Blaze: (nervously pokes head out of bunker and sees a mob wielding pitchforks and torches outside) eep! Why are you after me again?
Mob: we can't find Tara
Blaze: ah, well, Bakura! Do the beginning author's note (bolts into bunker, slams door shut, and locks it)
Bakura: (growls) no. Suzaku, you do it (strides off)
Suzaku: again? Oh all right. This is the third and final part of this battle and the next chapter covers the "Aftermath" of the event in which something happens that is very important. Well, now to thank those who reviewed. Uh, where's the paper?
Lelouch: (pulls out list of people who reviewed the last chapter) Blaze would like to thank ewertondragon, Demons Anarchy of Pride, harlequin320, Littleladybug2, Shadow-Shinobi666, Blacksword Zero, F.C.C.S, B-Kira, Doommajor, OBSERVER01, DYnoJackal19,Dadycoool, Republic Che, and Shimmering-Sky for reviewing the last chapter. She sends her gratitude.
Suzaku: she hopes that you enjoy this chapter, even though it is only twelve pages long, but it is over 6,000 words long so that's good. Reviews, as always, are much appreciated.
. . .
March 1, 2016
Underground Tunnels, Outskirts of the Osaka Settlement
Hozumi walked into the main chamber where the majority of his followers were gathered and they glanced up. Naora pushed herself away from the wall that she was leaning against and Nomi turned to face the leader of the Crimson Sakuras.
"Have you found out anything, Nomi?" Hozumi asked.
"Nothing much but Naora came up with an idea," Nomi said.
"What kind of idea?" Hozumi asked, turning to Naora who leaned back against the wall, folding her arms across her chest, her eyes fixed on him.
"I was thinking far into the future," she said. "For when we take control of the city itself, I was thinking of a way that would allow us to keep Britannia from claiming it again once we've gotten control of it."
"We first have to get control of it and we're focusing on your plan for right now, Naora," Hozumi said and that plan was taking control of the Osaka Military Base. Naora was the one who was working through all the details of that plan while Nomi was in charge of gathering information but they wouldn't be ready to implement that plan until they got more resources and weapons to use.
"And we can't do much with my plan until you get more resources and weapons," Naora mused as if reading Hozumi's thoughts.
"Yeah but, once I speak to our supplier, I'm sure that it won't take too long to get our supplies and resources," Hozumi said. "But, back to the matter at hand, what is your idea anyway?" He was curious.
Naora explained it, adding, "And if we're careful where we place them, we can avoid damaging the buildings and, potentially, causing civilian deaths. Also, I think we should use the City Hall as our headquarters when we do take the city."
Hozumi hummed in agreement. "I agree, on both accounts," he said. "All right, once we take the Osaka Military Base, we'll implement your plan, Naora."
"What of the person in charge of the military base if it's not General Andon?" Tadayoshi asked. "Do we kill him?"
"No. That had been the original idea but I've decided that we can use him. Not only is he likely going to have information that we could use but he could also be used as a bargaining chip should things go south," Hozumi said and then turned to Nomi. "I want you to keep going back to the Osaka Settlement. There has to be something that you can find out that'll be able to help us."
"I won't be able to get near the base itself, I wasn't yesterday, but I can try. I'll do my best though," Nomi said.
"That's all you really can do," Naora mused.
. . .
17
The White Knight's Debut
June 28, 2016
Major General Pyne's Office, Osaka Military Base
Lelouch gazed out of the large windows of Major General Pyne's office, studying the city of Osaka that lay in front of him. It was late; the sun was sinking beyond the horizon and stars were beginning to wink into existence in the dark sky.
Lelouch was thinking about the most recent battle. The lack of reinforcements during the retaking of the Osaka Military Base had taken Lelouch by surprise; he had expected the Crimson Sakuras to launch their reinforcements but they hadn't.
There was also the issue of Major General Pyne.
