Chaos in Area 11: Part 2

Chapter 7

Character Bios: See End of Chapter

As the days went by, while Reinhard and Yang finalized their plan, many other individuals learned of and reacted to the death of Prince Clovis...

Cornelia's Room, Royal Headquarters, Area 18

The news of Prince Clovis' passing had reached his half-sisters, Princess Cornelia and Princess Euphemia, who were both deeply moved by the event...

Cornelia slams her fist onto the table, and yells "Damn that Area 11! First I lose Lelouch and Nunnally, and now Clovis? After we are done here, I will bring order to that place..." Then, she turns to her sister, who was sullenly staring off into the distance, so she places a hand on her shoulder, and says "How are you holding up, Euphy?"

Euphemia sadly sighs, and says "I don't know... I've just been thinking of Lelouch and Nunnally, and how much I miss them. Why did they have to go to Area 11 anyway...?" Hearing this, Cornelia goes silent, well aware that those two were sent there because Lelouch angered their father. She definitely didn't agree with the decision, but there wasn't anything anyone could have done to stop it at the time.

Cornelia simply says "I wish I had an answer for you, Euphy... The most we can do now is live well, for all of their sakes..." Following that, Cornelia hugs her sister, and then leaves to prepare their next battle plan, probably hoping to drown herself in her work, to avoid thinking any longer about the loss of her half-brother.

And now that Euphemia was alone, she mumbles to herself, saying "Could those two really be gone though? No one saw them since they went to Area 11, so maybe they survived...?" But then she shakes her head, and says "No, that's just foolishness... I need to focus on the present now, just like she said..."

Braunschweig Mansion, Pendragon, Holy Britannian Empire

In this opulent location, the nobles Braunschweig and Flegel were discussing the latest news out of Area 11 as well...

A servant walks up to both of the nobles, who were sitting next to each other in a well-stocked study, and pours them both glasses of red wine. After that, the servant was dismissed, before Braunschweig says "It seems like the Royal Family has lost another of theirs..."

Flegel takes a sip of his drink, and responds, saying "So it seems... I wonder how the rest of the Area 11 staff will handle this situation..." Braunschweig simply drinks a bit of his glass as well, before pulling up a document and presenting it to Flegel.

Then, Braunschweig says "I was given a leak of their current plans, if you'd like to see. It looks like they will blame a young Honorary Britannian soldier, and hope that things work out after that."

Hearing this, Flegel laughs and says "That does sound like a plan hatched up by the Purist Faction. I doubt it will actually accomplish what they desire though. But maybe we could use this to our advantage, Uncle...?"

Braunschweig hums to himself, as he says "You have a plan? I'm all ears, especially after Astarte. Since the blonde brat did better than we expected, it made us look incompetent. And now I owe a favor to Schneizel without any gains..."

Flegel nods, and says "That's true, but this little idea would be something for after the situation in Area 11 stabilizes a bit. With Clovis' death, there will be a vacuum of power, and I can't imagine anyone currently stationed there to completely fill that. So we select someone to act upon that role..."

Upon saying this, Flegel takes another sip, while Braunschweig says "Who do you have in mind?" After this question, Flegel pulls up the file of a seasoned member of the Britannian Parliament's House of Lords, and gives it to Braunschweig. He examines it, and then says "The current Defense Chair, Job Trunicht? He seems to be doing well this year..."

Flegel smiles, and says "Quite so... He also is a man who values having friends among the nobility, and I am sure he would take the role as the new Viceroy, if he was given the opportunity..."

After this, Braunschweig finishes his drink, and says "Area 11 should be a profitable sector, especially with the abundance of Sakuradite. Someone like him might give us a fair cut of those profits, which would be a welcome boon. And having a friendly face at the head of Area 11 would carry many other perks as well. Excellent idea, Flegel..."

Flegel then finishes his glass next, and then says "You honor me, Uncle... I'll begin making the arrangements." Now that they had a plan in mind, both high nobles look forward to the future, hoping to bring themselves ahead of the Royal Family.

