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On Queen's Orders
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As the vivid red and winged Guren S.E.I.T.E.N. Eight Elements docked within the Ikaruga's primary hangar, Kallen's jaw clenched. In the final seconds of her approach, she had spotted a diplomatic VTOL aircraft and the Mordred land aboard the upper decks of the carrier flagship. There was only one Britannian that she could think of daring enough to engage in a diplomatic meeting with the enemy within minutes of something like that vile pink explosion that had turned matter to dust and cast death upon a scale unseen since the invasion. She would have nightmares of that explosion for weeks to come.
Within that VTOL had to be none other than the Second Prince and Prime Minister of His Majesty's Government, Schneizel el Britannia. He was the same snake that had nearly orchestrated Britannia's absorption of the former Chinese Federation and dismantled much of the EU over the span of a year. The same man who Lelouch vi Britannia, the man known as Zero, had never defeated in a chess match. As Zero's protector, she had paid close attention to their match. Watching them while in the Vermillion City convinced her that rash, unpredictable action was needed against a man who assumed he could predict any person.
I am rash, and certainly can be unpredictable, she thought with a vicious grin.
She booted down her Guren, the cockpit hatch sliding backwards to open, even as the drop cable spooled out for descent. Kallen knew that Lelouch would be in no state to handle his most dangerous brother. While nearly all of the Black Knights were confused by his outburst following the blast, she knew exactly why Zero had seemingly gone insane. The reason he lived, the reason he first dared put on the mask, was dead. Her heart ached, thinking of Nunnally. The sweet girl had protected Kallen during her incarceration at the hands of the Knights of the Round. Their conversations had helped her better understand her leader, the man named Zero.
And to think, I could've stopped this all if I had been a little faster. Damn you, Suzaku. I never should've given into my weakness at Kaminejima…
As her boots hit the hangar deck, Kallen knew what she had to do. The Mordred had to be silenced, separated via comms and flight from both Schneizel and the Avalon. After the disastrous end of the battle, she wasn't risking a second one of those horrid bombs being brought aboard in secrecy so it could be used to ensure that snake's safety. Which, she reckoned, he had already done.
Damn you, Schneizel el Britannia.
She was drawn from her thoughts as Minami and Sugiyama ran her way. They were two of those remaining members of her brother's resistance group, selected by Lelouch himself to become the Black Knights. Their lips moved, but she felt disconnected from their words. She had other matters to attend to. She wished she could speak with them, but she had a prince to handle.
Her own prince needed her to do so, in his time of grief. It was bizarre, thinking of Zero in such a manner, yet it was the naked truth.
"I don't have the time for pleasantries," Kallen stated, wielding authority as though it were her Knightmare. "I need to speak with Rakshata, then Tōdō. Don't make it obvious, but the Ikaruga must remain at combat-ready. And nobody speaks with Zero until I do. Queen's orders."
They blanched at her final command, yet didn't question her. She was thankful Lelouch had the foresight to grant her, as his personal guard, the capacity to pull rank and do what she damned well pleased. Only Ohgi had protested the designation back during the first rebellion, and that had been half hearted after he noticed her glare.
She had felt a touch foolish after the Black Rebellion, realizing just how much he had trusted her despite lying about his identity.
Kallen stepped past them, scanning for the madwoman who had given birth to the finest Knightmare Frame ever constructed. Rakshata would likely gripe over the modifications made by her Britannian counterparts, yet they didn't have the time for petty squabbles like that.
"Hello to you as well," said Rakshata, unfazed as Kallen approached. "I want to—"
"It's good to see you, Rakshata, but now is not the time," Kallen stated, voice sharp as steel. The woman in question flinched back. "I need to know—can a localized Gefjun Disruption field be set up on the Ikaruga?"
The scientist tilted her head before smirking. "You want to disable the Mordred then?"
Thank you for knowing what's going on. "I suspect Schneizel has come aboard, and he's likely smuggled a second one of those warheads that just vaporized most of Tokyo. Where best to keep it than with a Knight of the Rounds, like the first?"
"How distasteful," Rakshata muttered, sucking from her pipe. "I can do what you wish, but it'll take some time. Ten minutes, or perhaps fifteen."