"They took him to the city?" Lelouch asked, turning to face Lieutenant Colonel Gretchen Frost who stood at attention in front of the desk.
"Yes, Your Highness," Frost said. "That was what Lieutenant Meadows said."
Lelouch hummed in thought and turned toward Jeremiah. "What do you think, Margrave? Why would they take Pyne to the city?" he asked.
"Possibly to use as a bargaining chip, Your Highness," Jeremiah suggested.
"Perhaps." Lelouch walked to the desk and sat down, dismissing Frost with a wave of his hand. She bowed and walked out of the office. He decided that he would worry about Pyne later; for now, he should settle matters with the most recent battle that his men had just finished. "What's the causality report, Margrave?"
"There were no causalities on our end, Your Highness, but twenty soldiers have been injured, five are in critical condition," Jeremiah reported.
Lelouch nodded.
A knock sounded on the door and Lelouch turned toward it. "Come in," he called and the door opened to reveal Stonewell. She looked exhausted as she made her way into the office, closing the door behind her and saluting clumsily.
"At ease, Lieutenant. What did you find out?" Lelouch asked.
Stonewell relaxed, wiping the sweat from her brow. "The streets are pretty empty. I ran across a family who insisted that I should get inside to avoid the terrorists who, apparently, do a sweep of the city for civilians once an hour. The civilians that they do find are taken to City Hall but, with the way they've organized their convoy, they almost seem to be protecting City Hall. There are two lines of defense. The knightmares that didn't engage in the battle here encircle City Hall, there are eighteen of them, while there is a defensive line of Bamides and tanks in front of the knightmares. No foot soldiers as far as I could see however and, after looking at the numbers that make up both defensive line, I estimate that our forces outnumber theirs by three to one at least."
Lelouch nodded, pressing his lips together in thought, eyes narrowed. "Three to one odds in our favor," he murmured, his mind turning cogs in his head. The Crimson Sakuras were reckless but they weren't stupid; they must have known that they would be outnumbered. That would explain why they hadn't bothered on sending in reinforcements. And yet they were setting up a defense as if they knew that Lelouch was going to attack them. Were they really willing to fight against the Black Knights even though the odds were badly against them?
Or did they have something else in mind?
But what?
Lelouch went over what the Crimson Sakuras could possibly have in mind, why they would prepare to fight in a very unfair battle with the odds against them.
Not to mention…
"You said that the second line of defense was in front of the circle of knightmares around City Hall, yes? Not around it like the knightmares were?" Lelouch asked.
"That's what I saw, Your Highness," Stonewell said.
They're trying to draw us in with that first defense line and yet the circle of knightmares suggests that they are aware that I might attack from a different direction but they are still prepared to fight, Lelouch thought. Why? Unless…
"It's a trap," Lelouch murmured.
"Your Highness?" Jeremiah said, turning to gaze at Lelouch who gazed at the door contemplatively before turning to Stonewell.
"Is that all?" he asked.
"Yes, Your Highness."
"Then you're dismissed." Lelouch went back to his thoughts, running through them again before all the pieces fell into place and he leaned back in his chair. "A trap," he murmured. "Make it look like they are going to fight despite the odds against them but have a failsafe that would ensure that they get the advantage. Clever."
Lelouch turned to Jeremiah as a plan began to form in his mind. "Margrave, are any of the tanks we fought against still functional?"
. . .
Security Room, Command Building, Osaka Military Base
Dimitri frowned to himself as he studied the surveillance tapes, trying to find something that would indicate just what could have happened to Major General Pyne as well as just what happened in the command building to begin with. So far, he hadn't found anything that he didn't already know from before and during the attack.
However, as he scrolled through the footage, he paused at a specific scene in which Hozumi Murkami and a young black-haired woman were talking next to the stairs of the military base, starting with the black-haired woman. He turned on the audio and listened:
["I do not approve of your plan to use Major General Pyne's family against him."]
