Hi everyone, thanks for your patience. I know I left off on quite the cliffhanger, and it is my hope that this chapter is well worth the wait. With this, we enter the final battle of the introductory arc for this story. So much is about to happen here, and I hope you all enjoy the battle to come. With that being said, let's get started.

Battle for the Ark

The blonde girl slowly came to as her eyes began to flutter open, revealing they were red in color. She found herself laying on a rather comfortable bed, her plug suit had been removed as she wore what appeared to be a hospital gown. She tried to pull herself up and address her surroundings when the woman attending her quickly came to her side.

"Easy, don't push yourself." Akari told the young girl.

"Where am I?" The girl asked. "What is this place?"

"You're safe, there's no need to worry." Akari assured her. "My name is Akari, I'm a nurse here."

The girl got a good look at the woman. "Are… are you a… Black Knight?"

Akari was slightly taken by surprise as to how quickly the young girl was able to deduce that. "Well, not exactly. I'm not a soldier, I'm just a nurse, but I help how I can. You don't have to worry, we have no intention of hurting you, we're not like those awful Decepticons or the people who work with them."

The girl felt a mixture of relief and concern at that. For one, she was relieved that she was no longer under the thrall of Shockwave or V.V., but she was more than concerned for her sisters who were still likely in the grasp of the two people she hated the most.

"I'm sorry to tell you this as soon as you woke up, but we're going to be asking you some questions once you're fully rested." Akari told her. "But before that, I'd like to know your name. It'll be easier to work with you that way, and we'll help in any way I can."

"My name… it's Alice."

"Alice? That's her name?" Lelouch questioned as he, Nunnally, Cera, and Suzaku sat in front of Cera and Orpheus at the bridge's living quarters with Optimus, Ultra Magnus, and Elita present as well.

"That's correct." Orpheus confirmed. "We don't know much about her history, other than she attempted to join the military when she wasn't even a legal adult and ended up getting pulled into the Geass Order."

"So, you know her?" Optimus asked.

"Not completely, I know off her, but I don't know her personally." Orpheus replied.

"Does she have a Geass too?" Suzaku asked.

"Well… not exactly." Orpheus tried to explain. "Alice, and others like her, were placed in a 'special' project for the Order. They had extracted cells from a certain immortal…" He glanced at Cera, who looked a little uncomfortable, even as Nunnally placed a hand on her shoulder for comfort. "…and tried to enhance her physical abilities. I don't know all the details about her, or others like her."

"And once the Decepticons overthrew Britannia and took control of the Geass Order, its likely this 'Alice' was further enhanced by Shockwave's own experiments." Ultra Magnus assumed, clenching his metallic fists even as he maintained a professional demeanor. He knew the horrors Shockwave was capable of and wouldn't wish that on anybody.

"So, what do we do with her?" Elita asked Optimus specifically.

"We will keep her here and nurse her back to health." The Prime answered. "Perhaps she may be willing to tell us more about the Order, no doubt it has undergone severe change under the Decepticons' ownership."

"If she has information on something like that, it could help us to put an end to the Order, maybe even Megatron's most dangerous plans." Lelouch assumed.

"But… it doesn't feel right to ask this of a little girl." Suzaku pointed out. "I mean, she looks barley older than Nunnally."

"Which is why we're going to take care of her." Cera quickly said. "We won't ask anything of her until she feels she can trust us."

"Maybe I can help with that." Nunnally raised her hand. "If she's around my age, maybe I can talk to her, at least help her to feel more comfortable here."

"Alright, just be careful." Lelouch told his sister. "We don't know if…" Suddenly the alarm sounded throughout the bridge of the Ark, alerting everyone present. "What?!"

"T-AI! What is happening?!" Optimus questioned as the ship's AI appeared in the air in front of them.

"Proximity alarm! Enemy vessel inbound!" T-AI reported as the central screen turned on to reveal something that caused nearly everyone to gasp, while the Autobots narrowed their eyes. It was the Nemesis, and it appeared to be hovering directly over the Pacific Ocean, just above their current location.

"They've found us!" Lelouch scowled.

"Oh no…!" Nunnally gasped.

It was true, the Decepticon warship known as the Nemesis hovered over the ocean's surface as the leader of the Decepticons himself stood at the bridge of his vessel, with Soundwave by his side. On the main screen in front of them, it illustrated the three-dimensional image of the Ark directly under them.

"How ironic fate can be." Megatron noted. "The very same vessel that led them from Cybertron to Earth, will now be their tomb. Charge up the main cannon!" He ordered.

Just like the destruction of Pendragon, a hatch opened up from the bottom haul of the Nemesis, revealing the massive energy cannon that already begun to surge with powerful and destructive energy. Once it was all charged up, the cannon fired, sending a red beam that shot directly into the ocean and straight toward the seemingly derelict ship that laid on the ocean floor.

However, just before the beam made contact, a small compartment on the top of the Ark had already opened up to project a large blue beam that quickly formed a massive energy barrier that encompassed the entire Ark just as the blast struck. The shield had taken the impact, and the Ark sustained no damage.

"Lord Megatron, no damage reported!" One of the working Vehicons at the console reported. "The Ark is shielded!"

Meanwhile, inside the Ark's central laboratory Lloyd chuckled as he and the rest of the Research and Development branch oversaw the recently recovered Shield Generator relic hooked up by a series of cables and cords.

"What is it kids say these days? 'Karma's a bitch', right?" Lloyd said casually.

"I didn't peg you as one to believe in karma." Ratchet pointed out.

"No, but he's just happy he gets to work with the advanced Decepticon weapons we've recovered." Cecile commented.

"Bingo, maybe next time they'll think twice before not giving me full access to their toys." Lloyd commented.

"Oh, I'm sure we'll get more toys to play with once we find more of those Iacon relics." Rakshata said. "But we still have to get out of here first."

Megatron snarled as he saw from the main screen that the Ark was indeed protected by some form of barrier. "No matter, we'll tear that vessel apart ourselves if we have to. Deploy all forces! Be ready to launch a full-scale assault!"

"All Autobots and Black Knights, report for battle immediately!" Optimus' voice echoed through the Ark's speaker system as every single Autobot, and Black Knight got ready to mobilize. On the bridge, Suzaku, Orpheus, and Cera had entered Elita One's vehicle mode as she and Ultra Magnus transformed and made their way to the Groundbridge bay as Optimus began to relay instructions to the mobilizing units.

"Aerialbots, you and Wizard will lead an assault on the Nemesis directly!" Optimus ordered. "The Elite Guard will lead the main defensive line around the Ark. Wreckers will guard the engines at the rear, we cannot lose those! The Black Dragon unit will guard the shield's projection point at the ship's deck outside. Zero Squad will join me in an attempt to attack Megatron himself on the Nemesis."

"Rai, I want you with the Aerialbots' assault." Lelouch contacted his half-brother. "Your job is to neutralize the Nemesis' main cannon."

"Rodger that." Rai responded before singing off.

"Research team, how long till you can get the Ark airborne?" Lelouch contacted them as well.

"It may take some time." Perceptor replied. "We've ran the numbers and all scenarios, but using the volcanic vents underneath the ship to jumpstart the engines…"

"I know, but you yourself said it may be our only option." Lelouch insisted. "Do everything you can, we need the Ark launched as soon as possible!"

"We'll do what we can." Perceptor signed off.

"T-AI, ready the Omniglobe." Lelouch told the Artificial Intelligence, much to the surprise of Nunnally, Optimus, and even the recently arrived Euphemia.

"But Big Brother…." Nunnally tried to protest. "This is the first time you're using it!"

"We've tested it many times these last six months." Lelouch told his sister. "We know it'll work."

"The Omniglobe itself will work properly, there is no question." Optimus said. "But are you ready for this?"

"I'm a commander, remember?" Lelouch replied. "Despite Tohdoh and Ironhide's training, we need every advantage we can get right now. Over two million innocent civilians are on the Ark and we need to transport them to Horai Island as soon as possible. Kaguya, Diethard, and the rest of Kyoto are already there."

"I realize that, but after what happened recently…" Optimus tried to speak to him. "With Megatron's reveal of his… Dark Queen…" Lelouch grimace at the mention of that. "This will be the first time utilizing the Omniglobe in a real-life battle. Do you really believe this to be the best course of action?"

"I get what you're trying to say, Optimus." Lelouch really did understand. "But… this might be our only chance. I don't know if I'm ready to face Megatron again after…" He gave a small sigh, unable to finish what he was about to say, causing Optimus, Nunnally, and Euphie to look in sympathy. "…But I'm still a commander, I've led like this before. I can do it."

Though Optimus was still more than a little concerned, he knew what Lelouch was capable of and this indeed was likely the best option they had. "Very well. T-AI, ready the Omniglobe."

"On it." T-AI nodded as a small compartment opened up from the ceiling and a large and metallic sphere, by human standards anyway, began to descend via a pole, toward the main catwalk right where Lelouch was standing. Once it was right in front of him, a single door opened up, big enough for a human of his size to enter.

"Big Brother…" Nunnally looked toward him with a scared look in her eyes. It was fear both for the battle to come, as well as her brother.

Lelouch gave the best assuring smile he could as he placed both his hands on her shoulders. "It's going to be okay, Nunnally. We're going to make it through this."

"Okay…" Nunnally tried to smile herself, but the anxiety had yet to abate.

"Lelouch, is there anything you need me to do?" Euphemia asked.

