Hey Everyone, a few things before we get started.

A/N - I own nothing, as always

A/N 2- There's a decent amount of crazy things going on in my life right now, so updates might not come out as quickly as either of us would like. Just know that I'm working on this story with whatever time and energy I can spare.

A/N 3 - Congratulations to Ryder77, for correctly identifying the Bambi reference in the previous chapter! A free imaginary cookie is on its way! (Sorry, but I'm on a budget).

Alright, let's get rolling! On with the story!

Chapter 14 – Overture to a Storm

Cry "Havoc" and let slip the dogs of war – William Shakespeare

Sometimes to love someone, you got to be a stranger – Rick Deckard

Leila Malcal sat at her desk in near darkness and looked up at the ceiling of the place that they were staying in that night, an old temple located about an hour outside of Sapporo. She wanted to write in her journal, as she often did each night. But tonight, like the past few nights before it, she found that she couldn't; instead, her thoughts seemed to race through her mind at light speed, and she instead wound up looking off into the distance running through her thoughts. The events since arriving in Japan had undoubtedly given more than enough to think on.

The battles hadn't been much, as the Britannians hadn't been expecting a fight. This was partially because they had landed in Hokkaido, which had been mostly neglected for the fighting in the south. Leila knew that it wouldn't continue for long, as the Britannians wouldn't likely respond kindly to their presence in their territory. She really wasn't looking forward to that; several of her comrades had survived Luciano Bradley's assault on Portugal, and their descriptions of the fighting (or rather the carnage), they were going to be in for one of a hell of a battle. She was worried about how her W-0 squad, and what Anou was going to do when confronted with a battle. She knew that he was already planning something he called a "fail-safe" device, a term that somehow made her feel uneasy. But this wasn't the primary thing distracting her from her writing.

It wasn't also the fact that they were no longer in Europe, but rather in Japan. Leila hadn't been outside of the E.U since she was a very young girl, so coming to Japan had been something of a culture shock to her. Seeing the different types of landscapes and architectures had been fascinating, and she had found herself looking at various buildings and mountains for extended periods of time. This seemed to amuse her Japanese subordinates to no end; especially Ryo, who always seemed to smirk at her whenever he found her looking at something for longer than usual. But this also wasn't the primary source of distraction for Leila.

No, the real issue that was derailing her thought process was Zero, the enigmatic rebel who had captured the attention of everyone here in Japan (and a whole lot of people outside of it). He had come out of nowhere only a few months ago, and yet he was already being labelled the biggest threat to the Britannian Empire since Napoleon Bonaparte. It wasn't hard to see why; in the short time since he stepped onto the scene, he had won several battles (including a major engagement at someplace called Narita) and forced two Viceroys from power in quick succession. These successes, coupled with his frequent use of theatrics and showmanship, had caused Zero to develop a powerful mystique about himself. Thousands, Britannians and Japanese alike, had rallied to his cause, while many more engaged in mythization of the man as either a god or a demon. Leila had trouble keeping track of the various rumors about him: He was the bastard son of the Britannian Emperor or the late Japanese Prime Minister (depending on the version of the rumor), he could turn water into liquid sakuridite, he could force people to their knees with just a look from his eyes, he was the leader of a coven of witches, he was an immortal and otherworldly being who could shrug off any attack. This sort of mystique also had another surprising side effect: it generated large amounts of … "memorabilia". Whilst they were in Sapporo, she lost track the number of items that qualified as unofficial merchandise (she doubted Zero would be brazen or stupid enough to actually license his image out). Posters, action figures, scarves, banners, armbands, stickers, paintings; if you could name it, chances are someone had made one with either Zero or the Black Knights logo slapped on it. Leila had actually bought an item, a small plushie of the rebel leader that now sat on her desk to remind her of him.

