you would say would be valuable."

"Sawazaki is a coward, plain and simple." Katase said immediately. "Though he supported the fight against Britannia when they invaded, once word got out of Prime Minister Kururugi's death, he immediately fled the country with his tail-between his legs. He didn't even give a warning."

"Even before he fled the country, Sawazaki was never a warrior." Tohdoh added. "He's essentially a typical politician; all bark and no bite. My guess is that he's a pawn for the Chinese Federation."

"Oh yes, most definitely." Even Kaguya nodded. "I'm friends with their current Empress, and I can safely say that the High Eunuchs are using him to try and get Japan all to themselves. They're not really all that different from the Britannian Royal Family, no offense Lelouch."

"None taken." Lelouch assured. "From the sound of things, it seems like Sawazaki isn't all that different from Starscream. Then again, at least even he can put up a fight if he's cornered, but for Sawazaki in that circumstance, he shows his underbelly. Is that right?"

"Couldn't have put it any better myself." Tohdoh confirmed.

Lelouch then felt a vibration on his person and took out his cell phone to see it was a private line, one that he recognized almost instantly. "Excuse me, I have to take this." He stood up. "Optimus, gather everyone to the bridge, we'll announce our next move soon."

"Understood." Optimus nodded as Lelouch left the area.

The young revolutionary entered his private quarters as he sat down and answered the phone. "Hello Euphie."

"Lelouch, I'm sorry to call you if you're in the middle of something, but I have to talk to you!"

He noticed the tone in his sister's voice and could tell it was urgent. "What's going on?"

"Suzaku resigned as my knight!" Euphemia informed.

"What?!" Lelouch practically shot out from his seat.

"Lelouch did… did you know about his father?" Euphie asked, causing Lelouch to wince.

"Yes, I did." Lelouch answered with a sigh. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner.

"Does Optimus know?" Euphie asked.

"Yes, as do the other Autobots and my inner circle of Black Knights." Lelouch answered. "But how did you find out?"

"He told me, he said that was the reason he wanted to resign." Euphie replied. "That, and he said he put people that he cared about in danger."

"Did he say who specifically?" Lelouch asked.

"No." Euphie responded.

"Do you know where Suzaku is now?" Lelouch continued to ask.

"He's involved in the operation with Kyushu." Euphie replied. "Lelouch, you and Optimus wouldn't happen to…"

"If you're wondering if we're involved with Sawazaki, let me tell you right now that we're not." Lelouch set the record straight. "We had no idea this was coming, and we have no intention of siding with Sawazaki either."

"I had a feeling, but I just wanted to be sure." Euphemia replied and paused for a moment before speaking again. "Um, Lelouch…"

"Yes?"

"I… I tried to talk with Cornelia and Schneizel about what I learned from you and Optimus." Euphie said, causing Lelouch to look in minor surprise.

"Did you tell them my identity?" He asked somewhat urgently.

"No! I wouldn't do that without your consent!" Euphemia quickly assured, much to Lelouch's relief. "But, when I tried to tell them about the Decepticons; Cornelia ignored me completely, and Schneizel is more focused on what's going on in Kyushu. I'm sorry, I wanted to get you and Optimus help but…"

"It's alright." Lelouch assured. "I thank you for wanting to help, but we have to be careful. It's not just the Decepticons; you know what our father is like, and what he's capable of."

"I know… but it's just so frustrating!" Euphemia voiced her thoughts. "I want to help but… I can't… you have no idea how much that hurts, knowing the people I care about are struggling so much but I can't do a thing to help them!"

Lelouch winced with sympathy as he heard his half-sister's grievances. "I'm sorry Euphie, really I am. But, there's a time and place that you can help, but now is not that time. Please don't take any offense to this, but you're not a soldier, you don't know what war's like. The best thing I can recommend is for you to keep your head down. If something comes up and you can help us, I'll let you know, I promise. But right now, just keep yourself out of harm's way."

Somehow, Lelouch could practically see the disappointed look on his sister's face. As much as he wanted to help Euphie, he knew that she didn't have much to contribute right now to the current situation.

"Euphie…? Are you still there?" He asked when he didn't hear a response.

"Yes…" She replied. "Lelouch… there's just one last thing… Clovis… why did…?"

"Why did he do what he did?" He finished for her. "Why did I kill him?"

"Yes…"

Lelouch sighed. "I meant to tell you this sooner, but I never got the chance. Euphie, I need you to listen to me very carefully. What I am about to tell you right now, you can't tell anybody else. Not a single soul, do you understand?"

Though there was some hesitance, he did get a response. "I understand."

Lelouch then told her everything about his Geass, from meeting C.C. in Shinjuku, to explaining why that was the reason Clovis ordered the massacre, and also the reason Lelouch killed him. He also explained his Geass power, and even went into details about their secret-uncle, V.V., and even talked about Rai and his past. Euphemia listened to every word and asked the occasional question, which Lelouch was willing to answer. He even talked about how he met with Cornelia before and used his Geass on her to get information regarding his mother's murder, and even erased her memories of that meeting, if only to protect her. He also told her about his confession to Nunnally and his plan to move her to the Ark soon.

Once it was all done, Lelouch sat in uncomfortable silence, waiting for his sister's response. Finally, after what seemed like a long while, she finally spoke.

"I… wow… that… I really have no idea what to say to all that…"

"I know, it's a lot." Lelouch said. "And I'm sorry to pour it all on you at once."

"Well, given all the bombshells I got on that island with you and Optimus, you'd think I'd be used to it." She attempted to make a joke, which caused Lelouch to chuckle slightly. "Lelouch I… I'm sorry… you had to go through all that all by yourself…"

"I'm not by myself." Lelouch replied. "I've got Optimus and so many other people and Bots who are willing to help me. So, don't worry, I'm not alone. Listen, I have to go. I promise I'm going to help Suzaku, and we'll get this matter with Sawazaki taken care of as well."

"I know you will. Please give Optimus my regards." Euphie said.

"I will." Lelouch said as he stood up. "And Euphie, I love you."

"I love you too." She told her brother before he hung up.

The Avalon

Suzaku saw that the Lancelot now had its Float System attached to it, which took the form of a red jetpack like device attached to the back of the white Knightmare. However, before he could contemplate, he received a communication from his earpiece.

"Suzaku Kururugi."

To say the Honorary Britannian was surprised was an understatement as he recognized that voice. "Dreadwing!? Wha… where are you?!"

"Currently flying outside the Avalon." Dreadwing answered. "I already informed Asplund and the Knights of the Round."

"Did Megatron send you?" Suzaku's eyes narrowed slightly.

"No, I came here out of Princess Euphemia's request." Dreadwing responded, catching Suzaku off-guard. "She told me of your resignation as her knight. This wouldn't happen to do with the situation around your father, would it?"

Suzaku's eyes widened in shock as he quickly made his way around the corner to speak in private. "Dreadwing… what exactly….?"

"Answer the question, did you resign your post because of your guilt in your father's death?" Dreadwing persisted.

Suzaku hesitated for a moment before he delivered an answer. "I'm not worth to be a knight to someone as amazing as her. All I've done is run away, I put many people in danger, some of those people I care deeply about. A person like me doesn't deserve to serve someone like her."

Meanwhile, Dreadwing's jet mode flew above the Avalon as he continued his conversation with the young soldier. "Kururugi, I am not here to pass judgement based on your past actions. But I will say this, what that girl, Kallen Kozuki, said on the island is true. A soldier must be willing to accept responsibility for all the deeds they've committed, both good and bad. You are not the only soldier who's made mistakes, I've made plenty, as have several others."