"Good," Kallen replied. "The moment it's ready, activate it and kill any men Schneizel left to guard it and his VTOL. I want radio silence from them, as well. Have ten men of Zero Squad surround the Mordred. Visors on—including you and your team. OpSec, if anyone asks. Their orders are to answer to me and only me after you give them my orders. Not even Zero can call them off this one. They're to ensure you get that field set up and activated before the Britannians can set off their warhead or inform Schneizel. If the Knight of Six goes as far as to stick her head out of that pink tin can, I will personally pin a medal upon the chest of whoever bags themselves a Round."
"Shoot to kill?"
Kallen raised an eyebrow. Rakshata smirked, taking an amused puff from her pipe.
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She found Tōdō speaking quietly with Diethard and Chiba. Other than her, all of them wore their black dress uniforms, having taken the time—at least for two of them—to change out of their devicer suits. Apparently they were attempting to contact Zero, unaware unlike her as to the cause of his sudden instability in the wake of the battle. Schneizel had clearly already contacted them and they were rushing to prepare for a meeting they hadn't even thought would occur this soon. They turned at her entrance and judging from their expressions, they had not thought she'd come find them on her own.
"Zero won't be joining us," she informed them, not needing to speak with the man in question. "He's in no state to deal with Schneizel, especially after what just happened. I'm more concerned about whoever gave the Prime Minister clearance to land."
Diethard scowled at her, revealing that he had been the first one to come into contact with the prince. "He arrived, unannounced, with a F.L.E.I.J.A. warhead strapped to his escort. They have triggers for their bomb on their persons."
Dammit. I was hoping he wouldn't do so, yet Schneizel likely brought what I feared. He needed insurance to ensure he could walk away without a fight. Good thing that blasted witch informed me about Lelouch's geass during that year apart, along with pushing me to be more capable at using my intelligence.
"Tokyo?" Kallen asked, scanning their faces. There was something about Tōdō that worried her.
They confirmed her suspicion with grimacing nods.
"Are you sure you can handle this meeting?" asked Chiba, surprisingly concerned about someone other than Tōdō. "You only just escaped Britannian custody and they had you for too long. It must've been difficult, especially given how important you are to Zero personally."
"It could've been much worse. Viceroy Nunnally protected me from the worst of it, including the Vampire bastard I took care of," Kallen admitted. She kept her face passive, knowing she would need to remain in such a state to face Schneizel. "We were friends at Ashford, before the Black Rebellion. Her kind nature and gentleness was not a falsehood, unlike with Euphemia."
"You were friends with a Britannian princess?" asked Chiba, sneering. Diethard appeared fascinated by the revelation while Tōdō merely frowned. There was a sense of recognition coming from the man, as though he should know something more about the late Nunnally vi Britannia. Vague recollections informed her that perhaps he should, though she struggled to place a finger on the precise how.
Kallen shrugged. "I didn't know she was a princess at the time. Given she got me moved into a decent cell and I received mostly humane treatment, I'm at least grateful for the protection she afforded me while a prisoner."
"Did you know her brother as well?" questioned Tōdō. Chiba and Diethard turned to him, surprised. "They were both present in the Kururugi household before the Britannian invasion.
"His name was Lelouch vi Britannia."
Kallen used the strength of will she needed to handle Schneizel to keep her face passive. "That's a conversation for another time, General. We've kept our guests waiting too long. Should Ohgi finish up whatever he's busy with, he's welcome to join us."
The others nodded in agreement. The door behind her opened and she turned, frowning as a frustrated Tamaki entered.
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There were three waiting for them in the Ikaruga's conference room, including one that Kallen hadn't expected to be present. In the brutal aftermath of the Black Rebellion, Cornelia li Britannia had vanished from Britannian society and their military structure. Nobody had known where the Second Princess, a disgraced soldier and leader despite her royal status, had gone. Somehow, she had made her way onto the Ikaruga in the year or so since the Rebellion.
The other two were as expected—Schneizel and his aide.