Because Zero was someone who you always needed keep an eye out for at all times. For all his obvious theatrics, Zero had shown himself to be a commander of surprising cunning and skill. Leila had studied what little footage there was of the Black Knights in an attempt to figure out what type of strategist Zero was. Her research had led her to three conclusions: The first was that Zero favored blitzkrieg techniques, attacking his targets with the speed and precision of lightning that were often shrouded in secrecy. Part of the reason why there was so little material on Zero was that the man only let people see him when he wanted them to see him. The second takeaway from her studies was that there was no one set style of fighting that the Black Knights employed. Britannian techniques, Japanese techniques, European techniques, Indian techniques; Zero could apply any of these methods (and often blended them as well) in whatever engagement was happening at that time. He never fought the same battle twice, his fighting style often taking a liquid-like quality. But the biggest lesson that Leila learned about Zero was not about his tactics; it was about his motivations. Everyone knew that the leader of the Black Knights talked a big deal about justice and protecting the innocent. That in of itself was not special; the world over was littered with bullies and warlords who made similar claims. What set Zero apart from the rest of them was that he actually backed up his claims through his actions, particularly in his choice of targets. While he always showed a predilection for Britannian targets, he had demonstrated that he was willing to protect anyone he felt was being unjustly attacked (Lake Kawaguchi was the defining example of this). His primary choice of attacks were almost always criminals and corrupt nobles who preyed on the weak and innocent, especially those who dealt in Refrain.

Leila shuddered as she thought about that wicked drug. She had heard of its effects in passing, mostly from members of W-0 talking about its use in the ghettos of Paris and Prague, but it was only just the other day that she had seen her first Refrain addict. It had been a twentysomething woman who had once been pretty, wandering the cold streets of Sapporo in ragged clothing. Her eyes and her gait had been as unfocused as her speech, as she kept rambling on about what clothes were going to be cutest for her new baby. It had been a pitiful sight, and Leila had moved to help the poor woman, only to be held back by Ayano. "The Refrain has her now" she had told her commander, "she's beyond help now." It was a horrid drug, degrading someone's life to nothing more than rose-colored replays of their greatest hits. And it was apparently all over Japan, with thousands in its insidious, addictive grasp. If Zero was taking it upon himself to rid Japan (if not the world) of Refrain, then more power to him.

It was things like this that made Leila worried about what might happen with Zero. It was through her research that she came to a sense of respect about the enigmatic rebel. He was apparently a man who fought on the behalf of the disenfranchised and vulnerable, no matter whom they might be. In a way, it was what Leila had hoped that the W-0 unit would be able to one day, as well as the fuel for a semi-hope that they would be able to work alongside Zero and his Black Knights as allies during this campaign. But thatseemed less likely with each passing day. Zero (who almost certainly knew of their presence here in Japan) had not reached out to any of the E.U commanders, instead making a broadcast a few days ago announcing that he was forming both the independent United States of Japan as well as an international body called the United Federation of Nations for "countries and people who believe in the principles of equality and justice". No one in the E.U command here really knew what to make of this; the only person who hadn't been in any way confused was General Similas, who had watched the initial announcement with a stoic expression. It was clear to Leila that both the General and Zero had their own visions for the future of Japan, and she was sure that neither of them included the other.

A knock on her door broke her out of her reverie. Silently cursing in surprise, Leila left her seat and opened the door. She was pleasantly surprised to see that it was Akihito on the other side, having feared it was some messenger or other. Smiling, she asked "Hello Akihito. Shouldn't you be sleeping?"

Akihito smiled at her. "I should. But since we're leaving here tomorrow to head South, I wanted to show you something cool in this temple."

Leila nodded and followed him down the hallway. She didn't really know what it was, but she really enjoyed being with Akihito these days. To be fair, that had always been kind of true, but it had really picked up in recent weeks. On their way over here from Warsaw, she had gotten him to tell him all the stories he had about his childhood in Japan. A part of her rationalized it was intelligence gathering for their next field of battle, but Leila found herself just enjoying his company and learning about him. She also found herself sometimes daydreaming that they were alone, and he would look at her and say… she really needed to close the lid on that particular fantasy; after all, she was engaged.