"I can't afford a mistake though!" Suzaku tried to protest "Otherwise, everything I work for… it's all for nothing."

"Suzaku, listen to me." Dreadwing spoke to him. "You are not perfect, nobody is perfect. Do you know why it's so important to know when you've made a mistake or accept responsibility? So that you can learn from all of it and attempt to improve yourself."

"But that's the thing Dreadwing, I don't know if I can." Suzaku confessed honestly. "I don't know if I can accept all that… if I do… I would only bring dishonor… and I can't afford that, especially with Princess Euphemia. If I do, I worry she might end up… hating herself."

"If she hates herself, it's only because she feels that she was the one who pushed you away." Dreadwing replied. "She cares deeply for you, don't push her away. If something happened to her, you would never forgive yourself. Trust me, I know."

There was no response from Suzaku at first, but Dreadwing heard something of a small sigh before he gave his reply. "Thanks for telling me that and… for being here too. You're a good friend, Dreadwing." He then hung up, leaving Dreadwing alone to contemplate his thoughts a she continued to fly alongside the Avalon.

'It's not just that he won't accept responsibility.' Dreadwing thought to himself. 'He refuses to forgive himself. Suzaku Kururugi, what does it have to take for you to accept help from people who genuinely care for you?'

Euphie stood alone, save for her bodyguards, in the art museum as she looked at the picture of her late half-brother Clovis, though after hearing what he did from Lelouch, she could never look at the image of Clovis the same way again.

'A figurehead, that's all I was from the start. I knew that, but I thought if I could give my best effort, maybe I could make some difference. But who am I kidding? I'm not a strategist like Lelouch or Schneizel; and I'm not a warrior like Optimus, Cornelia, or Dreadwing. I'm useless. The people that I care about are risking everything, yet all I can do is stick the sidelines and offer my regards.' Tears built up in her eyes as she tried to wipe them from her face. 'I hate myself!'

Nina stood at the entrance to the museum as she addressed a guard present at the door. "Oh yeah, they told me about you. You need to get the document signed today, right? But a member of the Royal Family is viewing the art, right now."

"Huh? Which member is it?" Nina asked.

Zero stood on the catwalk on the Ark's bridge, alongside Optimus Prime and Ironhide, as well as Ohgi, Tohdoh, Kaguya, and even Diethard as they addressed all the Black Knights and the rest of the Autobots that had gathered together on the bridge; even Kallen, Shirley, and Rai were present, standing right by Bumblebee.

"So, what are we gonna do?" Cliffjumper asked.

"We will not be working with Sawazaki." Optimus answered. "He is not a supporter for Japan, but a pawn of the High Eunuchs of the Chinese Federation."

"But he said he was fighting for Japan." Bulkhead said. "He didn't even call it 'Area 11'."

"This country might get a new name, but nothing would change." Zero stated. "We would just be trading Britannia for another master. Japan wouldn't be truly free."

"Alright, so what are we going to do?" Arcee asked.

"We're going to remove the Chinese Federation forces from Kyushu." Optimus answered.

"So, what we're actually gonna help Britannia?" Asahina questioned.

"What about the Decepticons?" Urabe also questioned.

"We don't think Megatron will involve himself in this." Ironhide answered. "As far as he's concerned, this is just a little squabble and nothing to trouble himself over."

"Zero, Optimus, perhaps you should clarify what our overall mission is." Diethard suggested.

"Yeah, he's right." Ohgi agreed. "Even leaving aside the Sawazaki-matter, what's our mid-term goal on this?"

"There's a lot of moving parts, but there are three main objectives." Zero began. "Step one: to make Japan an independent nation."

That took nearly everyone by surprise.

"Independent?!" Kallen exclaimed as she shared a surprised expression with Rai and Shirley.

"Did he just say what I thought he said?" Cliffjumper questioned as he looked to the equally stunned Arcee, as all the other Black Knights began to voice their surprise and concern aloud.

"He wants us to be in a country?!" Bulkhead questioned.

Wheeljack gave a chuckle. "Well what do you expect? We gotta go somewhere with all of this."

"Hold on a moment." Ratchet spoke up. "It is true that our forces have increased substantially, but we still remain at a disadvantage in regard to the sheer number of enemies."

"That's right, Britannia is an empire that controls one third of the world!" Chiba stated.

"Not to mention the sheer firepower the Decepticons have over us!" Fixit also voiced his concern.

"There's no way we can pull something like that off!" Tamaki exclaimed.

"Which brings us to our second step." Optimus began. "Yes, making Japan an independent country will be a difficult task, but not impossible. I have every reason to believe that with the resources we currently possess, we will be able to drive out both the Decepticon and Britannian forces from Japan. However, as you say, they will attempt to retaliate."

"In which case, our response, the second step of our plan, is to build a coalition of nations." Zero continued, causing everyone to look in further surprise. "We will recruit other countries to our cause, not just smaller countries like Japan; but even other Britannian-occupied areas, as well as the remaining superpowers including the E.U. and the Chinese Federation."

"Wait a second, you guys literally just said that Sawazaki…" Ohgi said.

"Sawazaki is a puppet of the Chinese Federation." Zero began to clarify. "What we're talking about is building an army where we and those in the Federation stand as equals!"

"Once we've established this force, this 'united nations' if you will, we will have the means to stop both the Decepticons and Britannia once and for all, ending this war entirely." Optimus continued. "Which is our third step, to create a new world where all countries, all people of the Earth, regardless of gender, nationality, ideology, all stand as equals. No more persecution, segregation, or assimilation! Freedom is the right of all sentient beings, and it is our duty to protect and reinstitute that right to this world!"

Every single Autobot and Black Knight present looked towards each other with surprise, or excitement, or fanatical ecstasy in the case of Diethard. The true objective of the Autobot-Black-Knight alliance was revealed: to bring freedom to this world. And from the words and convictions of both Zero and Optimus Prime, they were going to reach their goal no matter what.

Euphemia rode in her personal car out the back-parking lot of the museum, when suddenly Nina tried to run up toward the gate.

"Princess Euphemia!" The guards however quickly restrained Nina as the car came to a stop just outside the gate.

"Secure the perimeter! Code delta! Code delta!" A guard stated as they kept the tearful Nina pinned to the ground.

"Please…! I just want to thank… Princess Euphemia…" Nina cried, but it didn't seem they were listening to her.

Euphie sat in the back of the car, momentarily stunned. However, her eyes widened in surprise as she recognized this girl. 'From the hotel!' Without a moment's hesitation, Euphemia stepped out of the car.

"Stop it!" She ordered the guards. "That girl is a personal friend of mine!"

"Good, it's cleared up." Cornelia observed as the storm finally passed.

"Now we can resume the landing operation." Guilford reported. "And we'll try to put Prince Schnizel's plan into action. Also, Viceroy, it would seem Dreadwing has joined them."

"Dreadwing?" Cornelia turned to her knight in minor surprise. "Are the Decepticons becoming involved?"

"No ma'am." Guilford answered. "Based on Sir Weinberg's report, it seems Dreadwing is acting on his own. And in my personal opinion, between him, the Knights of the Round, and Kururugi, I have little doubt they will succeed."

Cornelia gave something of a scoff. "Hopefully Dreadwing and the Knights can compensate for Kururugi's recent lack of results."