Kallen made a point of taking the seat directly across from Schneizel, flanked by Tōdō and Diethard, with Chiba and Tamaki taking up the final seats on their side. In this, she was Zero's representative and, from the Britannian perspective, Lelouch's knight. It was her responsibility to act upon his behalf, to speak with his voice.
She ignored the trace of doubt over whether she had the capacity to speak as precisely as he would. The fate of Japan could very well be decided in this room.
Schneizel spoke first, with the smooth tone that made others feel wrongly at ease. "I had hoped to finish my chess match with Zero. Will he be joining us?"
"You will have to wait until another time, Prime Minister," Kallen replied, purposefully ignoring his royal titles. He gave her a strange look while Cornelia grew furious at the clear snob. The aide only watched on, seemingly certain in his master's aim and ability.
"We need to determine whether this is a matter that requires Zero's attention," added Diethard. Tōdō and Tamaki nodded. "Though in planning our operation, he said nothing about you."
Schneizel nodded, though Kallen thought his expression was rather condescending. "I wouldn't expect him to say so. He keeps things close to the chest, does he not?"
"You speak as though you know him," accused Tōdō.
"Better than you," Schneizel stated. Kallen's gut plummeted, certain of what he was going to say next. "He is mine and Cornelia's younger brother."
"What?" shouted Tamaki, vocalizing the incredulous expressions of the other Black Knights. "How dare you say that about Zero!" Kallen glanced at Tōdō and noticed he had a pensive frown, as if pieces were beginning to click in his mind.
"Zero is the Eleventh Prince and Seventeenth Heir, Lelouch vi Britannia. He is the man I loved and feared most."
"You cannot be serious," declared Chiba, a furious mask to cover any personal doubts. "Zero, a Britannian prince?" Tōdō glanced at Kallen, seeking confirmation. She made no gesture or sign either way, not with Schneizel across from her. She knew that if the Second Prince was here, revealing this, then he was certain he could sway their leadership to make a decision that would benefit Britannia in a manner that warfare couldn't.
Likely he wishes to engineer a mutiny against Lelouch, she realized as Cornelia and Diethard argued over the validity of Zero's identity. He might even know about geass, or have enough suspicions to be so brazen with what he knows. Zero's royal heritage wouldn't be enough to sway Tōdō and Diethard into supporting a mutiny.
"What do you really want, Prime Minister?" asked Kallen, interrupting the arguing pair. Her temper was on a hair trigger, yet she had to keep it pacified. "You have no authority to hand over a colonial area, and I doubt the Emperor has come to Area 11 to sign a treaty with only the Black Knights. We're soldiers, not diplomats. He should travel to Horai Island instead, and seek out the UFN there, should it suddenly be Imperial policy to release control of the Japan archipelago."
She had paid close enough attention to the comms during the battle to know the Emperor was within the region. If Kallen were frank, she would guess he was heading for Kaminejima. Everything pointed back to that cursed island, the site of her greatest sin.
She was also thankful that Nunnally had somehow been able to provide her with a copy of the UFN Charter. It had been dry reading, but Kallen had seen Lelouch's hand embedded within. He had fashioned a means by which sovereign nations could handle disputes without engaging in war, yet curbing the chance for tyranny and oppression by an overreaching federal body.
And something Lelouch had done, something she knew had been done purposefully, was to only grant the Black Knights the independence to determine how they pursued their objectives, and nothing more. She wondered if Schneizel had read the charter, or if he truly did have the secret of geass up his sleeve, certain he could make it so poisonous to any rational conscious that the Knights could be deluded into accepting whatever false promise he offered.
"I am here, seeking justice, nothing else," Schneizel stated, face tense. "Lelouch is responsible for the death of three of our sib—"
"Two," Kallen interjected. "The death of Nunnally vi Britannia, assuming she did perish in the F.L.E.I.J.A. blast"—please be alive—"was done by the hand of Suzaku Kururugi, the Knight of Seven. I was present when he deployed the weapon in question."
The Prime Minister smirked so slightly and for so briefly Kallen wasn't sure if she had seen it. "You did not denounce my claim that our brother, Lelouch vi Britannia, is Zero, Lady Stadtfeld."