Akihito eventually led her down some stairs, and into a small grove directly outside. The whole scene was dominated by a giant camphor tree that stood on top of a hill. Flowing down that hill was a pristine waterfall that was small and lithe. Fireflies danced around the moonlit grove, which gave the whole scene a mystical and serene air.

"What is this place?" Leila asked, her eyes enraptured by the scenery before them.

"It's the reason why this temple was built. Back during the Kamakura Bafuku, about a thousand years ago, the people who lived here thought that this tree was the home of the kami who guards over these woods."

"…Wow. This place is a thousand years old?"

"Give or take."

Leila didn't say anything for some time, allowing herself to absorb in the scene. Finally, she asked, "How do you know about this place?"

Akihito smiled. "I came here many years ago on a family trip. It was the first time I had ever been on a trip far from home, so I was more than a little nervous. My father decided to take me to this place to help me calm my nerves."

"…Is that why you brought me here?"

"Kind of. You've been preoccupied with our move tomorrow. But I also wanted to show this place to someone." He paused as he looked around some more, before continuing. "My father told me he met the kami that lives in these woods."

"Really?"

"Yeah. He told me that when he was a young boy himself, he got lost in these woods and ran into the spirit. According to him, it was a great furry thing that looked like a cross between a rabbit and a bear that only said 'to-to-ro' or something like that. It let him back here and then gave him a back of acorns to plant."

"Do…Do you think that kame is still out there?"

"It's kami Mam, not kame. Kame is a turtle. As for whether it's still out there, who knows? Maybe it still is. Maybe we'll be able to see it if we ever come back here."

"Do you think we'll be able to come back here?"

"I have no idea. I'm just thankful that I was able to come here again just once. I was worried I would never return."

Akihito then set his gaze upon the waterfall. Leila wanted to do the same but yet found herself looking at Akihito. The moonlight cascaded over him, creating a striking figure that highlighted delicate features and broad shoulders. I can't be sure what the future holds, she thought, but I hope that we'll be able to face it together.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxx

"I have a question to ask."

The Geass Master looked up from his task to see the Dimensional Supervisor walking towards him, a note of concern on her face. "What could you possibly ask of me?" he asked back with a tone of annoyance. "You're the Dimensional Supervisor, the Caretaker of Spacetime. What could you possibly ask of me?"

"You seem annoyed," the Dimensional Supervisor said, "like you have something else you need to be doing."

"I do," the Geass Master said, holding up a stick of dynamite. "The Empire is sending some unwelcome guests our way. I'd like to give them the welcome they deserve."

"Where, and how, did you get the dynamite?"

"Nothing's impossible to acquire with a Geass and a few honeyed words. As for specifics, you would know if you didn't spend your time only observing the Leila Malcals of the Earth."

"That's actually I wanted to ask you about: Leila Malcal."

The Geass Master sighed and now looked at the Dimension Supervisor with his full attention. "You're wondering about her Geass and her chances of survival now that she's in Japan," he said, garnering a shocked look from the multi-colored haired girl.

"How did you know? You've never been able to read my mind." This was something that Dimensional Supervisor truly appreciated since Absolute Hearing was one of the few Geasses that didn't work on her.

"True, but I don't exactly need to read your mind to discern your questions. I've been busy these past few weeks, so I haven't been able to monitor the situation on Earth with the full attention I'm used to. And lately, I've had to refocus the monitors back to where I was before; often turning them away Leila Malcal. Particularly after the Europa United began invading Japan."

There was a brief silence for a short period. Finally, the Dimensional Supervisor spoke, choosing her words carefully. "I…was curious. Very few people could ever see me, so I wanted to get to know the one person alive that can. And while learning about her…I came to truly appreciate who she was as a person…and what made her happy."

The Geass Master sighed as he listened to the Dimensional Supervisor's words while he looked at her face. He had seen that emotion so many times, and he knew full well that he couldn't let it run its course. "I'd advise you to stop your …'learning' there. Malcal is firmly on the Earth, and unless she, her friends, or her enemies come here, there is nothing you could do to help her."

"You're right; there's nothing I can do now. But, there's something I'd like you to do."