["I don't see why not. It'll get me answers and I don't plan on harming them if he gives me what I want."]
["Still. I know my boss doesn't like your decision."]
["That's his problem. But this is not his organization, it's mine.]
["Yes, but we are the one that are supplying you."]
["Che. Just because you supply us does not mean we take orders from you. We are not one of your cells. I don't even know why the Liberators are so interested in my organization anyway.]
Dimitri paused the video tape, eyes wide. The Liberators. He shut down the computer and bolted, heading straight toward the office Prince Lelouch had claimed for himself.
. . .
Outside, Osaka Military Base
Kay leaned against the wall of the command building, watching as the various soldiers attempted to find a place to sleep for the night since the barracks had been destroyed. Many of them were already asleep but some weren't and a small group of Britannians were stationed on the northern end of the base keeping watch.
Kay was tired, the adrenaline he felt during the battle had vanished, but he felt too tired to actually sleep. Rayne had no problem; she had already crashed out next to him with her head pillowed on her arms. Suzaku was seated cross-legged with his back to the command building on the other side of the main doors, his gaze fixed on the star-speckled sky. Lila was in the medical transport where the wounded soldiers had been moved and Tadashi was crashed out, fast asleep, next to the medical transport; he had joined with Suzaku and Lila in helping the injured earlier.
Kay yawned and rubbed his eyes as someone came to join him. He turned to find Parker taking a seat beside him.
"I talked with my comrades and they told me about your piloting. I always knew that you would be an Ace knightmare pilot," Parker mused.
"Basic training helped," Kay said.
"They usually don't go into much detail about actually knightmare combat though and yet you seemed like a natural," Parker said. He glanced at him and added, "I'm proud of you."
Kay felt a feeling of warmth go through him. That was the first time anyone in his family had ever told him that they were proud of him; his parents certainly never did, believing him to be worthless.
"Thanks," he murmured softly.
Parker sighed. "You hate me, don't you?" he asked. "I know Rayne does."
"She doesn't hate you…not exactly. She's just…well…Mom and Dad hurt us and she…hasn't exactly come to terms with it yet," Kay said. I haven't either really, he thought.
"Gretchen told me about what Rayne told her that day you met her in the park. I gotta admit, I'm shocked that Mom and Dad would really treat you two that way but…that doesn't exactly explain why Rayne is so hostile towards me and Gretchen."
Kay shrugged, not wanting to talk about Rayne while she was sleeping beside him. "That's something you should discuss with her," he said.
"I think we all could benefit from just sitting down and talking," Parker said.
"Maybe."
"How about when we get back to Tokyo?" Parker suggested.
Kay was silent for a long moment and yawned. "I can ask her but I don't know what she'll say," he said softly.
Parker blinked at him sympathetically. "Get some sleep, Kayden. You need it," he said, patting Kay's shoulder.
"It's Kay now, Parker, but you're right," Kay said. He could, at least, try to get some sleep.
Parker stood up and walked away while Kay laid down beside his sister and, using his own arms as a pillow, closed his eyes and attempted to go to sleep.
. . .
Major General Pyne's Office, Osaka Military Base
Lelouch broke off in his discussion of what he planned on doing to take back Osaka when a knock sounded at the door and turned toward it. "Come in," he called and the door opened to reveal Dimitri, looking out of breath as if he had run all the way there. "Major Duncan, what brings you here?"
"Your Highness, I've found something important that I thought you should know," Dimitri said with a salute. "While I haven't found out just what happened to Major General Pyne, I did find out who has been supplying the Crimson Sakuras."
"Who?" Lelouch asked, interested.
"The Liberators."
Jeremiah's jaw dropped. "The Liberators? So they have made their move in Area 11," he said.
"It would appear so but through the use of another terrorist organization," Lelouch mused thoughtfully. "Technically speaking, the Liberators, themselves, have not made a move on Area 11 just yet but still. Thank you, Major Duncan."