The General's Quarters, Pendragon, Holy Britannian Empire

In this building, General Muckenberger was meeting with Klaus von Lichtenlade, the current Minister of State, as they were both also concerned with the recent events in Area 11...

Muckenberger sighs to himself, as he reviews the current available information regarding Area 11, as Lichtenlade says "Things seem tense right now, but truthfully, Prince Clovis was, unfortunately, not the type to run a government location effectively. We might even see an overall increase of productivity in Area 11, after the smoke clears..."

Hearing this, Muckenberger nods, and says "I feel the same as you do, but I am concerned with what they plan to do in the interim. There is still the issue of who committed the act of assassination, and I have my doubts that this Suzaku Kururugi is even the real culprit."

Lichtenlade smiles, and then says "Ahh yes, I've heard that they seemed to have determined that the young Honorary Britannian soldier was the one to assassinate the prince. But with how present the Purist Faction is in Area 11, it all does seem too convenient to their end goals."

Muckenberger nods again, and says "If they really wish to blame this young kid, then Area 11 could erupt into a full scale rebellion. And there are already too many resistance fighters and terrorists present there, that still haven't been extinguished. I wonder if I should bring a detachment and intervene..."

Surprisingly, Lichtenlade shakes his head, causing Muckenberger to look at him, slight confused. He explains, saying "I do not believe that will be necessary. Your favorite officer, Reinhard von Musel, is stationed in Area 11 as an adjunct to the Sub-Viceroy. Even if you still hold a grudge, I cannot deny his ability."

Muckenberger simply sighs to himself, before going to pour himself a drink, while saying "At this point, I would be a stubborn fool to dismiss that boy. He surely has some kind of plan to actually resolve this situation..."

Lichtenlade nods, and then adds, saying "And I understand that Yang Wen-li is stationed as another adjunct, so I have no doubts that the situation in Area 11 will not worsen, at the very least. Although they are both wild cards, so we should continue to watch them closely, without impeding them..."

Muckenberger agrees, while handing Lichtenlade a drink of his own, before saying "Speaking of Prince Clovis, how did His Majesty take the news?"

Lichtenlade has some of his drink, before scratching at his chin, while saying "Quite frankly, I find it difficult to read His Majesty at times. He did slightly concerned by the death of Prince Clovis, but he quickly retreated to his private quarters. Outside of that, he has not shown any signs of grieving, although I cannot tell if he is simply keeping a strong façade for appearance's sake."

Following that conversation, Minister Lichtenlade left to return to his duties, while General Muckenberger continued to monitor the situation in Area 11...

Camelot Research Building, Tokyo Settlement, Area 11

Following Reinhard's request, Jeremiah Gottwald made arrangements so Suzaku could continue to run tests for the experimental Knightmare Frame, the Lancelot...

Another standard test was currently underway, with Camelot director Lloyd Asplund and assistant director Cecile Croomy observing the flowing data. And once they had finished the test, Suzaku leaves the Lancelot, and begins to talk with the two of them, as a post-experiment interview.

Lloyd begins, calmly saying "Now then Suzaku, can you describe how it felt to pilot the Lancelot during this exercise?"

Hearing this, Suzaku thinks for a few moments, until he says "I'm not sure if I can explain it well, but it just feels natural to pilot it, like I can make it move the way I want it to. Even though it all looks complicated, it's almost like I'm just moving my body around..."

Lloyd and Cecile proceed to write this down, as Lloyd says "It sounds like you're an even better candidate for the Lancelot than I originally thought! If you continue running drills with it, I am sure we will see even greater capabilities out of it..."

Cecile nods, but then she give Suzaku a bottle of water, while saying "You did a great job, but don't forget to recover, okay? Neither of us wants to see you wear yourself out." Then she turns to Lloyd, and adds, saying "Right, Director...?"