The Geass Master paused, suspicion creeping into his mind. He couldn't remember the last time, if ever, the Dimensional Supervisor had asked for something. "What is it?"

"I…I want you to repair Leila's Geass. I want you to make it whole."

The Geass Master looked at her for a good few seconds. "Even if I could," he said in a curt tone, "why would I? What would be gained from that?"
The Dimension Supervisor looked at him quizzically. "What do you mean could? You're the Geass Master. You're the one who told me it was broken to begin with. Surely you, of all the beings in any world and dimension, could fix it?"

"I can't fix a broken Geass. Usually, when a Geass is bestowed on someone, it latches onto what their deepest desire is at that moment. However, Malcal's Geass was bestowed her Geass by C.C immediately after a car bomb took out her parents and injured her. In other words, she was in shock and wasn't in any mental condition to move; she certainly wasn't in a position for self-evaluation. As such, the Geass failed to take hold properly and became a fragmented Geass. When that happens, there's not much I or anyone else can do."

"That can be the case. Surely, C.C wouldn't have just given her a Geass on a whim –"

"That looks like that's exactly what happened. I wouldn't hold C.C's judgment as a measure of a contractor's worth to wield a Geass; the woman seems to give out Geasses like they're Halloween candies."

There was a few seconds of silence as the two immortal beings looked at each. Then, the Dimensional Supervisor broke it, asking with a deaden voice "So, you'll do nothing?"

"I'll do nothing. Especially since you didn't even bother to answer the question: Why would be gained from fixing Malcal's Geass?"

"It-It'd be fixed! Wouldn't that be enough?"

"Quite frankly, no. What makes her so special? What makes her so special that we should focus our attention on her?"

The Dimensional Supervisor glared at the Geass Master with a mixture of anger and sheepishness. "Ever since we've begun this chain of events, I… I've watched the humans more closely than I ever have. And it has allowed me to see how truly special Leila is. She's genuinely free-spirited, kind, selfless, and brave. And it makes me want to protect her as much as I can from all the ugliness that festers on every corner of the Earth. And the fact that I can't do it myself makes me feel like a cold knife is being twisted in my stomach. So, I'm asking you, the only person who could do something, to do something to protect Leila."

The Geass Master sighed. "I've seen a thousand people like Malcal over the past thousand years. And in a thousand years, I'll have seen a thousand more. There have been many who are like her, who've had all the qualities you've listed. They also had something else in common with Ms. Malcal: naivete. They all thought that they could change the world with principals and good deeds alone, not realizing that the dirtier tactics of their opponents are what enables the opponents not only to win but stay winners. Either one of two things happen to such people: they either break down and adopt the tactics they so thoroughly despise, or they stick to their principles and use it to find themselves an early grave. But, I wouldn't worry about all this too much; you're new to watching humans. You'll get used to watching them die."

This finally pushed the Dimensional Supervisor over the edge. Without warning, she fired an energy beam at the Geass Master, who wasn't quick enough to dodge it but was fast enough to brace for the impact. This allowed him to recover quickly and launch a counterattack. He began by momentarily stunning her with Absolute Blindness, before enabling Absolute Time-stop while drawing his sword. But as he started to rush her, he felt his legs suddenly give out from under him and suddenly he was forced lying down on the ground. Lifting his neck with difficulty, he saw that the same thing had happened to the Dimensional Supervisor. And then, a single word rang in both of their heads.

Enough.

That one word, spoken with that intensity, could only mean one thing: The Gods had decided that they were ending the argument then and now.

That's enough from both of you. While you squabble, you forget our real enemy lingers in the background.

"Who? The Emperor and his Ragnarok Machine?" The Dimensional Supervisor asked with no small amount of scorn in her voice.

Not Charles zi Britannia. Him.

"That's not possible. We would've been able to sense if he tried to break free of his cage."

You've forgotten how cunning he is. While you've both been focused on the Earth, our enemy has been gathering his strength from other realms, other worlds. Should Ragnarok be fulfilled, he will be able to break free from his cell and unleash himself upon the earth. And you both remember what fighting him unleashed was like.