She snorted; ignoring the Britannian title he tried to give her and the reminder of her paternal lineage. The others present should know her well enough not to think something that arrogant would sway her. "I won't deny Lelouch is Zero, since it is the truth. Only he has the motivation, the ability, and the will to hide behind a mask and lead a revolution against the very land he was born to. However, what I do have for you, Prince Schneizel, is a single, simple word:
"Arigatō."
The prince blinked, straightening. "What have I done that is deserving of your thanks?"
Kallen's blue eyes shifted between the two royals before her. "I'm thanking you for pushing Lelouch away, for allowing him to be exiled, and come to hate Britannia. If not for your failures, he would've fought for Britannia, and none of us would be here. The failure of the Imperial family to safeguard their own after the assassination of Empress Marianne gave we, the people oppressed and ravaged by Britannia's unrelenting greed, our greatest weapon against you. Had she lived, he would have remained loyal to his homeland. Only Lelouch could become Zero, the man of miracles who challenges Britannia."
"How dare you!" shouted Cornelia, rising to her feet. "How dare you blame Lady Marianne's death for everything!"
"How dare I?" muttered Kallen, sneering. "Tell me, witch, why did you allow Lelouch to confront his father, the Emperor? To demand justice, knowing that man had a hand in covering up his consort's death?" The room fell silent as everyone focused on the battle of wills between the two warrior women. "Did you give him a shoulder to cry upon, someone to turn to for guidance? Or were you so caught up in your own grief you tossed him aside as if he was already dead?"
"I see," Schneizel remarked. "Lelouch's hatred for us created Zero. Even so, he is still a member of the Imperial Family and should be—"
"It doesn't matter," remarked Diethard. "Even if Zero is a former Britannian prince, the truth is that his heritage does not take away from his miracles. That is a creation of his own brilliance, and proves that in despite his origins, he is the most capable to lead our revolution."
Schneizel smiled as though he was revealing the winning hand of poker. "What if I were to tell you that his miracles are in reality just tricks? We have learned that Lelouch possesses a supernatural power known as geass. It allows him to compel anyone to follow his orders. Think of it as extreme hypnosis."
"That sounds like bullshit," grumbled Tamaki. Kallen almost felt thankful, having him present if only for that comment. "You really think we'd believe that?"
"We have evidence," Schneizel replied. He gestured to his aide, who pulled out a small recording device. "Evidence that links our brother and his power to the SAZ Massacre. It was a direct result of his own command, in fact."
Cornelia growled at the reminder of what Princess Euphemia had done over a year prior. Kallen frowned as she dredged up everything that insufferable witch C.C. had told her in the year between the Black Rebellion and the Babel Tower attack. The massacre had been one of the first things they discussed, though it took months to get even the beginnings of the truth from the green haired woman.
"You claim that he…that he ordered the massacre of Japanese people?" asked Tōdō, a quiet fury lacing his words. "How dare you!"
"Please," implored Schneizel, "listen to our evidence, then make your decision."
The aide pressed a button and the recording began before anyone else could protest.
"Tell me honestly," requested Suzaku Kururugi, his voice laced with disgust. "Did you use your geass power on Euphy?"
"Yes," replied Zero—replied Lelouch.
"Did you order her to kill the Japanese?"
"I gave the order."
Kallen glanced at her fellows. The three Japanese all appeared stricken, though Tamaki was the only one who seemed to be holding onto his doubt. Tōdō muttered something, with only the name of his most recently dead subordinate audible to her while Chiba gritted her teeth. Diethard appeared almost thoughtful, though part of her suspected it was his mind at work, trying to figure out precisely how Lelouch could be both responsible and be able to dispel enough guilt for what happened at the SAZ to prevent Zero's removal.
She sighed, rubbing the bridge of her nose. She was suddenly very grateful to the witch C.C., for all she had told Kallen during the year they were in hiding. While it had not fully displaced her doubts and fears concerning Lelouch and his power, it had been enough for her to accept his words when they were reunited.
I…I'll have to admit to geass existing, but I think I can throw this back into their faces and protect Lelouch.