Lloyd merely chuckles and says "Oh of course, our devicer would be of no use if he fails to look after his health..."Cecile just sighs, realizing that Lloyd could only see things through the lens of his scientific research.

But the Suzaku changes the subject, saying "I really can't believe I'm getting this second chance. And I'm really happy that you're both willing to still work with me..."

Cecile warmly smiles at Suzaku, and says "You're a good person, and I would hate it if an innocent youth was blamed for a crime that he didn't commit." Suzaku looks up happily in response, surprised by Cecile's kind words.

So then he says "You're fine with me even though I'm an Eleven...?" A few passerby's hear this, and grumble while shuffling away, causing Suzaku to look down in shame.

But Cecile just says "Your standing doesn't influence me, Suzaku. I try not to see the world with such rigid lines..." Suzaku remained silent, amazed that he met another person so soon after Reinhard and Yang who didn't hold his heritage against him.

Unsurprisingly, Lloyd adds, saying "It really doesn't matter to me if you're Britannian or an Eleven. If you can advance my research, then I'm content..." Even though Suzaku only knew Lloyd for a few months so far, he fully expected this kind of response. From what he witnessed, Lloyd was a man who was truly obsessed with his research, to the point that he barely showed interest in other areas. But even with all of that, Suzaku wasn't convinced that Lloyd merely didn't notice these things; he thought that Lloyd was simply uninterested, since he would still comment on social issues if he wanted to make a snarky or clever statement.

After that, Suzaku finishes his water, and prepares to return to his holding area, when he notices a group of nearby soldiers suddenly saluting, making him realize that an officer was approaching...

Major Kircheis was planning on inspecting Camelot's branch here in Area 11, especially now that Reinhard was planning on working so closely with them. He was aware that they've made a breakthrough with this new Knightmare frame, so he hoped to get some information directly from the source, while checking on Suzaku's condition at the same time. When he heard of Suzaku's situation, and how Reinhard included him in his plan, he was relieved that they could prevent someone innocent from being punished. This whole situation made him hope that Reinhard, along with Yang, could change Britannia for the better.

Once Kircheis enters the building, he inquires on where the Lancelot tests were being performed, so he quickly makes his way there. And when he nears the area where the Lancelot was, he saw that the test seemed to be finished, so he settles for just meeting the head researchers, along with checking on Suzaku.

When Kircheis arrives, the nearby soldiers salute, which prompts Suzaku to do the same. And Suzaku was not expecting an important officer to approach him, so in the process of saluting, he accidentally drops his bottle of water. But to his surprise, Kircheis calmly picks up the bottle, and hands it to Suzaku, while saying "I'm happy to see you holding up well, Suzaku. You may ease yourself."

Suzaku's eyes widen, as he returns to a more relaxed stance, as he says "You honor me too much, Captain! You don't need to worry about me. I may be just an Eleven, but I'll do my part!" Suzaku held an expression that was partially determined and partially ashamed, but Kircheis merely smiles back at him gently.

Then, he says "Last I heard; you were still an Honorary Britannian. So there is no need to put yourself down so much. You're already working hard for us, and you're willing to take part in a potentially dangerous operation, so you've already proven your character. At least, in my eyes..."

Hearing this, Lloyd laughs, and says "My, my... Aren't you a reasonable one! If we had more officers like you, maybe things wouldn't be so bad in this world." Kircheis smiles at him, while Cecile shoots her colleague a sharp glare, as if to tell him to behave around officers who had an influence on their employment and funding.

But Kircheis turns to Lloyd, and says "You flatter me, Mr. Director. And while I'm here, I wish to relay just how much we appreciate your work. I hope that Camelot will be willing to collaborate with us after this operation finishes."

Lloyd smiles, while grabbing a cup of coffee and sipping from it, before saying "I find it much more enjoyable, and exciting, to work under someone clever like Colonel Reinhard or Colonel Yang. At least, when compared to a foolish royal..."