"Just stay with Nunnally right now." Lelouch told her. "I'm sorry, but I can't see how you can help for a battle like this."

"I understand." Euphie nodded with reluctance as she stepped closer to Nunnally. Lelouch was about to walk inside the sphere when he gave one final glance toward Optimus, who nodded with assurance before transforming and driving from the ship's bridge, allowing Lelouch to enter the sphere, the door closing behind him and leaving him in utter darkness.

That darkness lasted only a few seconds before the sphere itself lit up with a bright blue light coming from the screens that encompassed the entire sphere. These screens showed everything that was going on around the Ark at this very moment, from the various spots on the Ark itself, to the Nemesis that continued to hover above them. There was also a single chair at the very center of the sphere, in which the young revolutionary sat in immediately as he took this all in.

'The Omniglobe was made for the user to see everything outside this ship, for some to coordinate such a large-scale battle should it ever arise. We had intended for one to be built for Optimus, but he insisted it be built for me. Despite my training, he knew my best strengths were as a commander and this was the best way to go about it.' A small smile fell on his face. 'It's almost as if he sees me as a true equal.'

"Zero, everyone is ready and ready to be deployed on your mark." Optimus made contact with him, causing Lelouch's smile to fade as he got serious.

"All units, launch immediately!"

"Lord Megatron! Multiple enemy units have been spotted! They appear to be in an attack formation!" A Vehicon reported as Megatron watched on the screen to see a large Groundbridge portal open up as a small group of Autobots led a larger group of a few dozen airborne Black Knight Knightmares and were gunning straight for the Ark

Megatron then accessed communications. "Starscream, the enemy is attacking the vessel. Why don't you and your Seeker armada give them a proper greeting?"

"As you command, Lord Megatron."

Just outside the Nemesis; the jet-modes of Silverbolt, Jetfire, Air Raid, and Windblade, alongside the Raiden and Agravain, piloted by Rai and Wizard respectively, the former blue Knightmare in its own jet-mode, led the assault of Akatsuki Knightmares straight toward the Nemesis. However, just before they could begin their attack, a large cluster of Seeker Vehicons in their own jet modes, being led by a familiar quartet of Seekers in their own jet-modes as well, appeared from around the Nemesis and flew forward to meet the heroes head on.

"Seekers incoming! They outnumber us three to one!" Jetfire reported.

"Then it's an even fight." Rai stated with a battle-hardened expression.

"All units open fire!" Silverbolt ordered as the Aerialbots and their Black Knight allies opened fire on the incoming Seeker armada.

"Unleash hell, my armada!" Starscream ordered as he, Thundercracker, Skywarp, and Slipstream led the Seekers. It didn't take long for the sky to be lit up with explosions as the two opposing forces engaged each other.

"Rai, you know your job! Take down that weapon!" Wizard ordered as the Agravain fired its Hadron cannons into a trio of Seeker Vehicons to obliterate them.

"I'm on it!" Rai replied as he shot the Raiden's jet-mode farther toward the Nemesis, doing what he can to avoid the laser fire or collisions of all the Seeker Vehicons around him. It didn't take long for him to reach the Nemesis' underbelly, where he already saw the main cannon ready to charge again.

"Oh no you don't!" The Raiden transformed as it brandished its Surger Claw to blast a fully charged and condensed bolt of electricity at the cannon. Suddenly, the entire weapon was set ablaze as multiple explosions erupted from inside and even traveled a bit into the Nemesis.

The bridge shook slightly. "What happened?!" Megatron questioned.

"Sir, the main weapon is offline! It was a Black Knight!" One Vehicon reported.

"Lord Megatron, Autobots and Black Knights on the upper deck! They're being led by Prime!" Another Vehicon said in alert.

Immediately, Soundwave showed his master footage of Optimus and a select group of Autobots and Black Knights on the outer deck of the ship, engaging any Decepticon soldiers and effectively wiping the floor with them.

"Deploy our forces as assigned, cripple the Ark!" Megatron ordered. "Contact Shockwave and have the Dark Knights ready to meet Prime's little team. I'll deal with him personally."

"Yes sir." A Vehicon nodded as he attempted to contact the Decepticon main scientist.

Megatron turned to Soundwave. "You know what to do." Soundwave nodded in confirmation before Megatron left the bridge.

On the deck of the Nemesis, Optimus led the group consisting of Bumblebee, Arcee, Elita One, and Sideswipe, along with Kallen, Suzaku, Orpheus, and Cera in their respective Guren, Lancelot, Byakuen, and Akatsuki, making short work of the Vehicon soldiers that attempted to stop them.

"Zero Squad, push forward!" Optimus told them.

"Optimus, we have incoming!" Suzaku reported as a Groundbridge portal opened up in front of them. Immediately, they were put on guard the second Shockwave himself stepped out, with the Dark Knights consisting of Gino, Anya, Castor, Pollux, Jeremiah, and even the Dark Queen right behind him in their respective Knightmares.

"A full-scale assault on a force that has you outnumbered and outgunned? How illogical." Shockwave comment.

"Take your logic and blow it out your ass, you damn cyclops!" Kallen exclaimed.

"And that is why I relish these battles." They heard Megatron speak as he appeared directly above his subordinates, standing just above the main entrance of the Nemesis to literally look down upon his enemies. "Despite the odds, you throw yourselves in head-on with little-to-no hesitation. It's admirable, if not foolish. Tell me, Optimus, where is your little protégé? Did my Dark Queen scar him so that he was unable to step onto the battlefield for once?"

That really earned a glare from Bumblebee, Elita, Suzaku, and Kallen, the redhead practically gnashing her teeth as she aimed her Surger claw directly at the Decepticon leader, even as Optimus stepped up.

"This battle is between you and me, Megatron." Optimus said as he drew his axe.

"Indeed, and I will be sure to deliver your head to Lelouch once I've extinguished your spark." Megatron reached behind him to pull out his Energon mace that he wielded during the War for Cybertron.

Immediately, the Zero Squad opened fire on Shockwave and the Dark Knights, who returned fire themselves as Megatron leapt from his perch to clash his mace against Optimus' axe.

Meanwhile; underwater, standing outside the starboard side of the Ark itself stood a small army of Autobots and Black Knights being personally led by Ultra Magnus, alongside fellow Autobots Jazz, Smokescreen, Prowl and Strongarm. Right by Magnus' side was Ohgi in his Gawain Nerion, Cornelia in her custom Vincent, along with Chigusa in her own Knightmare, Monica in her Florence Nero, and even Guilford in a standard Akatsuki.

"Gilbert… you don't have to be out here. You haven't fully recovered yet, you can still…" Cornelia tried to speak to him.

"I'm healthy enough to stand, so I'm healthy enough to fight." Guilford insisted. "There are over two million inside the Ark, I'm not going to stand by and watch them die!"

Cornelia felt both concerned and touched by his conviction to stand and fight. He was always stubborn with this sort of thing, not that she didn't like this sort of side to him. "Alright, just stay close to me."

"Hey lovebirds, get a room later!" Smokescreen told them. "We got company!"

Standing on a small rock was a single Decepticon, under the alias of Steeljaw. Right beside him, a certain robotic shark hovered next to him.

"Well, they look ready for war." Sky-Byte commented. "I always do admire warriors like these, taking a final stand for what they believe in. It's truly commendable."

"And I'm going to personally enjoying its inevitable fall." Steeljaw sneered as he gave a wolf-like howl, that was somehow able to echo even underwater. This howl seemed like a battle cry as right behind the pair was a massive army of Decepticons that was almost four times the size of the defense force of Autobots and Black Knights they were fighting against appeared. There were all types of Vehicons from the standard ones to even the heavily armored tank variety; but more concerningly, was the Insecticon horde that was mixed into the ranks. There were also individual Decepticons such as Airachnid, Thunderhoof, Fracture, Underbite, and even the Insecticon commanding trio of Saberhorn, Glowstrike, and Scorponok.

"ATTACK!" Steeljaw commanded as the Decepticon army charged.

"This is where we make our stand!" Ohgi shouted to all his Autobot and human comrades in arms, his Gawain Nerion transforming into its tank-mode. "Not a single Con is to get past us! Not a single one!"

"OPEN FIRE!" Ultra Magnus commanded as his forces unloaded with all the Energon blasters, bullets, or long-rang weapons they had available, cutting down the front most soldiers in the advancing army, but it didn't stop them as the opposing forces clashed.

As the muffled explosions rang across the ocean; a single Groundbridge portal opened up by the seemingly inoperable engines of the Ark, stepping out of the Groundbridge was the Decepticon team known as Squadron X.

"Fools." Lugnut scoffed. "While they battle, they leave their most critical weak spot undefended! Destroy the engines, and the Ark is crippled!"

"Then it is time for their revolution to come to an end." Blitzwing commented in his logical persona before switching to his maniacal one. "Yeah, time for it to go out in a blaze of glory! Ha, ha, ha!"

"Less talk, more demolition!" Barricade ordered. "We can't afford to mess around…" However, right as he stepped forward, he happened to step on something that suddenly exploded and sent him flying backwards. Before the rest of Squadron X could react, multiple explosions erupted from the ground around them as each of them was blasted back and even slightly damaged.

"What the scrap was that?!" Blackout questioned.

"That would be the mines we set up around this area." They looked up to see not only the Galeschin Conquista with the smirking Nonette inside, but also a small group of Wrecker-Akatsukis led by Tamaki that hovered in the water alongside her.