"Assuming your recording is real," Kallen began, letting her hand fall so she could slowly drum the table, "this proves less than you think. Lelouch often tells people what they want to hear, especially when it will get them to act as he wants. He likely wanted to provoke Suzaku, and guilt him into protecting Nunnally with his life.
"I'll spare you what Lelouch would say about the SAZ disaster and instead ask as to what you two actually know about geass."
Kallen held back any suggestion that there could be someone among the Black Knights who knew more about geass than either her or Lelouch. One wrong word, one misstep, and she could very well give either Cornelia or Schneizel precisely what they wanted to discredit the defense she was going to pose.
"Geass is an evil power that Lelouch used to twist Euphy for his own gain!" snarled Cornelia. "I don't need some brainwashed pilot talking down to me!"
Kallen raised an eyebrow, her gaze sliding from the infuriated princess and to the silver-tongued prince. It would've been amusing to snort at the outburst, but she needed to keep an even keel. A slip of emotion and she could end up letting Lelouch down.
"I have come to understand that Lelouch's geass allows him to control people, akin to extreme hypnosis. We even dossiers of those we suspect he used his power upon."
The aide moved to hand over a stack of papers, but Kallen held up her hand before he could do so. He paused, glancing back to Schneizel—who was solely focused upon her.
"Firstly, it appears you're both operating under the delusion that Lelouch is the only person who possesses the power of geass," Kallen stated. She could feel a slight chill in the room at her pronouncement, but even so she continued on. "The reason Lelouch was unable to act as Zero during the year between the Black Rebellion and the Resurrection of Zero is because of a geass power used upon him. One possessed by Emperor Charles zi Britannia."
While Schneizel remained impassive in the face of the revelation, Cornelia had immediately shot to her feet. Faced flushed with her blustering fury, she shouted, "How dare you!"
"I dare," Kallen began, holding onto a semblance of calmness, "because it is the truth. I was less than a foot away from him several times and he did not recognize me. All recollection of being Zero—perhaps even of his sister Nunnally and their mother Marianne—was stripped from him."
"And precisely how are you aware of what he may or may not have forgotten?" inquired Schneizel.
If only for a moment, Kallen had to bite her tongue and consider her words precisely. She had allowed a little too much to slip, but as she considered what she knew, she realized there was a way she could twist her error into a route towards defeating the 'White Prince' who, with Suzaku as his tool, had yoked much of Europe under Britannian tyranny. In a way, she was just stalling until her orders to the Zero Squad could be fulfilled.
"I was told so by C.C., who knew about Lelouch having the power of geass. She claimed to know about geass better than Lelouch." She glanced away and added, "She also referred to the Emperor solely as 'Charlie,' which was rather…odd."
"Wait, Zero's mistress? She's the one who gave him this power?" shouted Tamaki.
Kallen glanced at her fellow Black Knights. She was surprised by the fact she didn't feel any regret or guilt over using this meeting for her own, secretive purpose. Even so, she needed to know their mood to keep her stalling strong and retain the Black Knights as a functioning military body. Diethard was Britannian enough to remain with the Black Knights as long as she could successfully curb Schneizel. The man was also psychotic enough to not care about the blood that was shed, and curious enough to remain with the Knights regardless of Lelouch's intentions.
Tamaki besides him appeared mostly shocked, incapable of speech following his outburst over C.C. He was an idiot, and thus would go along with others.
But the real issue, Kallen knew from a simple glance, was Tōdō. The old soldier was pensive, appearing to be sitting on some knowledge that she was not party to. It made her nervous, but between her absence and Shirley's questionable death, she would not put it past Lelouch to have done something remarkably disturbing and short sighted after an emotionally traumatic event. It was clear some form of military action had been done with her Zero Squad, given the change in their numbers and personnel between their actions in China and now, following the Second Battle for Tokyo.
And perhaps that's how Cornelia fell into his net, along with Guilford and Orange-kun. How he got those two to fight with us has to involve geass.
The door just out of view opened before anyone could speak. Unsurprisingly, Ohgi entered. She beamed, seeing her brother's best friend and her second brother. Then her blue eyes slid from him to the dark skinned woman who had followed him into the room. It was a face she knew from that year between the Black Rebellions, when Lelouch had been a prisoner of his father's geass. Her, along with the creepy false-brother Rolo, had been the most obvious obstacle when devising their plan to rescue him and revive Zero.