Dreadwing stood on top of the Avalon as he waited for the operation to begin, until he got a call on his comns. "Dreadwing, where are you?" Megatron contacted him.

"Providing my assistance in this operation, Lord Megatron." Dreadwing responded.

"Did I not order you to stand down?" Megatron questioned irritably as he and Soundwave stood on the bridge of the Nemesis.

"Forgive me, one true master, but I believe that by working alongside the Britannian forces, we will be able to at least begin remedying the strained relationship between our forces." Dreadwing explained. "You yourself admitted that this is the main reason our enemies continue to succeed."

"While this is indeed true, Britannia is not one to let go of their pride." Megatron stated.

"I believe I may have the means to change that, Lord Megatron." Dreadwing said. "I assure you, that between myself, and the Britannian forces currently with me, we will put an end to this occupation swiftly."

"I will allow it Dreadwing, but only this once." Megatron said before hanging up on communications.

Megatron then turned to Soundwave. "You wonder why I allow this, even though it can be considered insubordination?" Soundwave nodded in confirmation. "Call it curiosity, but as you already know, we have someone in place who should get this done rather swiftly. That is of course, he doesn't attempt to throw his life away. That, and of course I'm curious as to how Optimus and Lelouch would respond to this."

"Incoming missiles!" Alarms sounded on the Avalon's bridge. "Launch point appears to be Fukuoka base! One minute, five seconds to impact!"

"Not bad, they're well prepared against air-raids as well." Lloyd said, not really intimidated by the incoming attack.

Meanwhile; Suzaku, and the four Knights of the Round were already stationed in their respective Knightmares, each one with a specially designed Float System to enable flight.

"Are we sending up a barrage?" Suzaku asked.

"We'll be fine in this position." Cecile told him as he felt the entire ship rock, even Gino, Monice, Nonette, and Anya were jolted slightly as they felt the impact of the missiles striking something just outside the ship.

"Direct hit confirmed!" One soldier reported. "The Avalon is destroyed!"

Sawazaki had a triumphant smirk on his face. "Even if it is state of the art, a single ship can't possibly hurt us." However, he looked in surprise on the radar screen to see that the ship was still heading toward their location, as if it was never destroyed to begin with. "What the…?"

Dreadwing looked impressed as he saw the shields dissipate from the lower area of the Avalon's haul. "They converted the Lancelot's Blaze Luminous shield into a defense mechanism for aircraft. Clever." He smirked.

"Attention all units, I am laying out the mission plan for final verification." Cecile contacted Dreadwing, as well as Suzaku and the Knights of the Round. "This ship will breach the enemy's front line from high altitude and move directly to the launch point. Once you've reached the point, you will divide into three teams to divide enemy forces. Dreadwing and Major Kururugi will attack the base directly; while Sir Weinberg and Lady Krushevsky will attack from the west side, as Lady Enneagram and Lady Alstreim will attack from the east. From there, all three teams will converge and neutralize the target. The Float Unit consumes energy fast, so all Knightmare pilots, pay attention to your operation time."

"Yes." Suzaku responded.

"You got it." Gino confirmed.

"Acknowledged." Anya replied.

"Rodger." Nonette confirmed.

"Understood." Monica responded.

Dreadwing walked toward the edge of the top of the Avalon, where he saw the Lancelot primed and ready at the launch-bay, with the other four Knightmares likely behind it even though they couldn't quite see.

"All units, launch!" Cecile ordered.

With that, Dreadwing transformed and flew outward, alongside the Lancelot as it was launched from the Avalon's ramp. The two flew together, taking point as the Tristian, Florence, Mordred, and Galeschin, each launched from the same ramp in that order and followed closely behind the pair. Despite taking the form of a human-made jet, Dreadwing was still able to keep up with the five Knightmares and their respective Float systems, even the hulking Mordred flew at the same level of speed.

"The enemy ship appears to have launched a series of bombers." A soldier of the Chinese Federation reported as Sawazaki and General Tsao saw six incoming dots on the radar screen. "But they're moving faster than fighter planes."

"I have picture." Footage of the five incoming Knightmares, as well as the Decepticon in vehicle mode, were brought up to the main screen.

"Knightmares…?" Sawazaki looked in surprise and awe.

"They're not being transported; they're just flying on their own." Tsao observed. "But, how is that fighter jet keeping up with them? No man-made airplane can fly that fast!"

"Unless it's not a man-made aircraft…" Sawazaki looked in realization. "It's one of those transforming robots!"

"But these other Knightmares…" Tsao began. "I recognize four of them, they're the personal weapons of the Knights of the Round currently in Area 11, but this other one… could it be that novelty weapon? The Lancelot, I think?"

"But then, the pilot is…"

"Incoming aircraft." Anya reported stoically. "Radar indicates a total of thirty units."

"That's five for each of us." Gino smiled. "Let's go!"

"Incoming missiles!" Monica voiced in alarm as the incoming enemy aircraft launched a barrage of missiles.

However, Dreadwing shot even faster as he fired not only a series of his own missiles but even shot his vehicle mode's rapid-fire bullets. He was able to effectively hit each the missiles, causing them all to explode and create a makeshift smokescreen to blind the enemy units.

Dreadwing was able to soar through the smoke cloud first as he transformed and drew his blade to slice one aircraft in half before drawing his cannon as he fell and opened fire to blast two from below before transforming again into his jet-mode to fly behind two enemy units and shoot them down with little resistance.

"Show off." Gino smirked as he got to work as well as the Tristian launched its arm-mounted Slash Harkens to destroy two aircraft at once before drawing it's dual MVS blades to get in close and slice down three more in seconds. The Mordred backed him up as Anya provided cover-fire with the shoulder-mounted VARIS weapons. Anya was able to scare direct hits and destroy five aircraft in no time at all.

Monica shot her Florence forward, while also firing her Slash Harkens to take out two aircraft before activating her MVS-claws and getting in close to slice up one aircraft, before doing the same with the two closest to her. Nonette flew alongside her in the Galeschin, which was equipped with its own VARIS rifle, which she shot and destroyed two aircraft, while also launching a wrist-mounted Slash Harken and swung it to slice up three aircraft simultaneously.

Suzaku followed suit as he twirled around with the Lancelot, using its Slash Harkens to move in quick and disable the remaining five aircraft by specifically targeting their wings, and avoiding fatally harming the pilots as he saw them eject to safety.

"Target dead ahead." Nonette reported as the group of six spotted Fukuoka Base. "This is where we split up. Anya and I will take the east side; Gino and Monica take the west side; Suzaku and Dreadwing punch right down the middle."

"Understood." Dreadwing acknowledge.

"See you on the other side." Gino said as the team split off into three groups of two; with the Lancelot and Dreadwing's vehicle mode gunning straight towards the enemy-occupied base.

Suzaku looked in surprise as his Knightmare was receiving a transmission. "Dreadwing, I'm getting a communication from the enemy base!"

"I'm patching in." Dreadwing responded. "Answer it if you wish."

Suzaku did answer the incoming communication and saw the face of Sawazaki on his screen. "This is Minister Sawazaki, is that Prime Minister Kururugi's son in the pilot seat?" Suzaku's eyes narrowed. "I see, I didn't know he had a son like you."

Meanwhile, Euphemia had brought Nina to her own private chambers in the Royal Palace as the two sat by a fireplace with some tea, Nina was wearing some of Euphie's casual clothes that she had provided for her.