Kircheis calmly smiles, while Cecile gasps and says "What Director Lloyd was trying to say was that we are grateful for the chance to continue working with Suzaku, so we may finalize the Lancelot project." After that, she salutes, and then pesters Lloyd to follow suit, which prompts Kircheis to return to his other duties.

But before he leaves, he says "Let me, or any other of Reinhard's or Yang's staff officers, if you need any assistance. Take care..." He then respectfully nods, and leaves their presence, allowing Lloyd and Cecile to continue prodding Suzaku's mind for more data regarding the Lancelot...

Hi-TV Building, Tokyo Settlement, Area 11

While Reinhard and Yang finalized their plan to catch the true culprit of Prince Clovis' murder, Jeremiah acted to carry out one early portion of their plan, by meeting with an influential producer at the Hi-TV news media building...

Jeremiah, along with Villetta Nu, approach the front desk staff, and says "Greetings, my name is Jeremiah Gottwald. I believe that I have an appointment with a Diethard Ried." The desk staff person checks the records, and then ushers the two guests to Diethard Ried's office, and lets them inside.

Once they were there, Diethard introduces himself, saying "Hello! I am one of the producers here at Hi-TV. I understand that you need to contract us out to spread some news? Would I be wrong to assume that this relates to Prince Clovis' recent death?"

Jeremiah remains silent for a moment, impressed but suspicious that this man made that connection. He could guess that this Diethard was more perceptive than he originally expected, so he would need to be guarded with what exactly he said. It would be for the best if he strictly kept up the appearance that the current plan was to execute Suzaku Kururugi for Prince Clovis' death, stressing that he was the sole one responsible. As Jeremiah remained silent, Diethard smiles and says "You can just tell me what is necessary..."

Following this, Jeremiah explains the 'plan' to deal with the killer of Prince Clovis, hoping that Diethard would focus more on the obvious foolishness of this 'plan' rather than the possibility that there was a true plan beneath this presented false 'plan'.

And once Jeremiah heard all of it, he taps his chin and says "So, what you need me to do is spread that this boy was the one who murdered Prince Clovis, even though the proof is circumstantial?"

Jeremiah nods, aware of the role he needed to play, as he says "It will be a necessary sacrifice. The Honorary Britannian program will be dealt a harsh blow, while we alleviate the tension from the prince's death."

With that answer, Diethard smirks and says "You don't need to justify yourself to me, Sub-Viceroy Jeremiah. As long as we are fairly compensated, we will fulfill this contract." Then, he stands and shakes Jeremiah's hand, as he adds, saying "I look forward to future business with you..."

Jeremiah smiles before leaving the office with Villetta, suppressing his distaste for having to say these kinds of things and act as the typical purist faction member. And once they were out of the building, Villetta whispers, saying "I know this must be hard for you, sir. But with this, we could figure out who truly performed the assassination!"

And as they leave the area, they approach a nearby bar, hoping to unwind after playing the role of typically bigoted Britannians. But when they enter, they see one of Yang's officers, Walter von Schenkopp, and one of Reinhard's, Wolfgang Mittermeyer, having a drink at the bar. And once Schenkopp and Mittermeyer see them, the two wave them over...

Nearby Bar, Tokyo Settlement, Area 11

Now that the four of them were together, Jeremiah requests a private room in the bar, just in case their conversation moved toward the current plans for catching the one who really assassinated Prince Clovis...

Schenkopp smiles, and says "You two look like you were busy."

Jeremiah nods, and says "We needed to make arrangements with Hi-TV, since we needed whichever terrorist who committed the act to be well aware of whom we were planning to blame the act on." Then, he takes a drink from his glass, and then sighs, before adding, saying "I just can't wait until we're finished with this farce. I can't say I enjoy playing the role of the zealous Britannian purist..."

Hearing this, Villetta says "We're only doing this to catch the real killer. And if this all goes well, we could damage the Purist Faction's influence here. Then, we won't need to even humor their desires..."