"Yeah, these are big ass engines right here." Tamaki commented. "You idiots didn't think we'd leave them unguarded, did you?"

"That's what you get for underestimating the Wreckers." Bulkhead commented as he, Ironhide, Wheeljack, Grindcore, Chromia, Hot Shot, and Warpath stood on the engines themselves.

"Time to go boom, ya damn wannabes." Wheeljack smirked as he and his comrades opened fire on the scattered Decepticons.

At the same time, another Groundbridge portal opened just above the Ark itself as Knock Out was the first to fall out, with the Combaticons right behind him as they landed on the roof near the projector that was generating the shield to protect the Ark from another bombardment.

"Can we please get this over with?" Knock Out complained. "The sodium-based water on this planet is gonna wreak havoc on my complexion."

"Can't take the heat doc, then get out of the battlefield." Brawl told him.

"If you want, I could provide you with some protection from the chemicals in this liquid." Swindle offered. "For a price…"

"You're the last bot I'd buy anything from." Knock Out said with lowered eyelids.

"That's enough!" Onslaught shut the group up. "Let's take down this shield before…"

"Before what?" They heard Tohdoh's voice as they saw the black Zangetsu Knightmare hovering above them, alongside the commanding model Akatsukis piloted by the rest of the Holy Swords, the Gekka Shiden being piloted by Zi Dien, and even Drift who had already drawn his dual swords.

However, rather than be intimidated, Onslaught chuckled in amusement. "Don't think this will be like last time. This time, we're ready. Combaticons, combine into Bruticus!"

Swindle and Brawl both transformed into a series of leg-like appendages as Onslaught leapt to merge with them and form the torso, with Vortex leaping up to form the left arm, and Blast Off to do the same for the right arm just as the head of the Decepticon Combiner named Bruticus appeared.

"Oh scrap…!" Urabe muttered in annoyance.

"Now, who's ready to be crushed?" Bruticus cracked his knuckles with anticipation.

Back on board the Nemesis, Soundwave was able to keep track of all the ensuing battles that were taking place both underwater around the Ark, and in the air around the Nemesis. Nearly every unit in the enemy forces was engaging their larger army, and while the Autobots and Black Knights were more than putting up a decent fight, it's only a matter of time before they were overwhelmed.

However, this operation wasn't just to simply overwhelm the enemy as Soundwave turned around to address the team of assembled Mini-Cons consisting of Ravage, Frenzy, Rumble, Air Razor, Divebomb, Headlock, and even the hovering Laserbeak.

"Don't worry boss, those little Meatbags aren't gonna know what hit em." Frenzy smirked.

Soundwave nodded as he activated a Groundbridge portal that would lead to one of the smaller openings that Bruticus had undoubtedly made in his ongoing fight, which would allow the Mini-Cons to slip in once they entered the portal.

Meanwhile, maintain a relatively safe distance from the battle, the Britannian airship known as the Avalon hovered over the ocean as well as the former Britannian prince, turned Decepticon ambassador, sat in his chair as he and his right-hand continued to observe the battle.

"I suppose it couldn't be helped." Schneizel commented calmly. "Facing a force that has virtually every advantage is doomed to failure."

"Schneizel, are you sure we should not be actively participating in this?" Kaon asked. "I'm certain your strategic brilliance can more than guarantee victory."

"I did offer my services to Megatron, but he declined." Schneizel replied. "However, he did allow me to pitch this plan to him. If Lelouch truly is alive, I imagine that coordinating all these battles, defending his fortress and its most critical weak spots, must be more than difficult for even him."

"Of course, he's not going to go out without a fight." Kaon commented.

"Oh, I don't doubt that." Schneizel said. "He was every bit as stubborn as our late father. And that is why he is going to lose."

Meanwhile, deep underground beneath the Ark, laid a bed of molten magma that seemed inactive and undisturbed at the moment. That is until Perceptor placed a large rod-like device into the magma, one of several dozen he placed at certain locations around the bed before arming it and accessing his comns.

"The devices are all set up." Perceptor contacted the rest of the Research Division. "Theoretically, this will trigger a powerful eruption that should ignite the Synthetic Energon line we've set up down here and jump start the Ark's engines, enabling us to escape while also obliterating most of the Decepticon forces."

"Provided we don't get caught in the eruption ourselves." Ratchet replied.

"We've run this through the simulations, it should work." Nina said.

"But we haven't actually tested it." Cecile pointed out.

"We're out of time." Perceptor said. "We don't have a choice. Send me a Groundbridge."

"So, we either soar to Heaven or fall to Hell, quite literally for both." Lloyd said as a Groundbridge portal opened up for Perceptor, enabling him to return to the Ark. "Either way, this going to end with a literal bang."

Back in the air, despite being outnumbered, the forces led by the Aerialbots and Wizard appeared to be fighting on even terms with the Seeker armada, no doubt thanks to the orders and instructions provided by Zero.

"Jetfire, you and Delta Squad fire thirty degrees upward and sixty degrees east!" Zero instructed, allowing the hovering Jetfire and a squad of airborne Akatsukis to open fire and obliterate a squad of incoming Seeker Vehicons.

"Silverbolt, Air Raid, continue your bombardment on the Nemesis lower haul by fifty point six degrees." Zero told them as the pair of Aerialbots in their jet-modes, alongside a group of Akatsuki Knightmares, flew alongside that area of the Nemesis to bombard it with Energon blasts and bombs and obliterate a group of turrets that would have otherwise made short work of the heroes' aerial forces.

"Windblade, incoming Seekers from behind!" Zero warned the female Aerialbot as she transformed and drew her swords to block and parry the Energon blasts from a group of Seekers led by Slipstream. Windblade's parries reflected the blasts toward several of the Seekers, all but Slipstream herself, as they derailed and fell to crash into the ocean below.

"Wizard, take Alpha Squad and blast your way forward! That should obliterate most of the armada!" Zero told the masked pilot of the Agravain as he and his squad of Knightmares concentrated all their firepower on a large cluster of Seekers led by Skywarp.

"YOU DAMN MEATBAGS!" Skywarp screamed as he was blasted by the Agravain's Hadron cannons, killing him and most of his fellow Seekers in the concentrated attack.

"We've already lost more than half our armada!" Thundercracker reported to Starscream as the later maintained a safe distance to observe the battle. "They're more highly coordinated than we thought!"

Starscream scowled. "That wretched Zero! How dare he continue to resist his destruction!?"

Back underwater at the front lines, Ultra Magnus continued to lead the main defensive line as they had formed a near impenetrable line that kept the enemy from advancing too close as they appeared to be taking cover behind a series of rocks and tried to return fire themselves. However, Zero's instructions appeared to be working as most of the Decepticons were kept at bay.

"Ohgi, Jazz, Strongarm, you and C-Group concentrate your firepower toward five o'clock! Incoming Insecticons!" Zero warned.

"You heard the man, open fire!" Ohgi ordered as his Gawain Nerion was still in its tank-mode as he, Jazz and Strongarm, alongside the group of Akatsukis opened fire on a group of Insecticons flying toward them. Fortunately, the firepower had intercepted and obliterated the monstrous Decepticons before they had a chance to break the encirclement.

"So, this is how Zero plays it, hmm?" Steeljaw noted as he observed how organized and efficient the Autobots and Black Knights' defensive line was. "Impressive, but how about something he can't see?" He wondered aloud with a sneer.

"Cornelia, don't advance any further!" Zero instructed her. "We can't break this line!"

"I understand, but we…" However, the ground underneath Cornelia's Vincent suddenly collapsed as Airachnid shot up from the ground and used her spider-legs to pierce the Vincent's shoulders and pin it down.

"Cornelia!" Guilford turned his Akatsuki around and tried to assist her, only to get pelted in the back by Energon blasts from the advancing Decepticons.

"Hello little Cornelia, did you miss me?" Airachnid taunted as she appeared to have the former Britannian princess immobilized, while Cornelia herself glared through her screen. "Or better yet, do you miss your mother? It's a shame what happened to her, perhaps I can arrange to have you reunited with her, and sweet little Euphie is next?"

"I don't think so." Cornelia scowled as she pressed a button that launched a set of slash harkens from her Vincent's sides to knock Airachnid off her, and allow Cornelia the chance to open fire, forcing Airachnid to leap back. "Wretched monster, I'm going to enjoy putting you in the ground!"

"Stand your ground!" Ultra Magnus told his soldiers. "Don't allow them to breach…!"

"Magnus, incoming!" Zero warned just as Sky-Byte in his shark form shot at Magnus like a torpedo, but the Autobot Commander had been warned just in time as he drew his Energon hammer to try and smash the incoming Sky-Byte, only to have the Sharkticon veer around him and bite his side to tackle him to the ground and transform to pin his feet against his chest.

"Not bad. But you're in my element now, Autobot." Sky-Byte stated as he attempted to bring his fist down onto Magnus, only for him to catch it and kick Sky-Byte off, forcing him back to where he transformed again to face the recovering Autobot commander.

"I've faced Sharkticons before, so I wouldn't say I'm completely out of my element." Magnus said as he aimed his Energon blaster and fired at Sky-Byte, who proved fast and quick enough to avoid the shots.

"Underbite, charge!" Steeljaw instructed as he rode atop the giant Decepticon to lead the advancing Decepticons now that they saw an opening in their line-up.

"Monica, you and the front line concentrate your fire on that beast! They can't break the line!" Zero told the former Knight of Twelve.