"…And then, when you saved me Princess Euphemia, I'll never forget it." Nina continued. "You looked like some kind of goddess, like you were bathed in radiant light. Oh… forgive me! I should have thanked you for this change of clothes you gave me."

"Oh, don't worry about that, Nina." Euphemia assured. "Besides, I'm not all the wonderful person you think I am. I'm no good compared to the rest of my siblings." She confessed while also looking away.

"No, that's not true!" Nina exclaimed, surprising Euphemia. "How can you say that about yourself?" She questioned before looking down. "There's not one good thing about me, really nothing at all. My parents are ordinary, I'm not the least bit pretty, and there's just nothing special about me. Not to mention, all those giant transforming robots on the news… it's really scary."

"That's wrong Nina, I think you're a very cute girl." Euphemia complemented, causing Nina to blush slightly. "And besides, some of those 'Transformers' if you will, are actually really good. There are some that are kinda scary, yes. But I've also met some who are actually quite kind and gentle."

"Oh no…" Nina continued. "I'm not really good for anything, not at all."

Euphemia looked to her in sympathy. 'She hates herself, but… so do I…'

"It's not just those robots, Suzaku also makes me feel uneasy as well." Nina confessed.

This caused Euphie to look as though she had an epiphany. 'That's it! Suzaku feels badly too!'

"…So please, so please, don't say that you're no good Princess Euphemia! I beg of you!" Nina pleaded. "Because… I need you… I need your goodness."

Euphemia looked to Nina with a genuine and grateful smile. "Thank you so much, Nina. I'm glad I got to know you." The bespectacled girl looked up in surprise. "You've really helped me understand."

Fukuoka Base

"This has nothing to do with my father!" Suzaku stated as the Lancelot was about to land at the base, with Dreadwing flying in behind him. "We came here to put an end to this fighting! I will accept your surrender!"

"You want to rob Japan of its dream of freedom?" Sawazaki questioned. Though Dreadwing was listening as well, he chose not to speak.

The Lancelot had landed successfully on the ground as Dreadwing continued to hover in his vehicle mode above the Lancelot and keep an eye out for enemy advances. "Freedom has to come the right way! Not like this!" Suzaku argued.

"You act out of selfishness! It's justice without ideology!" Sawazaki argued back.

"No, you're wrong…!" Suzaku tried to come up with a response.

"Suzaku, behind you!" Dreadwing attempted to warn him, but it was too late as the Lancelot was blasted in the back, causing the Lancelot to lose its VARIS before it was gunned down. Of course, it wasn't just him, Dreadwing was struck in the wings by unknown projectiles, causing him to derail and crash onto the ground, causing him to skid before he transformed.

'He was distracting Suzaku! Why didn't I see that?!' Dreadwing cursed himself as he pulled himself up to stand alongside the Lancelot as they were surrounded by a multitude of odd-looking Knightmares. They weren't humanoid like those among Britannia and the Black Knights, but only had landspinners built into the legs with guns mounted on the cockpits.

"Are these Chinese Federation Knightmares?" Dreadwing questioned as he drew his cannon and retaliated with Energon blasts to take down several of the front-most units.

"Yes." Suzaku answered as the Lancelot tried to provide cover with its Blaze Luminous shields. "They're called Gun-Rus."

"Hey! We're down!" Gino reported in as a grunt and crash was heard over the radio, much to his and Dreadwing's shock.

"Anya and I are surrounded! Our Float Systems are destroyed!" Nonette exclaimed.

"What?" Suzaku exclaimed as even Dreadwing looked in surprise.

From the eastern side of the base, the Florence and Tristian each had to discard the smoking remains of their Float systems as they were surrounded by at least two dozen Gun-Rus.

At the same time, there was a similar situation on the western side, as the Galeschin came back-to-back with the Mordred, both on the ground and completely surrounded by the same number of Gun-Rus units.

"First Kururugi allowed me to distract him, then he and his friends split off." Sawazaki smirked. "They could have easily taken this base had they stayed together. However, thanks to that show at Area 11's prison complex, we saw that even the Knights of the Round aren't invincible."

"It was a good thing the High Eunuchs saw to it we received those anti-aircraft turrets." General Tsao said. "They're stationed all over this building with precise targeting systems, intended to be used for aerial vehicles if we ever saw those flying 'Transformers', but who would have suspected we'd see flying Knightmares."

"Suffice to say, we have found Britannia's Achilles' heel." Sawazaki said triumphantly.

Euphemia had suddenly entered Schnizel's office, much to his surprise, as well as that of Darlton. "Euphie?"

"Schneizel, may I have access to a private communication line?" She requested.

Suzaku used the Lancelot's shields to provide cover as he and Dreadwing hid in-between two warehouses, the later using his Energon cannon to open fire and take down four or five Gun-Rus, but he was shot in the shoulder and forced to retreat behind cover.

"Dreadwing!" Suzaku tried to keep him covered as the Lancelot drew its MVS.

"I'm alright." Dreadwing assured as he stood up and tried to make contact with the others. "Enneagram, Weinberg, Alstreim, Krushevsky, report!"

"We're surrounded and taking fire from all sides!" Nonette exclaimed as her Galeschin held an MVS blade to try and slice at any Gun-Rus that got too close, but they pulled back and kept their distance to shoot and fire at her, as well as the Mordred, who tried to retaliate with its built-in VARIS weapons, but a few Gun-Rus dropped a series of smoke-bombs to blind the Mordred before they fired and skimmed it's hide.

Though Anya was able to protect her Knightmare, with its own built-in shields, the Mordred did take some damage as both it and the Galeschin were unable to find cover.

"The Chinese Federation has likely seen our fight against the Autobots and Black Knights during their operation to rescue Kyoshiro Tohdoh." Anya said, still as emotionless as ever. "So, they've adapted similar tactics to out-maneuver us."

"So, you're saying they know our weaknesses?" Gino questioned as the Tristian tried to move in and cut down some Gun-Rus. "That's totally unfair!" He grunted however as the Tristian was shot in the back. Though the Florence quickly moved in to try and cut them down with its MVS claws, it was shot along the side, causing Monica to wince as the Florence and Tristian fell back to find some cover.

"They were expecting us! This was an ambush!" Dreadwing exclaimed to Suzaku who grunted in frustration.

"That's not all…" Suzaku grimaced as he saw his energy readings dropping rapidly. "My energy filler is dropping fast!"

"Are you kidding?! All their Floats were blasted off?!" Lloyd exclaimed.

"The Avalon has to strike as the base!" Cecile stated.

"No! The shield doesn't completely surround us! One direct hit and we'll go down in flames!" Lloyd panicked as he held his hair.

"Suzaku, reroute all power to combat and comn systems!" Cecile told him. "The Knights of the Round are completely surrounded! I'll try and help them, but it might be up to you and Dreadwing now!"

"Got it!" Suzaku did as instructed as he routed all available power in order to save what little he had left. "Dreadwing, get out of here! I'll draw their fire!"

"No!" Dreadwing stated as he drew his sword. "I will fight by your side. Besides, the entire base is surrounded by special anti-aircraft turrets, I would not be able to escape if I wanted to. I will fight with you to the end, Suzaku Kururugi." He gave a small smile.

Suzaku, though grateful, also felt a twinge of guilt as he could consider Dreadwing a friend, and the last thing he wanted was to put another friend in danger.