Jeremiah laughs to himself lightly, and says "When did you become such a moderate, Villetta...?"

Villetta merely shakes her head, and says "I only joined the Purist Faction because I had a deep respect for you as an officer. And after fighting on the front lines for all these years, I've seen that anyone could screw up, or find success, on the battlefield; no matter their origin."

After that, Jeremiah takes another swig of his drink, and says "Well, I'm glad I'm not surrounded by hardliners..."

Then Mittermeyer puts down his glass, saying "I feel the same way. It's good to be working with reasonable comrades. And I must say, you really are playing a difficult role Jeremiah, and not one that any of us envy."

Schenkopp nods, and says "Same here. I know if I were in your shoes, I would have been discharged years ago by knocking out one of those fools..."

Upon hearing this, Jeremiah says "You must have a unique perspective, as the current leader of the Knights of the Rose. Didn't your parents originally live in the EU, specifically in Germany, even though you were born in Britannia?"

Before answering, Schenkopp takes a large drink of his glass, and then says "I would say so, yes. I was born here, but I have a different view on some things, so I'm less tolerant of the typical Britannian zealot than others. Surprisingly, I've never been treated differently, since technically I'm just as 'Britannian' as anyone else. I wonder if it has to do with me having ties to another major political power, than somewhere that Britannia subjugated..."

Villetta shakes her head, and says "It could be because of your skill in combat and your experience in general. I can imagine you challenging anyone who questions your right to live normally, and I can't see many people winning that dispute."

Schenkopp laughs and nods, and says "That could possibly be it! That kid, on the other hand, is just a private, so he doesn't have much to lean on. But when this is over, I want to start training him in close quarters combat. I think he's got potential."

Jeremiah then taps his chin, before saying "You think so? That could be easily arranged. We should try and get all of Camelot under our wing while we're at it."

Mittermeyer then nods, and says "Of course. They are developing more advanced technologies every day, so we should keep them on our side."

But after that, Jeremiah pauses for a moment, before saying "Anyway, how are Reinhard and Yang doing with all the preparations? I've mostly let them work on their own..."

Mittermeyer responds, saying "Those two are really amazing. The last time I was in the room with them, they'd fire off potential actions back and forth, before easily finding ways to counteract each other. I wouldn't want either of them as opponents..."

But Schenkopp grins, and says "But at the same time, we're lucky to have them both developing the strategy."

Jeremiah nods, and says "I got to see Reinhard's ability at Astarte, but I never could picture how it might look to see two people of his ability working together. Maybe the situation here in Area 11 will actually improve..."

Following their conversation, the four of them leave the bar and continue on their day...

And so, time continues to slowly advance, while Reinhard and Yang tirelessly hone their strategy to capture the person, or group, which truly assassinated Prince Clovis...

Character Bios

Cornelia li Britannia

Cornelia is the second princess of the Britannian Royal Family. She is a skilled warrior and Knightmare Frame pilot, as well as a military leader. She is a highly serious person, and harshly looks down on non-Britannians, believing that Britannia should be the true leader of the world. In a sense, Cornelia is so focused on waging war so that her sister, Euphemia, could lead a safe and secure life.

Currently, she is in Area 18 leading the subjugation force, focusing the anger she feels for her half-brother's death into her combat.

Euphemia li Britannia

Euphemia is the third princess of the Britannian Royal Family. She is a young woman who distastes violence and war, which does put her at odds with Britannia's current foreign policy. Even though she feels this way, it hasn't negatively influenced her relationship with her sister, Cornelia. But deep down, she wishes that her sister could abandon all of the fighting that she does for her country.

She is currently in Area 18 with her sister, although she is keeping far away from any of the fighting occurring there.

Lloyd Asplund

Lloyd is the director at Camelot, which is a Britannian research group that has developed many advanced and experimental products, with the Lancelot being their latest project. He is also a noble, although he rarely attends functions or even behaves like a typical noble would, as he is much more interested in his research.