"Understood. All nearby units, rally to me, fire immediately!" Monica stated as multiple Akatsukis, along with Smokescreen, fired their long-range weapons at Underbite, which seemed to slow his advance, but it also allowed Steeljaw a chance to leap from Underbite in an attempt to attack Monica, only for Smokescreen to leap up and tackle the Decepticon, sending them both tumbling across the ground to engage in fisticuffs.

Even as Underbite was shot back and forced to cover, it also allowed the Decepticon army to push forward as Scorponok, Glowstrike, Saberhorn, Thunderhoof, and Fracture led the charge with Ohgi, Prowl, Jazz, Strongarm, Monica, Guilford, and Chigusa trying to intercept the Decepticons and maintain their line up and prevent any further advancements from the enemy.

Bruticus slammed his fist down on the Ark's surface, creating a shockwave that rang through the ocean and sent the six Knightmares of the Black Dragon unit tumbling through the water before recovering.

"Tohdoh, you have to keep moving!" Zero told the leader of the unit. "Don't let Bruticus get a chance to hit you! Try to distract him and then attack him from behind"

"Understood." Tohdoh acknowledged before contacting his comrades. "Asahina, Urabe, Zi Dien, divert his attention! Go for a frontal assault!"

"Yes sir!" Asahina said as the two commander-model Akatsukis and Gekka Shiden shot toward Bruticus.

"Hey! Tall, dark, and ugly!" Urabe shouted to the Combiner. "That all you got?! I thought you were supposed to be strong!"

"Oh, you're asking for it!" Bruticus scowled as he tried to slice at them with his rotating propeller-blade, but they were able to move quickly and avoid the fatal strike. "Stand still you damn insects!" Urabe tried to fire his Akatsuki's wrist-mounted gun directly at Bruticus' face while Asahina and Zi Dien tried to come at him from the sides with their Knightmares' respective blades, but Bruticus shot his left arm forward to unleash a devastating flame thrower, which the three Knightmares were just barley able to avoid as they flew backwards.

"He has a flamethrower?!" Zi Dien exclaimed. "How the hell can flamethrower work underwater?!"

As Bruticus seemed to be distracted, Tohdoh's Zangetsu alongside the Akatsukis piloted by Chiba and Senba appeared to move in from behind. "You two strike at his legs, I'll go for the head!" Tohdoh instructed.

"Got it." Chiba said as she and Senba dove their Knightmares toward the distracted Bruticus, who only turned his head just in time to see them attack. Both Akatsukis drew their swords to strike at the back of his knees, causing him to tumble and fall toward the ground on his knees, where Tohdoh shot his Zangetsu forward, firing all his slash harkens while slicing his katana straight at Bruticus' face to knock him flat on his back.

"Move in now! Don't give him a chance to recover!" Tohdoh exclaimed as all six Knightmares tried to come in for a conjoined attack.

"I'm not done yet!" Bruticus unleashed his shockwave attack to propel himself high above the group of stunned Black Knights. The massive Combiner recovered and came back down with his fists raised high in an attempt to crush them.

"Fall back, now!" Tohdoh ordered as the six Knightmares flew away just in time to avoid the crushing blow that appeared to rock the entire roof of the Ark.

Knock Out almost lost his footing as he was forced to grab onto a duct in order to avoid being blown away by the shockwave before scoffing in annoyance.

"Makes Breakdown look like Tinkerbelle." Knock Out muttered. "Is he trying to blow me away!?" He then turned around to spot his target. "Ah, there you are my little shield generator. Oh, the uses I can find for you."

However, before Knock Out could advance farther, he was knocked back by a flying double kick from the incoming Drift. Knock Out had skidded back before crashing into a duct to see the Autobot samurai standing guard in front of the shield's projector.

"Drift, we cannot lose that shield!" Zero told him. "Tohdoh and the others will hold off Bruticus, but you need to keep that shield safe! Even with the Nemesis' main weapon disabled, it's the only thing keeping the Ark from being obliterated!"

"I understand." Drift acknowledged before facing the recovering Knock Out. "You shall not pass." He drew both his swords.

Knock Out groaned in further annoyance as he drew his buzz saw. "Fighting alone is a pain in the rear, but under all this salt water? If my finish is permanently damage, I'll take it out on you!" He charged toward Drift to clash his buzzsaw against the dual blades of the Autobot.

Explosions continued to erupt around the ocean floor surrounding the engines of the Ark as the Wreckers continued to fire on Squadron X, not even giving them a chance to retaliate and return fire.

"Chromia, Tamaki, you and the Akatsuki units concentrate your fire on the mines! Separate the Decepticons." Zero told them. "Everyone else, fan out and use your environment to your advantage."

"You got it." Chromia loaded her sniper rifle as she regrouped with Tamaki and the other Wrecker Akatsukis on top of the engines. "Lock onto the mines and open fire!"

"With pleasure." Tamaki smirked as he and his unit unleashed a salvo of missiles on locked targets, while Chromia shot the mine at the center, causing a series of explosions that sent the various members of Squadron X scattered in multiple directions; Barricade and Black Out in one direction, Lugnut and Blitzwing in another, Demolishor and Overload in a separate one, and Groundpounder and Quake in the other.

As Lugnut and Blitzwing recovered, the former scowled in his hotheaded persona as he saw the smokescreen in front of him. "Cowards! Come out and face your inevitable fate!"

"Why don't you come in and make us, Blitzbrain?!" Wheeljack taunted from inside the smoke.

"I will crush you, circuit by circuit!" The hotheaded Blitzwing exclaimed as he leapt into the smoke.

"Blitzwing, wait!" Lugnut dove in after him, but it was too late. Blitzwing was cut off him his teammates and all alone in the smokescreen.

"You cannot hide forever!"

"Who's hiding?" Wheeljack suddenly appeared to deck Blitzwing across the face and send him tumbling to the ground. He tried to return fire with his shoulder cannons, only to see Wheeljack had vanished.

"Coward! Come out and die like a Bot!" The still-hothead Blitzwing shouted as he got back up.

"What you know about that?" Wheeljack suddenly leapt over him to slice his swords and cut off Blitzwing's cannons, much to his shock before spinning a kick to knock him down.

Lugnut meanwhile tried to find his partner, only to be caught off guard by the sudden appearance of Bulkhead, who slammed his mace into his face and send him tumbling back.

"Come on, big guy! I'm right here! Why not use that fancy axe of yours?" Bulkhead challenged.

"Foolish Autobot! How dare you challenge a servant of the mighty Megatron!" Lugnut drew his axe and leapt toward Bulkhead to swing down on him, just as Bulkhead had anticipated as he leapt up right as Lugnut brought down his axe onto the mine that Bulkhead had been standing over, creating an explosion that sent Lugnut hurtling back.

"Those idiots." Barricade scowled as he and Blackout recovered. "Where are they?"

"Right here, pal!" Hot Shot suddenly drove up in his vehicle mode to transform and land a powerful punch across his face to knock him down. Black Out was about to assist him only for Ironhide to drive up in his vehicle form as well and tackle the larger Decepticon to the ground.

"Ugh, that was quite the plot twist." Overload commented as he and Demolishor recovered as well.

"Oh, you thought that was surprising?" They heard Nonette's voice as the Galeschin Conquista appeared over them. "The real show is just getting started."

"Finally, someone who appreciates the art of theater." Overload noted.

"Two against one? You've got real brass, human." Demolishor complemented. "But don't think you're biting more than you can chew?"

Nonette only smirked as her Galeschin drew an MVS blade in one hand and its VARIS rifle in the other. "Oh, I've swallowed much worse odds."

Demolishor looked more than a little impressed. "I like this one." He commented before opening fire with his Energon blasters.

Quake and Groundpounder both seemed to recover quickly enough as well, but they didn't have enough time to plan a counterattack as an explosion erupted in between the pair, curtesy of Warpath in his tank-form.

"Come on guys, don't fall apart on me yet. The party's just getting started! Kablam!" Warpath shouted as he fired a powerful Energon blast directly at the recovering Quake, one that was strong enough to send him crashing into a series of rock formations. Groundpounder was about to come in and attack Warpath, but he heard a familiar yell as he turned around to see the charging Grindcore come in and smash his fist against his face.

"Ready for round two, big boy?!" Grindcore challenged as he slammed his fists together.

"Bring it, Autobot!" Groundpounder accepted as the two large Cybertronians clashed.

Meanwhile, Lelouch continued to sit in the Omniglobe as he gave more and more commands, witnessing virtually every battle taking place around him, all save for the one Optimus led against Megatron alongside the Zero Squad, but this was Optimus. Lelouch was more than certain the Prime he considered a father-figure could handle himself.

'The Omniglobe is amazing.' Lelouch thought to himself. 'With this, I can command multiple battles at once, it's like I'm playing several games of chess at the same time. However, it's also a double-edged sword. I've trained but directing this many battles simultaneously is not easy. I can feel the strain on my mind with each passing moment.' He wiped the sweat from his forehead. 'Only the thought of protecting all the people on-board keeps me focused. Two million people, not counting all the soldiers and Autobots outside. Every single one of them put their faith and trust in me.' He steeled himself and continued to press forward. 'I won't let them down!'

However, the young revolutionary noticed something on one of the many screens around him. It was the team of Decepticon Mini-Cons Soundwave had earlier dispatched. 'Intruders. Soundwave must have used this assault as a distraction to slip in a team of saboteurs. That sounds like something Soundwave would do. Unfortunately for him…' A smirk fell on Lelouch's face. 'I even planned for this.'