She was also the very person who had shot Ohgi during the Black Rebellion, from what she had gathered, and thus played a role in its failure.
"Baroness Villetta Nu," growled Kōzuki Kallen. "What are you doing here?"
"Kallen, she's on our side," Ohgi said as if to warn her off from confronting the Britannian woman at his side. "She told me the truth about who Zero actually is. He's a Britannian Prince who's been using us with an evil power called geass."
"Is that what she told you?" Kallen began, blue eyes glowering at the dark-skinned Britannian. "I guess she would know about geass, given she was Zero's handler while under the oppression of the Emperor's own power. She should thank me that Lelouch decided to merely blackmail her."
"It's the only explanation for why the Black Knights continued to loyally follow him," justified Villetta. "After what happened following the Black Rebellion, it was the only conclusion that made sense."
"Is that so. You're absolutely wrong, but then a Britannian would sell out their own spouse for a title." Kallen turned her chilled blue eyes to Ohgi, ignoring the strange way Villetta flinched. "And what about you, Ohgi? Why are you with the same woman who shot you during the Black Rebellion? Don't you care about freeing Japan?"
He grimaced, glancing away. "Kallen…I get that Zero is important to you, but—"
"But nothing," she growled out, slamming a fist onto the table. Before she could dig into him and his apparent weakness, the room's comlink in the center crackled to life.
"Captain Kōzuki?" asked a voice in Japanese.
"This is her," she responded in the same language, suppressing her anger. "Report."
"Doctor Rakshata requested we inform you that we've taken the warhead—FLEIJA—into our custody," the voice stated. Kallen smirked slightly, especially when Schneizel clearly frowned at the mention of his warhead. "Staff Sergeant Benio tagged the Knight of Six when she tried to exit her Knightmare after we disabled the Mordred."
Her smirk blossomed into a smile, honestly pleased with what she was hearing. "Good. Prep her body to be returned to Britannia, then have her Knightmare impounded."
"And the warhead?"
She glared, despite the person she was speaking with being elsewhere. "Contact Sumeragi-sama and inform her of everything that's occurred. You're to follow the guidance of her, and then the UFN Council concerning that weapon."
"Understood, Captain. Corporal Ryōko out." And with that, the intercom went silent.
Kallen turned to Prince Schneizel. "I'm afraid to inform you that your FLEIJA warhead is now in the possession of the Black Knights and will be transferred to wherever the United Federation of Nations decides for safekeeping. Anya Alstreim, the Knight of Six, was shot during an incident and has unfortunately perished. We will return her body to you when you depart, though I cannot say the same of the Mordred."
Frowning, Schneizel said, "I came here in good—"
"You came here to undermine the singular threat to Britannia's ambition of global hegemony," she interrupted. "We will not betray Zero, regardless of his identity and the privileges he was born into or upon the grounds he possesses some supernatural ability which has made our victories possible, regardless of whatever tragedies it may have played a role in."
"Bold claims, Captain Kōzuki. You cannot hold us indefinitely. As such, I wish to leave—in peace."
A black thought crossed Kallen's mind. It could very well ruin everything Lelouch had been working towards, but she had the opportunity to remove his greatest foe, beyond the Emperor himself. Going through with the thought would be the closest thing to justice that could be won for the people of Tokyo, until they could get Suzaku into their custody.
She held a gloved hand towards Diethard, waiting for him to realize precisely what she wanted. A few seconds passed before that moment occurred. With a soft chuckle, he handed over his M6, the standard issue handgun of the Britannian Imperial Armed Forces. Kallen's gaze fell onto the weapon, allowing a tense mood to build.
"You're right, Prince Schneizel," she finally admitted, admiring the handgun. "We cannot hold you indefinitely. But we can dictate the terms of your departure."
His eyes had barely widened with realization when her hand flicked forward. With three pulls, Kallen put a bullet into the chest cavity of Schneizel el Britannia, Cornelia li Britannia, and the prince's aide.