Right now, his current obsession is bringing the Lancelot Project to a point where it can deploy onto the field. And with how Reinhard and Yang clearly recognized the potential of the Lancelot, he now holds some curiosity toward those newcomers as well.

Diethard Ried

Diethard is a producer at a major news media firm, called Hi-TV. He is a man who values a good story above anything else, and there are rumors that he is searching for a potential subject to follow and document. Due to his experience as a journalist, he has a keen eye.

Job Trunicht

Job Trunicht is currently the Defense Chair on the Britannian Parliament, specifically on the House of Lords. He is a competent member of the government, but there are rumors of his corrupt nature and willingness to do favor to those in significant areas of power, such as the high nobles. Typically, he gives fiery and patriotic speeches, which provides him with plenty of favor with the nobles and more influential Britannians.

Britannia has a typical bicameral legislature (2 houses/chambers) with the Upper House being the House of Lords and the Lower House being the Senate. The House of Lords mainly cover the needs of the nobles while the Senate covers the needs of the common people. They don't have nearly as much power as the high nobles or royal family, but they can have an influence, especially members of the House of Lords, so certain members can receive large perks for supporting more influential Britannians. (this is how the system works in Code Geass, with a few tweaks)

Yang Wen-li

(I forgot to include his bio)

He was the son of a merchant from the Chinese Federation, but he was born after they immigrated to Britannia, making him technically a Britannian citizen. His father died in a run in with thieves during a delivery, causing Yang to be forced to attend a The Holy Britannian Officer Academy of Terneuzen because he cannot afford school otherwise.

He wasn't as motivated in the war-centric courses, but he was highly skilled with the practical exercises. He was in the same class as Reuenthal and Mittermeyer, and met and befriended Reinhard and Kircheis through them, along with Dusty.

Yang had, and still has, a love for history, and has a strong distaste to how Britannians seem to frequently look down on non-Britannians.

After the Battle of El-Facil, his friend and senior at the officer academy, Alex Cazellnu, assigned a war orphan to Yang, with the hopes of making him a bit more responsible. That ward was Julian Minci.

Dusty Attemborough

(I forgot to include his bio)

Dusty was born in Britannia and attended The Holy Britannian Officer Academy of Terneuzen. While he went there, he befriended Yang, where they frequently shared stories of slacking off in class and avoiding having to do class work.

He also got to know Reinhard and Kircheis, due to knowing Yang, who in turn knew them through Reuenthal and Mittermeyer. Through that confusing web, those six remained close friends both at the academy and afterward, as they all were assigned to various locations.

He is a highly laid back person, and is almost as much of a fan of alcohol as his senior, Yang.

Character Military Ranks as of this point

Reinhard von Musel - Lieutenant colonel

Yang Wen-li - Lieutenant colonel

Siegfried Kircheis - Major

Dusty Attemborough - Major

Wolfgang Mittermeyer - Major

Oskar von Reuenthal - Major

Walter von Schenkopp - Major

Frederica Greenhill - First Lieutenant

Fritz Josef Bittenfeld - Major

Alex Cazellnu - Major

Author's Notes

1) Hey everyone! This chapter (and probably the next one) will mainly involve characters interacting and laying the ground work before the actual operation occurs. I'm including some character bios, as well as some that I forgot to include originally (like for Yang and a few others)

2) I decided to include this list of character ranks too, since it might not be clear. I'm not 100% sure of this, since Code Geass doesn't seem to list out concrete military ranks, and LOGH focuses more on the naval aspect. Hopefully it all works well. I'll add this in to the end of the first chapter that starts this arc (Chapter 5) as well.

3) I also hope that people who are watching the new Legend of the Galactic Heroes (Die Neue These) like it. I'm watching it, and it's been pretty good so far. If you're a fan of the original, or haven't gotten into it due to the large amount episodes, you should definitely check it out.

4) If you have any feedback, feel free to share it in a review!

Take care!