"You had better surrender, Suzaku." Sawazaki contacted him. "Your transforming friend, as well as the Knights of the Round have no chance at surviving. However, given that you are Prime Minister Kururugi's son, I guarantee that you'll be very well treated my boy."

"I decline!" Suzaku said immediately. "I'll never abandon my friends, and if I used my father's name for this, I'd never forgive myself! This is between you and me, leave the Knights of the Round out of this!"

"Seeing how he has the advantage Suzaku, it is highly unlikely he will." Dreadwing told him.

"Your mechanical friend is indeed correct, Suzaku." Sawazaki confirmed. "I have four of Britannia's elite pilots right in my grasp. There is no way I'd ever let such a golden opportunity slip through my fingers!"

"You wear us down with sheer numbers as opposed to direct confrontation." Dreadwing scowled, speaking to Sawazaki directly. "You are no warrior, and you have no honor!"

"There is no such thing as honor when it comes to war and victory, alien." Sawazaki replied. "Strategy and opportunity are keys to obtaining victory. Anyone who says otherwise is either foolish or deceitful."

Dreadwing scowled even further; at the very least the Autobots and some of the Black Knights had a code of honor that he could respect. But this human clearly had none at all. He looked out past the cover to see there was practically a small army of Gun-Rus that almost looked like a hundred total, not to mention all the anti-aircraft turrets on the base itself, and several tanks and other armored vehicles behind the Gun-Rus. It looked like an impossible situation, and he had no chance to plant any of his bombs.

"Suzaku Kururugi!" Both he and Dreadwing were surprised to see that Euphemia had made contact with the Lancelot, and Dreadwing was able to hear it as well as he was still patched into the Lancelot's communications.

"Princess Euphemia?" Both exclaimed at the same time.

"Dreadwing, you're with Suzaku?" Euphemia asked in surprise, not expecting to get in contact with him to, but was nonetheless glad she did.

"I am, but I cannot talk right now." Dreadwing stated as he and the Lancelot dove out from cover and charged directly into the enemy forces.

"Suzaku…" Euphemia tried to speak to him. "The truth is… you and I…" She stuttered at first before she steeled herself and spoke to him with a firm expression. "I hereby command you to love me!"

"Right!" Suzaku responded, only for his eyes to widened in surprise as he only just now realized what she had just said to him. Even Dreadwing was caught off-guard.

Cecile gave a gasp in surprise. "What?! What is it?!" Lloyd asked in a panic upon seeing her surprised expression.

"Uh… sorry… this is private…" Cecile flustered as she tried to take off her earpiece.

"...And in return, I will love you, forever!" Euphemia continued as both Suzaku and Dreadwing listened in surprise, while also fighting. Dreadwing used his sword to rush and cut down three Gun-Rus with a single slice before giving a kick to crush a fourth from behind.

"Princess Euphemia…" Suzaku almost couldn't believe what he was hearing as the Lancelot used a Blaze Luminous as a shield in his Knightmare's left arm, with the MVS sword in the right hand to cut off the guns off three Gun-Rus that he rushed and past.

"Suzaku, I love your stubbornness, and your kindness, and your strength, your sad eyes, your clumsiness, and the way you have trouble with cats… I love everything about you! So please, don't hate yourself!" Euphemia confessed.

Dreadwing had sliced another Gun-Run in half before quickly attaching one of his bombs onto another and kicking it into a group of four Gun-Rus before all of them exploded. A part of him felt awkward and ashamed to listen to such a heart-warming moment that he felt should be shared with the two of them, yet at the same time, he was glad for this as he could tell Euphie cared deeply for Suzaku and he cared for her just as much.

"Forgive me Euphemia, for listening to this." Dreadwing said as he covered the Lancelot that used its Slash Harken to take down a Gun-Rus at point blank. "It was not my intent to eavesdrop, I assure you."

"No, I'm grateful Dreadwing. So grateful that you looked after Suzaku for me! You are a good and strong warrior and I'm glad I got to know you!" Euphemia assured.

Suzaku had a smile as he and Dreadwing still continued to fight off the enemy, the Lancelot and Seeker coming back-to-back to cut down the Gun-Rus that surrounded and tried to gun them down with their respective swords. "I see that I've made you even more worried than I did before. You really are…" He continued as the Lancelot hopped over Dreadwing to fire a Slash Harken and knock down a Gun-Rus, while Dreadwing impaled his sword in the opposite direction to destroy another enemy unit "Everything you do is impulsive. When we first met, when you told me you were a princess, when you selected my school, when you made me a knight, always!"

"Yes, they were all sudden." Euphemia said with a smile. "That's because, I suddenly realized…"

"But then, it's that spur-of-the-moment feeling that's opened so many doors for me." Suzaku said as he and Dreadwing made their way closer to the base.

"What are you doing!?" Sawazaki exclaimed in a panic. "Stop them now!"

"Princess, can I make one final request?" Suzaku asked.

"Final?!" Euphemia exclaimed as even Dreadwing looked with concern.

"Please, transfer this to a separate line, one that nobody else can hear, not even Megatron." Suzaku instructed. "I'm sorry, Dreadwing, but I can't have Megatron know about this!"

Though concerned, Dreadwing nodded in understanding as they continued to make their way closer to the base, despite the seemingly endless enemy forces gathering to try and stop to them.

"Alright, we're on a secure line." Euphemia said.

"Good, listen Euphie." Suzaku began. "Your brother and sister, Lelouch and Nunnally, they're alive!" Both Dreadwing and Euphemia were surprised by this revelation. "They're both staying at Ashford Academy and being well-taken care of. But… Megatron knows about them to."

Euphemia gave an audible gasp at this revelation, even Dreadwing was surprised. "What?"

"Please, as soon as you possibly can, find them and get them to a safe place." Suzaku continued. "Megatron said he'd reveal them to your father if I disobeyed another one of his orders. But… I can't protect them anymore." He said as both the Lancelot and Dreadwing were completely surrounded with no way to escape. "But when you see them, don't tell them what happened to me. Just tell them I transferred schools or make up some story, I don't want them to be sad."

"Suzaku, don't tell me your…" Euphie had a sinking feeling that she knew what was about to happen.

"Yes, the Knightmare's out of energy." Suzaku reported as it lowered its arms, only having reserve power left, which wasn't much. Dreadwing stood closer to him, tightening his grip on his sword. "Dreadwing, I'm sorry… I…"

"Don't you dare apologize, Suzaku." Dreadwing stated. "This was my choice, and I hold no regret. If I am truly to become one with the Allspark this day, I am glad that I did so while fighting beside you. What Euphemia said was correct, you may be far from perfect, and you've made many mistakes, but you are true warrior and a good individual, one I have been honored to know… brother."

Suzaku did not expect Dreadwing to call him that, but he was also strangely happy about it as he shed some tears of joy with a smile on his face.

"Princess Euphemia, thank you as well." Dreadwing gave some final remarks to her also. "You are noble and caring individual. Live your life to the fullest and take care of the people you love."

"Euphie…" Suzaku had to give his own remark as well. "Thank you… for everything. Tell the others goodbye as well." He gave something of an accepting sigh. "I was stubborn all the way to the end."

Euphemia could not believe what was about to happen. She was about to lose not only a close friend, but also the one she loved! No! This could not happen! "DON'T DIE SUZAKU! DREADWING! YOU BOTH HAVE TO LIVE!"

Suzaku's eye widened as a red ring flashed around his pupils. "Wha… what the…?"