The Mini-Con sabotage team consisting of Frenzy, Rumble, Ravage, Laserbeak, Headlock, Divebomb, and Air Razor, made their way through one of the many hallways of the ark.

"According to Soundwave's previous scan of the Ark, one of the engine's turbines is located down this hallway." Frenzy said.

"Then what are we waiting for?" Rumble said as he pumped his pile-drivers. "Time to tear this ship apart!"

"I don't think so!" The seven Mini-Cons came to a stop as they found a small team consisting of Jetstorm, Safeguard, Undertone, and even Sayoko, standing in their way. "We shall not allow you to pass!" The ninja-maid glared.

Though surprised at first, most of the Decepticon Mini-Cons, excluding Ravage and Laserbeak, laughed. "Oh, look at this, boys!" Headlock chuckled. "Three little Mini-Cons and even a meatbag are gonna stop us."

"How cute." Air Razor mocked.

"You better get lost, human. Unless you wanna be Ravage's next meal." Divebomb commented as the aforementioned robotic panther snarled.

Jetstorm merely smirked. "Oh, you don't believe it is just us, do you?"

Suddenly, a set of turrets appeared along the ceiling as they aimed directly at the group of surprised Decepticon Mini-Cons.

"You would be wise not to underestimate humans." Safeguard added.

"We're far stronger than you give us credit for." The enemy looked in even further surprise to see an Akatsuki Knightmare roll up behind them, being piloted by none other than Misty Ix.

Meanwhile, this very scene was witnessed in a smaller control room by Shirley, Rivalz, and Milly, all three were at the controls of the turrets.

"Ah yeah. Finally, we get part of the action!" Rivalz commented with a grin.

"Just be careful not to shoot our friends, Rivalz." Milly told him. "It's not like a video game."

"That's why I'm here." T-AI materialized behind them. "I'll help coordinate where to shoot, but you should still be careful."

"Got it." Shirley nodded. "We're Black Knights too. Time to prove it." She was the first to pull the trigger and fire the turrets at the enemy.

Meanwhile, Nunnally and Euphie both sat alone on the catwalk, just outside of Lelouch's Omniglobe where their brother continued to work. Euphie looked toward her younger half-sister with concern as she had a data-pad in her hand, shifting through the various fights occurring around the Ark.

"Hey." Euphie tried to offer some comfort to her sister. "It's going to be okay, Nunnally. Lelouch and Optimus both have a plan, we're going to make it out of this."

"I know." Nunnally replied. "I trust them, and I know we can pull this off. It's just… I wish I could do more." Euphie looked with sympathy as Nunnally continued. "I understand I'm still technically in recovery…" She gestured to her leg-braces. "And I'm not a soldier or anything, but everyone here is risking their lives, doing something to contribute but… I'm not. I understand why but… it's just so frustrating!" She tried to fight back her tears.

Euphie reached her arm around Nunnally's shoulder and pulled her into a comforting embrace. "I know. Trust me, I know. When I was sub-viceroy, I couldn't do much of anything. Cornelia and Schneizel handled all the real work, honestly, I was nothing more than figurehead, a pretty face to show to the masses. I knew what Britannia was doing was wrong, and I wanted so much to change it. But… when I actually tried to…. Tried to help I… I…" Euphie was already breaking down. "So many people died…. Because of me…!"

"Euphie, no!" Now it was Nunnally's turn to comfort her elder half-sister. "What happened at the Special Zone wasn't your fault! It was Megatron! He was the one who…"

"I know but… he still used my face…" The sobbing Euphie pressed her hands against her face as she continued to cry. "… that was my face… that killed so many. I… I just wanted to help them… I…" She couldn't even finish as she cried, prompting Nunnally to embrace her and provide all the comfort she could.

"It's okay Euphie… it's okay…" Nunnally comforted her sobbing sister who buried her face into her shoulder. "We're going to make it through this. We'll make sure that those who died…. That it wasn't for nothing. We are going to stop Megatron, and we will make this world a better place. I know we will."

Even though she was still crying, Euphie couldn't help but smile. "Thank you, Nunnally." However, as they pulled away, the elder sister happened to glance at the datapad Nunnally had set down as it showed the ongoing battle just outside the Nemesis, where she spotted something familiar.

Nunnally looked with concern as Euphie took the datapad and tried to zoom in on what she thought she saw. "Euphie…?"

"I knew it." Euphemia muttered as the datapad showed a familiar Britannian aircraft. "The Avalon…! That's Schnizel's ship!"

"Are you sure?!" Nunnally asked with urgency.

"I'm positive." Euphie stated as she stood up. "T-AI! Can you hear me!?"

T-AI materialized herself in front of the pair of sisters. "I can hear you. Look, I'm sorry, but you need to be quick about this. I have to help Shirley and the others."

"I know, but it won't take long." Euphie said. "Is there a way for you to make contact with this ship?" She asked, showing the image of the Avalon on the datapad.

Meanwhile, on the deck of the Nemesis, Optimus clashed his axe against Megatron's mace for the hundredth time. As old enemies engaged each other once more, the rest of the Zero Squad continued to engage the Dark Knights in epic battles of their own.

The Lancelot Albion soared in the air as the Dark Siegfried, transformed into its flying sphere mode, shot after it. Suzaku activated his energy-wing system as he also aimed his dual VARIS rifles to fire all his weapons at the incoming Dark Siegfried. However, it came to a stop as the cybernetic Jeremiah brought up a powerful blaze luminous shield to block the advance. But this was as Suzaku had intended as right as he fired, he transformed the Lancelot into its Cybertronian jet-mode to fly around and behind the Dark Siegfried where it was unshielded, transformed into its robot mode and scored a direct hit into its back, causing it to fly out of control before transforming to land on one of the Nemesis' wings to engage the Lancelot as it flew in to meet the larger robot head on.

Elita-One leapt back as she opened fire at the charging Dark Queen, who quickly brought out its sword down toward the female Autobot, who rolled underneath the legs of the larger machine before sliding on her back to open fire at the Dark Queen's back with her Energon blasters. It stumbled before the Dark Queen recovered and threw a punch toward Elita, which she leapt over and grabbed onto with her hands to deal a spinning kick to its head unit to knock it down. Elita tried to press her advantage by dealing another kick as she fell, only for the Dark Queen to slam the flat of its sword into Elita's side and knock her along the ground.

Sideswipe and Orpheus' Byakuen came back-to-back as the Dark Equus and Dark Aquila came at them respectively, attempting to catch them both in a pincer-move-like fashion.

"Sideswipe, switch!" Orpheus told him.

"Good call!" Sideswipe nodded as he leapt over the Byakuen to deal a kick to face of the flying Dark Aquila and send it tumbling, while Orpheus maneuvered his Byakuen around the hammer-strike of the Dark Equus to deal a powerful slug with its gauntlet and knock it down.

Bumblebee clashed his katana against the blade of the Dark Tristian. Gino however felt more than a little reluctant fighting as he saw the look in the Autobot's eyes. "Look, I don't want to fight, but I don't have a choice! I'm sorry! I really am! But… you might have to kill me!"

That took Bumblebee by surprise as Gino appeared to be begging him. "If you don't, they'll kill me for going easy on you. Guess there's no way out for me." He gave a sigh with a sad smile. "But maybe I deserve it. For being an idiot who worked with Britannia for so long."

Bumblebee however gave a hardened glare as he rushed the Dark Tristian to punch it down before making a boxer-like gesture to keep going, sending Gino a subtle message to keep up the fight. 'We'll find a way to help you. Even if I have to pry you out of that Knightmare myself, I'm not gonna let someone like you die!'

At the same time, Cera's pink Akatsuki clashed its katana against the shield of the Mordred as it flew backwards to gain some distance. 'Something isn't right.' Cera noted. 'It's not like Anya or Marianne to act defensively. What's going on in there?'

If Cera was still connected to Marianne via their contract, she would be able to sense the conflicting Geass powers within Anya's mind as the rings in her eyes shifted colors from red to white.

"Why am I fighting? I want their help!" Anya said as tears were already flowing down her eyes, something she noticed. "Why am I crying? Why do I feel this way?" She suddenly gasped as she felt herself being pulled into her own mind.

Anya Alstreim found herself standing on a calm body of water that perfectly reflected the sky above her, a pair of white rings were still in her eyes as she looked in absolute shock at the woman who stood in front of her. It was Marianne Vi Britannia, a red sigil of a Geass in her left eye, ever glowing as she found herself staring in surprise at the form of Anya.

"What… who… who are you?" Anya asked in surprise.

"What's going on?" Marianne asked as well. 'This has never happened before. Are… are we… inside Anya's consciousness?'

Back in reality, the Mordred was brought down by a slice at its float system curtsey of Cera's pink Akatsuki as the immortal inside began to think about what was going on.

'Optimus tried to use his Prime Geass to help Anya, but Marianne attempted to take control and prevent that from happening.' Cera thought. 'However, Optimus' Geass was still able to affect Anya's mind, she wants to be rescued, the need to be saved is still fresh inside her mind, where Marianne's own consciousness is residing. Optimus' Prime Geass is stronger than any other I've given before, could it also be having an effect on Marianne as well?' A conflicted expression formed on Cera's face. 'This can wait. Right now, Optimus and the others need my help, and I'm going to give it to them.'