"I'd rather not," The Geass Master said as he slowly picked himself off the floor. "How much time do we have?"

Less than you like. The Stag has already been seen moving around.

"Fuck. Do you have a plan?"

But of course. Look to the pages marked in the book we've left for you.

The Geass Master picked up the bookmarked book that had suddenly appeared. He recognized the book, realizing that whatever plan the Gods had in mind was going to be messy. His next words were directed at the Dimensional Supervisor, who had done the same. "It seems that the stakes are a bit more than we had anticipated. So, I suggest that we get to work and prepare for the fights ahead."

"And Leila?"

"I won't help her, but I won't move against her either. And as for your concerns about Malcal, you have two options: Either kill her now so you can end your worries and preserve all you love about her… or get used to that knife in your stomach."

The Dimensional Supervisor glared back at him, her eyes still gleaming with anger. "Fine. But if she dies, and you could've done something about it, you will have to pay." And with that, she strode off to view other matters.

The Geass Master waited till she was out of eyesight and earshot before speaking again. "What else do you want?"

Why didn't you tell her of your suspicions concerning the girl?

"You saw how angry she was at the possibility of Malcal dying. Can you imagine her reaction if she knew there was a chance of that happening?"

Do you have a plan if your suspicions are warranted?

"All I can think right now is that if my guess is correct, then the poor girl really is better off dead." He then looked at the stick of dynamite that was still his hand. "I'm probably going to need a lot more of this than I anticipated."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Alright, we have a lot to cover and not a whole lot of time to cover it so let's get started. Does anyone have a topic they want to start with?"

This was how Zero began the meeting, sitting down at the head of the table in the submarine's conference room. Seated at the table were the senior commanders and critical department heads of the Black Knights, with a few others joining in via a large screen installed at the other end of the table.

"Let's begin with what areas of Japan have joined the USJ?" Ohgi suggested.

"That's a good idea. K-2?"

"Currently, we have 14 of the 47 prefectures under our control," Kurohime said, looking over her notes. "These include the islands of Kyushu, Okinawa, and Shikoku, as well as the prefectures of Yamaguchi, Tottori, and Gunma. Hiroshima is willing to join us, but they're worried about being attacked by the garrison at Kobe if they declare themselves for the USJ."

"I believe we can alleviate that concern" Zero said with something akin to a smirk. For all the chaos that the Night of Blood had caused (the name that had been assigned to Carne's brutal series of attacks during the night of the Spring Formal), it had been very useful in creating a lot of support for the Black Knights. A lot of their newest recruits had been those who had lost someone during the Night of Blood, had been horrified by the actions of the latest Viceroy, or were suddenly worried that position within the Britannian Empire was more precocious than they had expected. The range of recruits was astounding, from Japanese who had been trapped in the ghettos to Britannian nobles. Even two of the governors (for Okinawa and Gunma) had managed to lead their prefectures in a full-scale mutiny against the Empire. Of course, it was causing some logistical problems, but they were the type of issues that Zero preferred (better to have too many recruits than too few).

"It seems to me that we need to bring these cities into the fold of the USJ before they attack our allies in the south or serve as reinforcements for when we take Tokyo. Ms. Shinozaki, how many Britannian forces are stationed at Kobe?" Zero asked his Head of Intelligence.

Akane Shinozaki looked up from her video game at him with a glance, took the lollipop out of her mouth and said, "A rough guess puts the number of Knightmares at Kobe at around 50, while Hiroshima has around 30". The younger sister of the Lamprouge's maid had appeared soon after the Night of Blood, offering to help out with the Black Knights with their intelligence matters. While it was unclear what she had been up to since the invasion of Japan (whatever it was, it was causing no amount of tension between the two sisters), she had a large network of informants and operatives and was willing to use it. The situation wasn't ideal as Lelouch would have rather had Sayoko in that role. But she was now serving as Nunnally's bodyguard since Lelouch didn't trust anyone else with the position. Plus, Sayoko vouched for her, saying that their disagreements were "a family matter." Lelouch had no idea what that meant, but neither of them had been forthcoming with details, and he knew better than not to ask. He could guess that part of it had stemmed the personality of the younger Shinozaki. Though supposedly five years younger, Akane acted at least ten years younger than that; she would never sit properly in a chair (always lying around or in a cross-legged position), wore large hats and hoodies that all seemed to have large floppy ears, constantly twirled her long orange hair, and always looked to have either a video game and a candy on her at all time. How she was able to function as an intelligence officer was a mystery to most, but Zero didn't care. Akane's information was always reliable and actionable, and always came in when it needed to come in. For Zero, he couldn't ask for anything more.