Suddenly, a Groundbridge portal opened in front of the Lancelot and Dreadwing as the vehicle modes of Optimus and Bumblebee shot out, followed by the Gawain.

Optimus' truck-mode swerved as it used its trailer end to trip and knock down at least a dozen Gun-Rus at once before he transformed and opened fire with an Ion-blaster in his right hand to obliterate six Gun-Rus with precise shots. Bumblebee likewise shot his vehicle mode past Optimus and toward four Gun-Rus that tried to shoot the Autobot leader from behind, but Bumblebee was quick to transform and crush one of them with a single punch before activating his Energon blasters to destroy the one in front and the two behind.

"The Autobots?" Dreadwing did not expect to see them here. "And is that… the same Knightmare from before?!" He recognized the Gawain from Kanime island as well. Unlike before however, the Gawain had the metallic emblem of the Autobot-Black-Knight alliance etched onto its chest.

"Huh, looks like the Decepticons decided to show up after all." Ohgi voiced in minor surprise as he sat in the co-pilot seat of the Gawain underneath the unmasked Lelouch.

"It seems to be just Dreadwing." Lelouch observed. "His own sense of honor must have out-weighed whatever orders Megatron have him."

At the same time, another Groundbridge poral opened up on the west side of the base, above the surrounded Tristian and Florence. Out of the swirling vortex shot the vehicle modes of Arcee and Cliffjumper, along with the Guren MK II.

Arcee transformed while in mid-air and delivered a flying kick to crush on Gun-Ru and send it crashing into another before she drew her arm blades and rushed to cut down two more in front of her. Cliffjumper had also transformed into his robot mode and opened fire with his own Energon blasters to destroy four Gun-Rus before the pilots even saw what was going on. While the Guren quickly used her knife to cut down two Gun-Rus before quickly zooming in to grab the third with her Surger claw before Kallen activated it to cause the smaller Knightmare to boil and pop before it exploded.

"The Autobots? Here?!" Monica exclaimed in surprise as Cliffjumper, Arcee, and the Guren came together.

"Yo." Cliffjumper gave a finger-salute to the two surprised Knights of the Round.

"Man, never thought I'd be so happy to see them." Gino commented with a smile.

Meanwhile, at the east side of the base, another Groundbridge portal had opened up next to the trapped Galeschin and Mordred as the vehicle modes of Bulkhead and Ironhide drove out with the Gekka-Pre-Production right behind them.

Bulkhead's vehicle mode easily rammed down three Gun-Rus before he transformed to deliver a literal crushing strike with his mace onto a fourth Gun-Ru. Ironhide had drove up and transformed behind Bulkhead to blast away the six attempting to ambush them with his own Energon cannons. With only three left, Rai was able to slice them down relatively swiftly with his Gekka's katana.

"Well this is unexpected. We were saved by the Autobots and the Black Knights." Anya said with a hint of surprise in her voice, despite the stoic expression she maintained.

Nonette was rendered completely speechless, not just at being saved by the enemy, but because she recognized the blue Knightmare, after seeing Rai's blue pilot suit back on Kanime island, and knowing that the Black Knights only had one blue Knightmare, it didn't take much to put two-and-two together. 'Kaizaren…?'

"What in the world just happened?!" Tsao exclaimed as Sawazaki was left completely stunned.

"Sir, the teams surrounding the Knights of the Round have been completely decimated!" One soldier reported.

"We have an incoming object on the radar! We have picture!" The screen popped up to reveal a flying white Cybertronian ship making its way closer toward the base. "

What is that?!" Sawazaki exclaimed.

"Nice operation you got here, Sawazaki." A new voice said causally as he was easily able to hack into the base's communication systems. "Although technically you might say it's under new management." A screen suddenly lit up to show footage of the smirking Wheeljack sitting at the controls of his personal ship, the Jackhammer.

"You're… you're one of those Autobots!" Sawazaki sated in surprise.

"Yep, and I'm also the one that's about to say bye-bye to your little anti-aircraft turrets." Wheeljack smirked as he pressed a red button on his console once the Jackhammer's targeting systems had a lock on all targets.

A series of homing missiles were fired from the Jackhammer before they each scored a direct hit on each and every one of the turrets across the base, triggering several explosions that effectively crippled the enemy's outer defense in one stroke.

"The Autobots and Black Knights have their own ship?!" Lloyd exclaimed in surprise.

"It may be smaller than the Avalon, but it looks faster and far more powerful!" Cecile stated, just as surprised as her boss. "Who would have thought they had something like that all this time!?"

"Zero, we got aircraft and Knightmares behind us!" Ohgi reported as a dozen Gun-Rus and the same amount of aircraft tried to take them by surprise.

"Then let's take care of it." Lelouch smirked as the Gawain flew in the air at incredible speeds. The large black Knightmare aimed its hands to shoot a series of Slash Harkens from each of its fingers before it quickly waved its arms, causing the weapons to act like whips as each of the aircraft were sliced and diced with little issue. The Gawain then aimed its shoulder-mounted cannons down below and fired a series of large red beams to obliterate all the Gun-Rus with one single blast.

Dreadwing and Suzaku were nothing short of stunned at this display of power and skill, while Optimus and Bumblebee looked more so impressed than anything else.

"[That thing was about a slow as an Energon refinery transport.]" Bumblebee commented. "[Now look at it, bet it could even give Megatron some trouble.]"

"Indeed Bumblebee." Optimus acknowledged. "Rakshata, Ratchet, and their team have done wonders to improve upon the Gawain."

Cecile and Lloyd saw the Gawain's power as well. "The Gawain wasn't nearly that fast as before… and the Hadron cannon was supposed to be in development!" Cecile stated.

"They not only made the beams converge but even improved the Gawain's maneuverability…" Lloyd's eyes shook as they appeared green with envy. "But I wanted to be the one to perfect that system!"

Meanwhile; Ratchet, Fixit, Rakshata, Shirley, Tohdoh, Tamaki, Katase, Kaguya, Diethard, and the Holy Swords, along with a few other Black Knights, watched the events of Fukuhara base play out on the main screen of the Ark's bridge.

"Have I mentioned how much I love Cybertronian technology." Rakshata commented with a smile. "There's no way Britannia could have made the Gawain like this on their own. Guess the Earl of Pudding is losing his edge."

"These readings are incredible." Fixit commented. "With the Gawain's power, not to mention Zero's strategic thinking… If both of them were put together in one being, it would even match Optimus! Both physically and entertainingly… repeatedly… strategically!"

"While the modified Gawain will certainly prove useful, we cannot afford to get over-confident." Ratchet advised. "It all depends on whether or not Zero and his chosen co-pilot can react in battle."

"Hello Nonette." Rai greeted as he established a private communications channel from the Gekka Pre-Production with the Galeschin so no one outside could hear them. Anya was about to approach, but Bulkhead and Ironhide stood in between her and the other two Knightmares, just in case she got any funny ideas.

"Kaizaren…" Her eyes shook with so many mixed emotions. "It really is you…"

"I told you before, my name is Rai." He said before he sighed. "But you should know, I remember everything now." Nonette could not contain her surprised gasp. "You were right, I really was a bastard prince. And I also remember you, you were always so kind to me, my sister, and my mother. I even looked up to you like an older sister."

Nonette remembered all that as well, those were good memories, not to mention the fact he had his memories back brought some tears to her eyes, both in joy and sadness as he now remembered the tragic truth of his family, at least what she knew of it. As far as she was concerned, the concept of Geass was still unknown to her.