Kallen roared as she flashed her Surger claw to throw a sphere of radiation straight at Shockwave, who intercepted the blast with a charged shot of his Energon cannon, creating a brief explosion as the attacks met. Arcee tried to use this to her advantage as she leapt through the smoke to slice at Shockwave, only for the Decepticon scientist to see it coming as he grabbed Arcee and threw her into the Guren to knock them both down.

"Your teamwork is commendable." Shockwave commented. "However, it is also predictable to a superior mind, such as myself. I…" He was suddenly blasted in the back by an electric surge from the recently arrived Raiden.

"How's that for predictable, jackass!?" Rai called out as he tried to press further by slicing at Shockwave with his katana, but Shockwave parried it with his cannon before grabbing the Raiden and throwing it over him. However, Rai stabilized it as he hovered alongside the Guren with Arcee right below them.

"Thanks for the back-up, Rai." Kallen smiled.

"And the cannon?" Arcee asked.

"Disabled." Rai replied. "Lelouch told me to give you guys a hand, so here I am."

"Alright, let's show this cyclops what we're made of." Kallen smirked as she shot her Guren forward, with the Raiden and Arcee right behind it, even as Shockwave met their assault with a barrage of blasts from his cannon.

Optimus, meanwhile, brought his axe down toward Megatron, who parried with his mace before swinging it around to slam it into Optimus' chest and send him skidding across the deck of the vessel before Optimus flipped himself over and opened fire with his Ion cannon. Megatron rolled and avoided the blasts as he returned fire with his fusion cannon, to which Optimus parried the shots with his axe as he moved in closer to slice at Megatron again, who blocked the weapon again with his mace as the two enemies locked weapons and glares.

"I may not have been able to finish you back then, Optimus." Megatron sneered. "But, I've gotten stronger with my power so, let's try again shall we?" The Dark Geass manifested in the eyes of the Decepticon leader. "Show me your terror!"

"I think not!" Optimus activated his own Prime Geass as their powers clashed with each other. It was almost as if an unstoppable wave of dark energy shot from Megatron and met an immovable shield of light that manifested in front of Optimus. The two pressed their respective powers against each other, despite the surprised look on Megatron's face.

"You have a Geass of your own?" Megatron questioned. "One of equal power to mine?" He chuckled almost sadistically. "You've done a great many things neither of us ever thought you'd do before, Optimus. But this one stands out among the rest. What could have happened to make you so desperate to possess such a corruptive power?"

"Power itself is neither good nor evil." Optimus replied as their respective Geass powers continued to clash. "It is the one who uses it that determines its purpose. And I will use this power to protect the innocent from the likes of you!"

"How sentimental, you never change." Megatron commented in an almost disappointed tone. "But then, that was always your….!"

The clash of powers came to a sudden end as Cera's pink Akatsuki flew in and slashed its katana at his face, forcing Megatron to deactivate his power and leave him vulnerable for an axe-swing from Optimus to send him crashing into a nearby wall.

"Cera?"

"I've got your back, Optimus." She said as she hovered her Knightmare by his side.

"C.C." Megatron noted as he stood up. "Well, that explains it. You gave Optimus his new power, didn't you? Tell me, does he know about your past?" He questioned, causing Cera to glare. "Do you know her past, Optimus?" He asked his enemy. "If you allowed her to grant you a Geass, you must have placed a great deal of trust in her, but is that trust truly warranted? Has she ever mentioned 'Ragnarok' to you?"

"Whatever secrets she bares, I would sooner hear from her lips, rather than yours." Optimus stated, actually catching Cera off guard.

It was in that instant that Cera realized Optimus had known Cera was still keeping secrets even now, but he hadn't pressed it or questioned her even once. He was trusting her to open up at her own time. Cera knew her past was not something she was particularly proud of, but Optimus was still willing to trust her even though he knew she was keeping secrets. She almost cried before wiping the tears from her eyes as she got serious.

"Someday Optimus, I'll tell you everything." Cera told him before facing their mutual enemy. "But for now, my first priority is wiping this monster off the face of the Earth!"

"Agreed." Optimus nodded as he held his axe once more before he and the pink Akatsuki at his side charged at the Decepticon leader, who charged forward in response as well.

Meanwhile, Schneizel continued to sit on his command chair onboard the Avalon as he watched the battle unfold before him. "Hmm, they're lasting longer than I anticipated." The former prince commented. 'Did I maybe underestimate Lelouch? Or is he using something to aid him? I wonder…'

"Sir, we're being hailed!" One of the technicians reported. "It appears to be from the Autobot base."

"On screen." Schneizel ordered. He was expecting it to be maybe Lelouch in an attempt to persuade him, but was slightly caught off guard as the screen came to life to reveal two familiar faces he did not expect to see.

"Schneizel, it is you!" Euphemia exclaimed, a sense of both relief and worry evident in her voice.

"Euphie, I didn't…" However, while Schneizel was surprised at the sight of his pink-haired half-sister, he did not expect to see the open-eyed face of his formerly disabled half-sister. "Nunnally? Is that you?"

"Yes, it's me Schneizel." Nunnally confirmed.

"Your eyes…. And… you appear to be standing." Schneizel noted before a smile formed on his face. "It would appear that Cybertronian technology can do wonders. I truly am happy that I get to see your beautiful eyes again, little Nunnally. And Euphie, I'm glad to see you're alright as well, though I wish it were under better circumstances."

"Schneizel, you're with the Decepticons, aren't you?" Euphemia asked, to which Schneizel gave a single nod in confirmation. "Listen, whatever it is Megatron has on you, we can help you! You don't have to work for him!"

"Is that what you think? You think my hand has been forced? That I'm being blackmailed against my will to serve him?" Schneizel asked, much to the sisters' confusion as Schneizel gave something of a hallow laugh. "I'm pleased to know that even after all that's happened, you've retained your optimism, Euphie."

"Schneizel…?"

"Megatron didn't force my hand. To the contrary, I went to him first." Schneizel revealed.

"What?!" Euphie and Nunnally both exclaimed.

"The Decepticons were already planning to overthrow Britannia by the time I approached them." Schneizel explained. "I simply offered them a route to avoid minimal casualties… even though the more stubborn people continued to pointlessly resist."

"You… you helped them… but… I don't…?" Euphie stuttered. "Why? You said you would support the Special Zone! That you help extend an olive branch to the Autobots and the Black Knights so we could stand against the Decepticons together!"

"Your heart was at the right place back then, dear Euphie." Schneizel replied. "Unfortunately, it can also make you incredibly naïve."

"Schneizel, why would you willingly help them?! After everything they've done?!" Nunnally exclaimed. "They destroyed their own home planet?! They've killed thousands of people and enslaved maybe millions more! They're going to destroy the Earth if they're not stopped!"

"I understand why you two seem upset, but please just listen…" Schneizel tried to explain before the main screen was suddenly hacked as another transmission made contact.

"So that explains it." A familiar voice spoke up, surprising Schneizel, while also catching Nunnally and Euphemia off-guard. "I'd wonder how the Decepticons were able to overthrow Britannia so quickly despite the many advantages they had, but now I see how: they had inside information."

Schneizel recognized the face of his younger half-brother as it appeared on a dual screen next to their sisters. "Lelouch."

"Big brother…?" Nunnally did not expect him to hack into their communications, and even Euphie was rather speechless. Despite this, Schneizel still put on a small smile.

"It's been a long time, little brother. Even though it's under possibly the worst circumstances, I am glad to see you again."

"There's only one thing I want to know from you, Schneizel." Lelouch stated. "We're you a part of the plan to turn the Special Zone into a massacre?"

"No, I wasn't a part of that." Schneizel replied. "Such a bloody siege seemed so wasteful and unnecessary. Unfortunately, Megatron had already set the plan in motion by the time I joined him, so I couldn't change it. Were it up to me, I'd opted for something a bit more… subtle. But regardless, the main objective was still reached. Pendragon was destroyed, and Britannia was on its way to being erased." He noticed the scowl on Lelouch's face. "You know, a part of me would have thought you would have approved of that. Your distaste for our empire after what happened to your mother was well-known."

"People died, Schneizel. Innocent people." Lelouch told him.

"And people are dying now!" Nunnally added. "Why are you supporting that?! Out of all our siblings, you were one of the nicest we had! Why would you side with a monster like Megatron?!"

"I don't take joy from this, but it's the only solution to reign humanity in." Schneizel began. "People all the time say how they want peace, how they want these meaningless conflicts to end, so that their children and grandchildren can live in a better world. And yet, as the ages continue to pass, humanity continues to fight. The human race has been slaughtering itself since its inception, it didn't start with Britannia. This isn't the most ideal solution, I admit. But it may be the only one to ensure humanity has a controlled future."

"By enslaving them? By killing half the population at least?!" Euphie practically screamed as fresh tears formed in her eyes.

"I understand why you three feel so emotional about this." Schneizel continued. "But that phrase the Autobots continue to say 'freedom is the right of all sentient beings? It sounds nice on the surface, but that kind of freedom also permits people to act in heinous ways such as murder, plunder, and oppression."

"Not every human on Earth is like that, Schneizel!" Nunnally exclaimed. "This world has good people in it too!"

"I don't doubt that." Schneizel replied. "But so long as there are people who are good and bad, they will continue to fight. And humanity will remain unchanged. Is that really what you want?" He stood up from his chair as he addressed his half-brother directly. "Lelouch, we can end this, not just this fight, but all conflicts and wars on Earth indefinitely. It can all end right here and now. Seeing how you act as an equal to Optimus Prime, I can assume that you're rather close to him. If you talk to him, convince him to stand down and surrender, I can put a good word in to Megatron as well. This battle can end, and nobody else has to die."