Zero mulled over the information just given for him. Each company in the Black Knights had about 30 knightmares, so sending a company to the area might be a solution. It was merely a matter of who would be the best to lead the operation. "Who's in charge of the garrison of Kobe?" he asked.

"Alister Fullmark. Or rather Lord Alister Fullmark VI, as he is prone to calling himself. From what I can tell, it's mostly thanks to familial connections that he was appointed to his post. He always talks a big game, but his records show that he's barely seen any action."

That was all Zero needed to hear. "General Ladyhawke," he said, addressing his sister and the former 2nd princess of the Britannian Empire, "I'm sending you to Kobe with the 2nd and 3rd companies. Merge with whatever forces can be spared from Hiroshima and Kagawa and take Kobe."

Cornelia smiled behind the black veil that she used as a disguise. "With an opponent like that, you can expect Kobe to be yours within a week or two," she said.

"I love the optimism. In the meantime, Majors Sugiyama and Inoue will take their respective companies and begin an attack on Osaka. General Todoh, I'm giving you three companies to begin with for the assault on Kyoto. Once General Ladyhawke and Captains Sugiyama and Inoue have completed their respective assignments, they are to take their companies and assist General Todoh unless otherwise instructed."

"That takes of the South," Zero continued as he shuffled his papers. "As far as the Kanto region is concerned, we'll focus primarily on Tokyo, Yokohama, and Chiba. Deputy Commander Ohgi, I'm putting you in charge of the offensives in the 23 wards as you have the most experience here with urban guerrilla warfare. I want at least half of the wards under our control before we make an attempt on the Settlement."

"We already have Takadonababa and Akihabara under our control" Ohgi said. "I can begin work from there."

"Excellent. As for the other two cities, we'll start with Yokohama before moving on to Chiba. This operation will be carried by the new 5th Company, led by Lt. – now Captain – Chiba."

"Me?" Captain Chiba asked, surprised that this was the reason. "What is this?"

"Well, with the influx of recruits, we've created some new companies to keep them all organized. As such, you'll be heading up one of them."

"W-Why me?"

"Because you've proven yourself in battle, because you've shown that you can be calm under fire and because you can get people to listen to you. You're excellent solider, let's see if you can handle something a little bigger."

"B-But I'm ne-needed with General Todoh –"

"General Todoh was the one who recommended you for this post" Zero responded, gesturing to man in question, who was sitting to his left.

"It's time to spread your wings Chiba-san," Todoh chimed in, looking at his former subordinate. "You're going to do fine."

At this, Captain Chiba straightened up and blazed with a steely resolve. "You'll have Yokohama by the end of the month, Zero-sama."

"I love the enthusiasm" Zero said with genuine kindness. "Let's move on to international matters. What is the current status of the United Federation of Nations?"

It was again Kurohime who answered. "Currently, India, Thailand, and Vietnam have openly acknowledged the UFN and are working to join. Indonesia, Malaysia, and Jakarta will all join when they have succeeded in removing Britannian forces from their borders. And we've been getting reports that there is growing support within China."

Zero acknowledged the response and then turned to the screen at the end of the room, or rather, one part of the screen. "And how are things going in China, General Katase?"

The general gave a small smile through the screen. While a little annoyed that he was missing out on the fight in Japan, he was more than happy to help them out while stationed in China, especially after their failed invasion of Kyushu.