"But… just setting the record straight, I'm not going back to Britannia." Rai got to the pint. "The Autobots and Black Knights are like my family, and I won't leave them. Also, they know who I am too, but they don't reject me for it, so you don't have to worry about me, I promise I'm alright."

"I'm always going to worry about you, it's my duty as your knight, remember?" Nonette said with a small smile. "But… I understand. Just know… that no matter what happens, I am on your side. You can trust me."

"I know I can. And I thank you for it." Rai assured.

"Hey Gino, miss us." Cliffjumper greeted as he, Arcee, and the Guren faced the Tristian and Florence directly.

"Cliff… thanks for the save, really owe you one." Gino said truthfully.

"What are you all doing here?" Monica questioned, both in surprise and in an interrogation-like manner.

"Saving your sorry hides, what is it look like?" Arcee gave a small glare.

Kallen remained silent as she didn't want to accidentally expose her identity to two of her fellow Student Council members. But she still smirked slightly at the irony of the current situation. 'We actually saved Britannia's top pilots. Never thought I'd see the day.'

"Kururugi, is the Lancelot still operational?" Lelouch asked from the Gawain as it, Optimus, and Bumblebee faced the Lancelot as well as Dreadwing.

"Zero, I thought so." Suzaku stated.

"Why did you save us?" Dreadwing questioned. "What purpose do you serve here?"

"We came here because you were in trouble." Optimus answered. "We have also come to disarm Sawazaki and repel the occupying Chinese Federation forces."

This took Suzaku especially by surprise. "Contrary to what you might think Suzaku, we're not here to hurt anyone." Lelouch told him. "The Black Knights and the Autobots exist to protect the weak, that's all."

"But why assist us?" Dreadwing asked.

"Because it is the right thing to do." Optimus answered. "The High Eunuchs of the Chinese Federation are no different from the likes of Charles Zi Britannia and would put Japan through the same treatment it's currently receiving from Britannia, we won't let that happen."

Bumblebee walked toward the Lancelot and handed it a familiar device, much to Suzaku's surprise. "An energy filler?"

"We're going to take out the enemy command center." Lelouch spoke. "If you wish to help, you're more than welcome to. It's what you came here to do, isn't it?"

Neither Suzaku nor Dreadwing could have expected this. However, Dreadwing wasn't all that surprised as a part of him knew that Optimus would oppose the likes of Sawazaki in a spark-beat. Suzaku however, couldn't help but chuckle.

"Just when I thought I got you guys figured out, you go ahead and surprise me again." Suzaku commented as the Lancelot sheathed its MVS sword and accepted the energy filler Bumblebee offered him.

"Maybe it's time to try and look at things through a different perspective." Lelouch commented with a small smile, glad his friend accepted their help. Ohgi, who had remained silent during this conversation, shared a smile with his leader as well.

"This is not the first time we've allied against a common enemy." Dreadwing smiled slightly. "It's starting to become something of a habit."

Optimus shared a small smile as well before his faceplate went up. He, Bumblebee, the Gawain, Dreadwing, and the recharged Lancelot went on the attack. The three Cybertronians transformed into their respective vehicle modes and rolled alongside the two Knightmares, though Dreadwing flew in his case, he stuck closer to the ground just above the group.

At the same time; Arcee and Cliffjumper drove in their vehicle modes alongside the Guren MK II, the Tristian, and Florence on the west side of the base, having formed an alliance as well; with a similar situation on the eastern side of the base as Bulkhead and Ironhide's vehicle modes drove alongside the Gekka-Pre-Production, the Mordred, and Galeschin.

All three groups moved in closer toward the base, along with the Jackhammer as their combined efforts were more than enough to easily cleave through what was left of the enemy forces.

"I don't understand!" Sawazaki exclaimed as he and Tsao saw their forces falling like dominos. "Why would the Autobots and Black Knights work alongside Britannia?! They're enemies!"

"We could ask you the same thing."

Sawazaki looked in even further surprise to see their communication monitors were hacked once more to see the glaring faces of both Tohdoh and Katase, much to his shock.

"Tohdoh… and Katase?! You're alive?!"

"Reports of my death were greatly exaggerated." Katase said.

"Why… why are you fighting me though?!" Sawazaki exclaimed. "Shouldn't be working together as comrades?! Don't you care about Japan?!"

"The Black Knights and the Autobots protect the freedom of all sentient beings." Tohdoh replied.

"That's exactly what I'm trying to do!" Sawazaki shouted. "I'm trying to free Japan from Britannia!"

"You fled the country the second our cabinet fell apart!" Katase stated. "You sold yourself to the Chinese Federation and are now about to sell out the country to them too! You are a disgrace, Atsushi Sawazaki!"

Euphemia could not contain her joy as she saw all of this. "Lelouch… you kept your promise… you, Optimus, Suzaku, and Dreadwing…" Tears of joy were already falling down her face.

"What?! The Autobots and Black Knights?!" Cornelia questioned as she and Guilford had already touched down with their respective Knightmares and led their forces onto the shore.

"Yes, they saved the Knights, Dreadwing, and Kururugi!" Guilford informed.

"They're actually helping us?" Cornelia voiced her confusion aloud. "Why?"

"So, they took the Chinese Federation forces by surprise and gained the allegiances of the Knights, Kururugi, and even this Dreadwing." Diethard observed. "That was brilliant."

"It feels a little weird that we're fighting with Britannia's elite." Tamaki commented.

"Well, I know most of them from school." Shirley said. "They're not bad people. In fact, they might even be able to help us fight the Decepticons."

"Having Knights of the Round on our side could increase our chances at victory quite a bit." Fixit put in.

"True, but it's not just the battle, it's the fact that everyone is seeing it." Ratchet said, getting everyone's attention. "Though media may try to change the outcome, we were able to use the Ark's systems to broadcast all of this across the entire country."

That took all the present Black Knights, even Diethard, by surprise. "This is happening live?!" Chiba questioned. "The whole country is seeing this?!"

"Yes." Ratchet confirmed. "And this will not only send a message to the population of Japan, but show the Earth where we stand. Protecting the people, regardless of their nationality, is our first commitment."

"Which in turn, will give us more support." Diethard had a fanatic smile on his face as everyone else shared smiles of their own.

It was true, all across Japan, virtually every television screen was showing the battle that was unfolding in Kyushu; specifically, the forces of the Black Knights and the Autobots working alongside the Britannian Knights to repel the Chinese Federation. Everyone from the Japanese to Britannian civilian populace, even Schneizel and Diethard watched, with the later in great surprise while the former had something of an impressed and knowing smirk on his face.

Even Rivalz, Milly, and Nina all saw it from their homes. It was even seen on the television at the Ashford Clubhouse as C.C. and Sayoko stood next to Nunnally in her wheelchair; though she couldn't see it, she heard everything the TV was showing. She smiled, knowing how much good Lelouch, Suzaku, and all their friends, Cybertronian or human, were doing by working together like this. She smiled and held out both her hands, which C.C. and Sayoko each took as they shared smiles with one another as well.

"What's wrong with going to another country, then waiting for the right moment to strike?" Sawazaki questioned as he and Tsao rode a vehicle toward the helipad to escape this loss battle. "That's an effective strategy, isn't it?"

"We can set up a new line of defense at Kagoshima!" Tsao offered.