"After all that's happened…" Lelouch began. "What he did to his own planet… what he's planning to do to Earth… humanity is far from perfect, and maybe they will continue to fight in the future. But that kind of future is far more preferable than a future choking under the Decepticons' heel."

"Don't do this, Lelouch." Schneizel said in a tone that seemed like he was pleading. "I already thought I lost you before, you and Nunnally; I'd rather not go through that again. The Decepticons have the Autobots and Black Knights outnumbered and outgunned. You can't win this war."

"Yes, we can, and we will." Lelouch stated with a determined expression.

"And what about you two?" Schneizel asked Nunnally and Euphemia. "Do you feel the same way he does?"

Despite the feeling of complete and utter betrayal from their elder half-brother, both half-sisters steeled themselves as best as they could, despite Euphie already having her tears streaming down her cheeks.

"We do." Euphie confirmed.

"We will fight… even against you." Nunnally added.

Schneizel gave a small sigh as he sat back down. "Then I'm afraid I can't help you. I'm sorry."

"No, you're not." Lelouch said with a shake of his head before cutting off his transmission.

"Goodbye Schneizel." Euphie also bid farewell as hers and Nunnally's transmission came to an end.

Ravage fired a series of Energon blasts from his mouth and tail at the Akatsuki piloted by Misty, who pulled it back to avoid the blasts and was about to return fire when she was pelted in the back by Energon blasts from Laserbeak. As she attempted to focus herself on the flying Mini-Con, it gave Ravage a chance to leap onto the Knightmare and climb toward its cockpit in an attempt to tear it apart, only to get blasted in the side by a turret on the ceiling and shot to the ground.

"Yeah! How do you like that, kitty cat?!" Rivalz' voice echoed through the speakers, causing Ravage to return fire and obliterate that turret while avoiding the shots from the others.

Misty tried to straighten out her Knightmare and re-focus on the Mini-Cons, only for Rumble to leap up and slam his pile-drives into the Knightmare and knock it down. However, Rumble was forced back to avoid the turrets that shot at him, curtsey of Milly and Shirley from the control room as well.

At the same time, Divebomb slashed his claws against Safeguard, who parried his attack with his naginata before going on the offensive with his own weapon. While Jetstrom flailed his nunchucks into the face of Air Razor to knock him back, but as Jetstrom came in for another attack, Air Razor grabbed him and flipped him over before leaping back to avoid the gunfire of the recovering Misty in her Akatsuki.

Meanwhile, Frenzy found himself facing against the charging Sayoko as he drew his plasma-blades. "Let's dance, meatbag!" Sayoko threw a set of smoke bombs around Frenzy, disorienting his vision. "What the?! I can't see…?!"

This left Frenzy open to leap into the air and deliver a series of kicks to his face and knock him down. As Sayoko moved in to throw a series of kunai, Frenzy swiped his plasma-blade to intercept the kunai, but also leaving him open for Sayoko to come in with a hidden-blade right to Frenzy's throat.

"Oh scrap…!" Frenzy muttered before Sayoko swiped her blade to decapitate the Mini-Con entirely.

"Hey, why are we loosing!?" Headlock questioned. "We got the numbers, so why…!?" He was knocked down by a flying kick from Undertone. Headlock grumbled as he tried to charge Undertone, only for the silent mini-con to grab his punch, throw him into the air and leap to deliver a series of kicks to knock him down hard onto the ground. Before Headlock even got the chance to recover, Undertone drew a small blade and stabbed his spark chamber, killing the elderly Mini-Con in an instant.

"Oh, this isn't good." Divebomb commented as he, Ravage, Rumble, Air Razor, and even Laserbeak were surrounded on all sides. One side being Misty in her Knightmare, and the other having Sayoko, Jetstorm, Safeguard, and Undertone; not to mention the turrets on the ceiling.

"Yeah, if I were you guys, I'd bail." Milly teased.

"Soundwave! Get us out of here!" Rumble contacted his master, just as a Groundbridge portal opened below them, causing the four Mini-Cons to fall in before Laserbeak flew in last as the portal closed right after him.

"And stay out!" Shirley exclaimed.

"I am glad that's over." Misty said with a small smile.

"Miss Sayoko, I must say that was incredible." Safeguard commented towards the ninja-maid.

"Truly." Jetstorm also complemented. "You held your own without a single Knightmare. If possible, perhaps you could teach us a thing or two?"

Sayoko smiled at the pair. "I'd be happy too."

"Awe, that's cute." Milly teased.

"Be careful so Lelouch doesn't get jealous." Rivalz also teased.

"Guys!" Shirley scolded as everyone else's laughs echoed through the speaker, even Sayoko chuckled slightly.

"Everything's in place!" Cecile reported as she, Fixit, and Ganabati made a final check-up. "The devices are primed and ready!"

"Well, looks like it's do-or-die time." Rakshata commented. "Care for a final drink?" She causally asked Lloyd next to her.

"No thanks. I don't think we'll be needing it" Lloyd replied.

Ratchet then immediately contacted both of his leaders. "Optimus, Zero, everything's ready! We are preparing multiple Groundbridge extractions now!"

"Rodger!" Zero replied.

"Understood." Optimus acknowledged.

From there, multiple Groundbridge portals opened across the battlefield. One near the engines that allowed the Wreckers to enter, halting their brutal slugfest against Squadron X. Another near the top of the Ark's deck that the Black Dragon unit used to retreat from Bruticus and Knock Out. Multiple portals opened up near the front lines as Ultra Magnus and the Elite Guard, along with all the surviving Black Knights used to escape the warzone effort led by Steeljaw and Sky-Byte, with the Autobots, Ohgi, Cornelia, and Monica providing covering fire to allow their comrades to escape first before entering the portals themselves.

Meanwhile, in the air, just below the Nemesis a large Groundbridge portal opened up, which allowed the Black Knight forces led by Wizard and the Aerialbots to retreat before they entered the portals themselves, much to the surprise of the Seekers.

"What's going on?! Why are they retreating!?" Thundercracker questioned.

Starscream smirked. "Perhaps they are recognizing defeat." However, Slipstream had a suspicious look on her face, indicating that she felt something was off.

On the deck of the Nemesis, a Groundbridge portal opened as the Zero Squad continued to duke it out with Shockwave and the Dark Knights. Elita was the first to notice the open portal. "Zero Squad, retreat!" She ordered.

Sideswipe and Orpheus were the first to break off their fights with the Castor and Pollux before the former transformed and drove into the portal with Orpheus right behind him. Suzaku was next as he fired at the Dark Siegfried to keep it bay before flying into the portal himself. Kallen brandished her knife toward Shockwave, which he blocked with his cannon, allowing Arcee to leap from the Guren's shoulders to deliver a spinning kick to Shockwave's face, knocking him back and allowing the two to transform as well as they drove into the portal with the Raiden flying over the downed Shockwave.

Bumblebee however didn't retreat at first as he grabbed the Dark Tristian in the form of a bear hug. "Whoa… what are you doing?!" Gino questioned.

"[Rai!]" Bumblebee called to him. "[Use your Surger! Fry this Knightmare's internal systems, but don't destroy it!]"

Rai immediately recognized the Knightmare as a darker version of the one Gino used to pilot and saw what Bumblebee had in mind. "On it!" He shot his Raiden forward as he extended his Surger claw to grab the Dark Tristian by its face and send an electrical charge throughout the entire Knightmare, enough to completely short out all its systems, including the bomb that had been placed in it, and rending it useless, much to Gino's surprise.

"[Let's go!]" Bumblebee bleeped as he carried the Dark Tristian into the portal, with Gino still inside, and Rai followed.

Elita was about to retreat as well when she called to her remaining comrades. "Optimus! Cera!"

Optimus swung his MVS axe just as Cera's pink Akatsuki swung down its katana onto Megatron who attempted to block it with his Energon mace, but the force from the combined attack was enough to knock him back and allow Optimus a chance to transform and drive toward the portal with Cera's Akatsuki right behind him. They, along with Elita, were the last ones to enter the portal even as Megatron attempted to shoot them with his Fusion cannon, but it was too late, his enemies had already left the battlefield.

"Lord Megatron! All enemy units have left the battlefield! They're gone!" One Vehicon contacted him.

"What are they up to?" Megatron asked himself with a slight scowl.

"Zero, all personnel accounted for." T-AI contacted the young revolutionary as he continued to sit in his Omniglobe. "We're ready to launch on your command."

"Launch the Ark! Now!" Zero ordered.

Underneath the massive vessel, Preceptor's devices in the bed of molten magma detonated, triggering an eruption that sent a tremor that shook up the entire ocean floor, and all the Decepticons that had surrounded the Autobot vessel. Unbeknownst to them, the kinetic energy that was taken by Preceptor's devices transferred along the Synthetic Energon life and straight to the Ark's engines, causing them to spring to life.

Barricade's optics shrank as he recognized what was about to happen. "SOUNDWAVE! PULL EVERYONE OUT! NOW!" He screamed into his comns as a Groundbridge portal opened up in front of him. Just as Barricade, Lugnut, Blitzing, and Blackout made it into the portal, the engines activated at full throttle. The shockwave had sent Demolishor and Overload into the portal, but Quake and Groundpounder were caught in the resulting blast of the jumpstarted engines, completely obliterating them.