"Your man managed to get rid of a good number of the eunuchs, but he still left enough to cause us some trouble. I've been working with General Xi and the Empress to take care of what's left of them."

"Hey, whatever did happen to Mao?" Tamaki asked in his usual loudmouthed way.

"Mao is currently on a special assignment in China. Kurohime, Generals Ladyhawke, Katase, and Todoh, as well as Major Kozuki, Sugiyama, and Inoue have been briefed on the matter" Zero replied. It had actually been a surprise to get the call from Mao, but he had informed Zero that during his mission that he had come across some odd activity happening around the Geass Directorate. He didn't know what was going on, only that it seemed to involve the possibility of "activating the catacombs." Zero didn't have any idea what that could entail but gave Mao the green light to investigate, especially as this new information had particularly spooked C.C. His Director of Special Intelligence had refused to explain it, only urging Lelouch to give Mao permission before locking herself in a room with documents and books that had been in a suitcase that she had hidden prior to her capture by Clovis. Zero hoped that these "catacombs" were just some inane prank on Mao's part, but he felt that it probably wasn't.

"In any event" Zero continued, returning his mind to the meeting at hand, "it appears you have your work cut out for you. How long do you anticipate the timeline being?"

"A few weeks. I was going to ask for a company of Knightmares to help speed things along, but that seems like a bad idea given…the situation in the north."

"I think it's we address the elephant in the room," Ohgi said resignedly. "What are we going to do about the Europa United?"

Zero sighed. He knew he would be kicking himself over this for some time. Lelouch had been so focused on what was happening inside Japan that he hadn't forgotten to keep an eye on what else was happening in the world. Apparently, in this timeline, the E.U was faring a bit better than last time. They had managed not only to hold on to most of their African holdings but also keep Schniezel out of Russia and Eastern Europe. It was still unclear how exactly this happened, but it seemed that it was in part due to the fact that Schniezel was being forced to split his time more than before; Lelouch had been getting reports that his successes were causing a decent level of chaos in both the bureaucracy and the parliament back the Britannian Homeland.

It was also his successes that had caused the E.U to invade Japan.

Zero could completely understand why the E.U had chosen to take this course of action. To their eyes, Japan was currently caught up in a civil war between a radical terrorist and an inexperienced and unpopular Viceroy. There was also power vacuum in the Pacific region at this point, as Britannian control of its colonies was slipping, and China was caught up in its own civil war (again, thanks to Lelouch's machinations). Seeing an opportunity, the E.U had pounced. Shortly after the SAZ had collapsed, they had moved a small army (including at least 200 Knightmares) across the Trans-Siberian Railroad to Vladivostok, where a navy of a similar size had been amassed. From there, they had a blitzkrieg style assault on Sapporo, taking place within the course of a single night. The rest of Hokkaido had fallen within a few days after that. With success as easy as that, Lelouch knew that they wouldn't be content with just that.

"I think that first, we need to talk with the Oversight Committee, see if they want anything" Chiba suggested, as she was new to this level of strategy and was unsure how it operated.

"I've already talked to the Oversight Committee" Zero replied, referring to the group that consisted of the Kyoto Group and Princess Euphemia. "As far as they are concerned, they will back any plan that we come up with, provided that it's within reason. All they've asked is that we don't let the situation get any worse than it already has in the North."

And things had already gotten bad in the North of Japan, with a four-way war having broken out. There were the Europeans, who had managed to capture Hokkaido. There were the Black Knights, who had been caught by surprise and (to Zero's regret) were underequipped and unsure how to respond to the growing chaos in the region. The Britannians were also still in the North, trying their best keep a lid on things. And finally, there was a new group: Taiyo no chi, or Blood of the Sun. Emerging out of the chaos that had arisen from the SAZ debacle, they were an ultra-nationalist group who had risen in rebellion. They were led by a man named Colonel Akinu, a former member of the Japanese Army; whose stated opinion was that Japan should be clean of anything that was either non-Japanese or non-Japanese related (a view that he had apparently held even before the Invasion). This inevitably put him at a difference with the Black Knights, who had openly adopted a policy of taking in both Britannians and Japanese as members. It also didn't help that Akinu had once been close friends with Kusakabe, with Kusakabe being the less radical of the two (according to Todoh and Katase). In any event, the Blood of the Sun had wasted no time declaring war on the Black Knights and attacking whatever strongholds they had in the North. They didn't control any prefectures (they were too small and radical), but at the rate, they were going, Lelouch knew it was only a matter of time before they did.