"Right, I appreciate your help." Sawazaki said.

However, right as their vehicle rode onto the helipad, they looked in complete and utter surprise to see there wasn't a helicopter transport waiting for them, but the Jackhammer parked on top of what was left of it, with Wheeljack himself leaning against the side of his ship with a casual smirk.

"Going somewhere?" Wheeljack teased.

But that wasn't the end of it; everyone else had arrived as well, having climbed the building or flown up. First the Guren, Arcee, Tristian, Cliffjumper, and Florence; followed by the Gekka, Bulkhead, Galeschin, Ironhide, and Mordred; and last but not least, Optimus Prime, the Gawain, Bumblebee, Dreadwing, and the Lancelot.

"That is far enough, Sawazaki." Optimus stated as they all completely surrounded him and Tsao.

Sawazaki couldn't believe it. "Im… Impossible….! They took the largest fortress in all of Kyushu, with no effort at all!"

Meanwhile, Megatron and Soundwave had witnessed everything play out as well from the Nemesis and had heard everything that was spoken in between the two parties before joining forces, that even included Euphemia's confession to Suzaku; all thanks to Soundwave.

"Well, this was certainly unexpected." Megatron commented. "And you got everything, right?" He turned to Soundwave.

"Your brother and sister, Lelouch and Nunnally, they're alive!" Soundwave replayed his recording of Suzaku's reveal to Euphemia.

"So Kururugi believed he found a way out." Megatron surmised. "He saw his opportunity to die and also chose to use it as an attempt to save those dear to him. Hmm, I must admit, that was actually rather clever."

Soundwave then looked to Megatron, silently asking what they should do about this. "Let them go on, let us pretend we never heard that. Let their hopes rise, it'll make it all the more satisfying as we shatter them. We have a special project of our own planned." Megatron said with an evil sneer.

After Sawazaki was captured; Suzaku, Dreadwing, and the Knights of the Round allowed the Black Knights and Autobots to return to their base as a way of saying thanks for their help, but if they end up on opposite sides of the battle, they will fight them if they have to. The Bots and BKs all seemed to accept that as they returned to the Ark and allowed the Britannian authorities to deal with Sawazaki and his collaborators.

The next day, both Suzaku and Dreadwing stood in front of Euphemia in the royal garden of the Tokyo Settlement's royal palace. Suzaku bowed before the princess.

"Warrant Officer Kururugi, reporting for duty."

"Welcome back, Suzaku." Euphemia smiled sincerely. She then looked up to Cybertronian present. "Dreadwing, thank you again for helping him."

"You are welcome." Dreadwing nodded with a smile. "Though, in all honesty, you should be thanking Prime and Zero. If it weren't for them, I don't believe either of us would be here."

"I'll be sure to when I see them again." Euphemia said before looking to Suzaku with a serious expression. "Suzaku, my brother and sister… are they…?"

"I'm sorry I never told you." Suzaku apologized. "It's just… I didn't want to take any chances that someone would try to take advantage of them."

"Still, I thank you for helping to protect them." Euphemia said sincerely. "And I promise I'll help them, but… how did Megatron of all people find out?"

Suzaku winced. "It wasn't my intent, but he… somehow pulled the information from my mind… literally!"

Dreadwing's optics widened in shock. 'A Cortical Psychic Patch!? He used it on Suzaku…? On a human…?'

Euphemia saw the look on Dreadwing's face and used it as her chance to speak to him. "Dreadwing, let me ask you something. Does the phrase 'Dark Energon' sound familiar to you?"

"Dark Energon?" Suzaku questioned in confusion.

"I have heard of it, yes." Dreadwing confirmed. "The so-called Blood of Unicron. Megatron had somehow found a way to weaponize it, that's what I've learned."

"Did you know he used it to poison Cybertron's core?" Euphemia asked.

"What?!" Suzaku exclaimed as even Dreadwing was caught off-guard by that, indicating he wasn't aware of that.

"When we were trapped on that island, Optimus told me everything." Euphemia began. "Everything that Megatron told us, even you Dreadwing, it was lie. Megatron destroyed Cybertron all by himself! He never tried to save it, he only sought power, nothing more! He's a monster! And… I somehow, have a terrible feeling, that he may try to bring that fate to Earth as well."

Suzaku could not believe what he was hearing, and neither could Dreadwing. One look in Euphemia's eyes told her that she was being serious about this. Dreadwing knew Optimus was not a liar, so there was indeed some truth behind this, as much as he didn't want to believe it.

"That's why, I want to do what I can to ensure Earth has a bright future." Euphemia said. "Not just protecting it from the Decepticons, but also stopping all this violence and bloodshed that Britannia has encouraged for so many years. I know I may only be a Sub-Viceroy, but I can't stand to sit on the sidelines anymore; so Suzaku, Dreadwing, will you two help me? Will you both help me to protect this world, even if we end up working with Optimus and Zero? Both of whom I trust with my life."

"You really trust them that much?" Suzaku voiced in surprise.

"They're not at all what you think they are, Suzaku." Euphemia said with a sincere smile. "They want the same thing I do, to end all this destruction and bring about peace for this world. Will you help me? Will you be my knight?" She offered Suzaku the knight-pin once more.

There was still a great many things weighing his mind, but Suzaku could tell that Euphemia was genuine in her wish, and that alone was enough for him to put his faith in her. "I will, your highness." He accepted the pin with a smile.

Euphemia cried tears of joy before she leapt and wrapped both her arms around Suzaku. Though surprised at first, he smiled as he returned the embrace. After a minute or two, they both parted as Dreadwing kneeled down toward them.

"And I promise, Princess Euphemia, you will have my support as well." Dreadwing vowed. "I pledge myself to you and your cause of peace, to finally bring this conflict to an end. I will support and protect you, this I vow with all my spark."

Euphie's smile couldn't get any brighter as she knew she had both their support and could trust them with everything she held dear. "Thank you, Dreadwing. Thank you both from the bottom of my heart."

Done.

So, that was rather nice. We got a pretty cool team-up battle, which I enjoyed writing. The Gawain has also been specially modified, because I remember how slow and sluggish it was in the cannon, but thanks to Ratchet, Fixit, and Rakshata, it's every bit as fast and agile as the Lancelot, and twice as powerful. I even had Ohgi be the co-pilot this time around (because C.C. is still at Ashford watching Nunnally).

We even see the love beginning to bloom for Suzaku and Euphemia, and even Dreadwing has offered his support, trust, and loyalty to Euphie. It seems they both know now what happened to Cybertron and have a better understanding of what the Decepticons truly are.

However, Megatron still has something up his sleeve. But what? You'll soon see in the next episode, which is something of a light-hearted filler, with my own surprises and twists in store before we get to some real intense action.

I won't tell you what's going to happen in regards to the SAZ or the Black Rebellion, but I will say (as I already have) that Euphemia will survive! I promise that! But also, more importantly, once the dust clears, nothing will ever be the same again. (evil laugh)

Also, I know some of you were suspecting Sawazaki and the Chinese Federation had Cybertronian allies of their own, but that was not the case. They were simply taking advantage of the chaos ensuing from the on-going conflict in Japan at the moment. Sawazaki thought the Black Knights and Autobots would side with him, while the High Eunichs used Sawazaki to try and gain the Black Knights and Autobots as pawns of their own to pursue their own agends. I hope that makes sense to all of you.

Until then, stay safe and stay healthy out there. Peace out.