"RETREAT! EVERYONE RETREAT!" Steeljaw shouted as he and all other Decepticons present tried to escape as the entire ocean and the ocean floor shook from the tremor as the Ark began to ascend from the ocean floor. Multiple Groundbridge portals enabled Steeljaw, Sky-Byte, Fracture, Thunderhoof, Airachnid, Underbite, Saberhorn, Glowstrike, and Scorponok to escape with a multiple Vehicons and Insecticons; but the others weren't so lucky as the blast wave from the jumpstarted engines destroyed them as well.

Bruticus and Knock Out struggled to hang on to the ascending Ark before the sheer force sent both of them off. Bruticus disbanded into the five separate Combaticons just as a Groundbridge portal opened for them, allowing the Combaticons and Knock Out to fall inside to saftey.

Suddenly, the Ark itself had shot out from the ocean at full speed, nearly ramming the Nemesis itself with the resulting shockwave nearly tipping the entire vessel over had Megatron, Shockwave, and the remaining Dark Knights not made it inside in time.

"What in the world….!?" Schneizel stood up from his chair in genuine shock as he saw the Ark ascend and knock the Nemesis out of the air, which was already on its side and beginning to tumble.

Lelouch saw from the Omniglobe that the Nemesis' underbelly was completely exposed and saw a chance to strike a definitive blow.

"All cannons on starboard side, lock onto the enemy vessel!" He commanded.

"Target locked!" T-AI reported.

"FIRE!"

The Ark's starboard cannons sprang to life as they fired with everything they had at the Nemesis' underbelly, causing multiple explosions that rocked the entire Decepticon vessel and sent it tumbling into the ocean, crashing and skidding to a violent halt into the crater where the Ark itself once stood, with exposed magma already forming at the sides of the ship, further damaging the disabled vessel.

As the Ark itself took flight once more, it picked more speed as it would fly higher into the sky and above the cloud cover, but not above the atmosphere as it set its course for Horai Island, the new safe haven for the liberated slaves outside the reach of the Decepticons.

Inside the vessel, every single human and Autobot cheered and their definitive victory. All the civilians that had been liberated and rescued celebrated the most as they cried, hugged, kissed, called out as loud as they could, and screamed their hearts out. Among them was Akari Kozuki, who continued to tend to the bed-ridden Alice as the older woman cried tears of joy. Milly even pulled Rivalz and Shirley into a massive hug from their control center, something the two didn't hesitate to return.

The Autobots and Black Knights were just as celebratory as the rescued civilians, sharing high-fives, fist-bumps, hugs, and even slamming their chests together, such as Wheeljack and Bulkhead.

"Oorah!" All the Wreckers shouted with Sideswipe sharing a high-five with Jazz, Hotshot, Warpath, and Smokescreen, as well as Wind Blade and Air Raid. Kallen shared a hug with Ohgi, the later glancing toward the joyous teary-eyed Chigusa, while the Kallen shared a smile with Arcee as the female Autobot gave a nod. Tamaki gave Rai a noogie, followed by a hug from Nonette as she pulled Monica in too. Tohdoh shared a nodding smile with Suzaku, but the later was taken by surprise as he, and the Lancelot he had yet to fully exit, was pulled into a hug by Grindcore. Cornelia looked toward Guilford with an emotional smile, which he was happy to return as well. Chromia shared a smile and a nod with Ironhide as well, the later shared one with Ultra Magnus as well as Silverbolt, Elita, Jetfire, Prowl, and Wizard, who glanced towards Orpheus, the later offering a thumbs up, who returned it with little hesitation. Sayoko, Misty, and the Mini-Cons were quick to join in the celebration as well. Bumblebee had also managed to pull the shocked Gino out of his fried Dark Tristian as the black and yellow Autobot gave a nod to the shocked former Knight of Three, who then smirked and gave a thumbs up of his own.

Even in the laboratory, Nina wrapped her arms around the equally happy Cecile as Lloyd cheered with joy, while Rakshata simply smiled with the incredibly relieved Ganabati. Even Fixit cheered as Ratchet and Perceptor shook their hands in congratulatory fashion.

On the Ark's bridge, Lelouch had finally stepped out of the Omniglobe, and was quickly engulfed in an emotional embrace from both Nunnally and Euphemia.

"You did it, Big Brother!" Nunnally cried as Lelouch embraced them both.

"We're safe! All of us!" Euphie also cried joyously.

Lelouch couldn't help but get a little emotional as well, especially as Optimus Prime himself walked in with Cera riding on his shoulder. Even the immortal girl got a little emotional as Optimus smiled and gave a nod of approval toward Lelouch, who pulled Nunnally and Euphemia in as tightly as he could.

"T-AI, set a course for Horai island." Optimus informed the ship's A.I.

"Already on our way." T-AI reported. "Estimated time of arrival, twenty minutes."

Meanwhile, the Avalon had also been slightly blown away by the Ark's surprise launch. But due to being at a relatively safe distance, the air ship had not received any significant damage.

While Kanon helped the operators to check on the ship's systems, Schneizel actually smiled. 'Well played, Lelouch. Well played.'

However, onboard the damaged and capsized Nemesis, Megatron was on the bridge of his heavily damaged vessel overhearing the multiple reports from the ship's systems as well as the Vehicons and other Decepticons at their stations. However, all these reports and alarm fell on deaf ears for the leader of the Decepticons.

Even though he didn't see him in the battle, he knew Lelouch was responsible for what had happened. Optimus could not have coordinated this many battles while he was fighting Megatron, so it was undoubtedly Lelouch's doing. Megatron couldn't believe it. He was certain that after both his exposure to his Dark Geass more than six months ago, as well as the reveal of his mother's corpse as the Dark Queen, he was certain that he had broken the boy. But he wasn't. Lelouch was not broken. Just like Optimus, he not only got back up on his feet, but even dealt him the first real defeat he experienced at the hands of the human boy.

Lelouch Lamperouge, also known as Lelouch Vi Britannia, also known as Zero, had defeated Megatron!

That was all the Lord of the Decepticons needed to slam his metallic fist on the controls and roar in fury, which echoed throughout the entire Nemesis.

The only individual onboard the Nemesis who didn't appear to be hearing Megatron's furious roar was Anya, who appeared to be sleeping inside the cockpit of her damaged Dark Mordred. However, she wasn't sleeping but rather, her spirit was conversing with the other occupant inside her subconscious.

"The battle is lost… the Autobots and Black Knights have escaped." Anya, with white rings still glowing in her eyes, spoke aloud as Marianne continued to listen to her. "It's odd… I'm both relieved and distraught… I'm relieved they made it to safety, but I'm distraught because I'm not with them. Why do I feel this way? Why do I feel at all? I haven't… felt anything for as long as I can remember. In fact,… I can't remember anything. Why? Why don't I have any memories?" She asked as tears were already forming in her eyes.

As she saw the tears in Anya's eyes, Marianne was struck immediately with guilt. She knew exactly why. Charles had used his Geass on Anya to make her forget pretty much everything, up to the point she needed a video diary or some form of recording device to recall anything of her past. In fact, the more she thought about it, the more guilt she began to feel towards all her previous actions. Every horrible thing she did, everything she helped Charles to do… she put Lelouch and Nunnally through a living hell, all because she felt they could all reunite through the Ragnarok connection and live the peaceful existence that Charles had promised. But now, all those hopes were dashed. Megatron had destroyed everything. She blamed everything on Optimus and the Autobots as well as the Black Knights for 'changing' Lelouch, for 'corrupting' them as she put it. But now, something inside her changed. Something inside her made her take a good look at herself in the mirror and made her see… that maybe… she made the wrong choice.

"Anya…" She spoke to the confused girl. "My name… is Marianne… and… we have a lot to talk about." While the sigil of Geass continued to glow red in her left eye, a white ring formed in her right eye as the effects of Optimus' Prime Geass now began to affect her as well.

Done.

I bet this ending was not something you were expecting, huh? The Autobots and Black Knights scored a major victory over the Decepticons! Lelouch has actually scored his first real victory against Megatron! After everything that's happened, I'd say this victory was well-earned.

The Ark is fully operational and has taken to the skies yet again. It now sets for Horai island to drop off the liberated civilians. While the Ark was a good safe haven for a while, Horai island will be a better place to keep all the people just in case the Ark is ever attacked again. Several Decepticons met their end here today, and the heroes have even managed to rescue Gino. But more importantly, it seems that Marianne is beginning to change; likely a result of Optimus' Prime Geass starting to affect her as well, even though it was meant for Anya, since she and Marianne share the same body, the mother of Lelouch is now beginning to feel it as well. Now it seems Anya is aware of Marianne's existence inside her, but what does this entail for either of them? You'll see in the future.

I'm rather pleased with how this chapter turned out. It's not nearly as long as my previous chapters. I feel like the reason my chapters turn out so long is because I seem to drag out the battles too long. Seeing how many characters were in this chapter, if I did the same thing here, my chapter probably would have been 30,000 maybe even 40,000 words and that is way too long for anyone. So, for now, I'm going to try and condense several of the battles and focus on the ones that have the most impact on the story.

Up next, we begin an arc that is loosely based off the OVA 'Akito the Exiled' as we are introduced to new characters, both hero and villain. I've got special plans for the upcoming arc and what is to follow. But while the heroes have won this battle, the war is far from over. What's the next move the Autobots and Black Knights are going to make? What is the Decepticons' countermove? Find out next time on Code Prime!