"It's obvious that we'll be engaging the Britannians and the Chi, but what are we doing about the E.U?" Tamaki asked.

"I know they launched a surprise attack on Sapporo, but maybe we should see if the Europeans are open to an alliance?" Sugiyama suggested.

"I disagree. If they were even interested in an alliance, wouldn't they have approached us before their invasion?" Ohgi countered.

"They may have tried, but they missed? After all, it's not like we keep an open hotline" Inoue said.

"Be that as it may, there's no telling what their intentions are" Kallen said. "Are they here to liberate or are they here to conquer?"

"Zero, I may be able to shed some light on the matter," Diethard Reid said through the screen. Zero motioned at him to continue. "I've been to the E.U on press assignments before. I've seen in their great cities that they operate ghettos similar to the ones that are comparable to the ones I've seen set up by the Britannians."

"But maybe we can force them to reform their policies?" Sugiyama posited.

"I sincerely doubt that," Todoh said.

"It also appears they have someone in mind for leading Japan" Akane chimed in. "Your old friend Atsushi Sawazaki."

"How the hell is that idiot still alive?" Suzaku asked, a look of anger coming across his face. Lelouch wasn't sure where it was coming from, but he had an idea; he knew that some ugly words had been traded between him and his father's former chief cabinet factory.

"It appears he must've slipped away after his failed attempt at a coup at Kyushu and made his way to E.U territory," Kurohime said with a sigh. "In any case, it appears that the E.U will be less than likely to join with us, as Sawazaki probably is angry at us for thwarting his last attempt to gain control of Japan."

"Zero-sama, I have recently acquired some information that may be insightful to the council," a new voice said, one laced with strength and a northern accent. Zero looked and saw that its owner was Koshamain Murakami, the leader of Northern Resistance who was commonly known by the nickname "Kurokuma," or "Black Bear." Once a lieutenant in the Japanese Army, the half-Ainu rebel had been leading the rebel forces on Hokkaido ever since the Invasion. Lelouch had intended to meet with him in the previous timeline but had been prevented from doing so due to losing his memories to his father's Geass. By the time he had gotten them back, Kurokuma had died through the course of a Britannian raid. Having now spoken to him, Lelouch greatly regretted that they hadn't talked. Kurokuma had shown himself to be a man of great cunning, tenaciousness, and innovation, fitting right into the war council (despite several people silently resenting his presence due to his ancestry).

He was also very good at killing, which made Zero like him all the better.

Kurokuma handed over a piece of paper towards Lelouch, saying "One of the men in my company found this the day before we left. It says that martial law has been … 'temporarily' enacted and that 'all threatening groups and peoples must cease activities'".

"I see" Zero said, looking over the piece of paper. "And I assume that the Black Knights qualify as a 'threating group'?"

A short nod affirmed that. "Well then," Zero said, placing down the paper. "It appears that the course we must take is clear. Does anyone have any objections?"

No one objected. "Very well. I'll lead the push into the North myself with Colonel Kurokuma" Zero continued, "using my Zero Company, as well as the Special Forces under Colonel Tamaki and the 6th and 7th companies."

"Zero, why go north?" Colonel Chiba asked.

"Right now, the North is in the middle of a four-way war, while the rest is a two-way war between the Britannians and us. Bradley has been temporarily put out of actions due to some Knightmare damage he took during a raid he led last week in Nagasaki, so I feel like this is the best time for us to gain some ground while we have the chance. Any more questions?"

The question was met with a room of silence. "Very well, let's begin preparations. We have a war to fight."

Ok, so that's all I got for now! See you guys at the next update!