Dimitri bowed and left when Lelouch dismissed him.
"Though the Liberators are a dangerous threat, we need to focus, right now, on taking Osaka back," Lelouch said.
"And you think that this plan will work?" Jeremiah said.
"The first phase will determine whether or not my suspicions are correct. If they are then the first phase will provide us with the perfect cover to start phase two. The Purist Faction along with the 23rd Squadron and Lloyd's pet project will act as the rearguard who will take on the defense circle around City Hall while the rest will take on the first line of defense," Lelouch said.
"Lloyd's pet project?" Jeremiah echoed.
Lelouch smiled. "Lloyd said that he's never tested it in battle but I figured this is the perfect chance. If it doesn't work, the Purist Faction and the 23d Squadron will be more than enough to make up for it. If it does work then it would take the enemy completely by surprise."
"What exactly is Lloyd's pet project?"
"The prototype of the first ever seventh generation knightmare frame."
. . .
Shinjuku Ghetto, Area 11
Ohgi guided Kallen quickly into the base and looked around. "Sugiyama, tell everyone that they need to grab everything important and get to the emergency escape tunnel now," he ordered. Sugiyama, who looked like he was about to question why, took one look at their blood-soaked clothes, and decided against it.
"Yes, sir," he said and darted off, shouting orders as he did so.
"Tamaki, find any and all incriminating evidence and burn it," Ohgi ordered.
"Right away but…what's going on? Why are you two covered in blood? Why's Kallen shaking? And where's Naoto?" Tamaki asked.
Kallen started crying again and Ohgi rubbed her shoulder comfortingly. "I'll explain later," he said, "but we have to get out of here. Tara sold us out, Tamaki. Britannia is going to be knocking on our door any moment now."
"Shit," Tamaki cursed and bolted, grabbing anything and everything that could incriminate them.
Sugiyama came running back into the room with Yoshida, Minami, Nagata, and Inoue right behind him. Ohgi frowned sadly when he realized that Naoto's Resistance had been reduced to eight members because of Tara's betrayal.
"Why are we leaving?" Inoue asked.
"Tara sold us out," Tamaki said as he ran past Inoue, carrying a stack of paper that he threw into the center of the room. He then darted off, returned a moment later with a match, and, lighting it, threw it onto the pile. The papers immediately caught aflame and Tamaki darted off again.
"We have to move now," Ohgi said while Inoue's eyes went wide with shock.
"First, tell us, where's Naoto?" Minami said.
Kallen continued to cry and Ohgi's face went grave. "Naoto's dead, Minami," he murmured.
Inoue gasped, her hand going to her lips, and her eyes welling up with tears while everyone else went wide-eyed with shock, even Tamaki paused in the midst of his packing to stare in shock.
Swallowing, Yoshida whispered, "Tell us everything when we get to safety."
"I will," Ohgi said and handed Kallen off to Inoue who gently wrapped her arms around the red-haired girl. He then darted off to grab his things as well as anything Naoto wouldn't want Britannia to find. Once he had packed everything in a ratted old suitcase, he darted down the stairs.
"Let's go. Tamaki, implement Emergency Plan Alpha as soon as we're clear," Ohgi ordered.
"Yes, sir," Tamaki said and darted off while the remnants of the Kozuki Resistance darted down the stairs into the basement of the base and into the escape tunnel that would take them to the edge of the Shinjuku Ghetto. Once they were halfway to the edge, Tamaki rejoined them, holding the detonator in his hand. He pressed it and, though it was muted due to the distance and the walls of the tunnel, they all heard the explosion that was the destruction of their first base.
Ohgi turned to face his friends, noting that Kallen was no longer crying or shaking nor did she look like she was going to be sick as she had after killing that Britannian soldier. "We're going to have to go to ground now and separate," he said. "Tara's seen all of our faces. She knows who we are. Kallen's the only one who can still be seen in public simply because Britannia will be more likely to believe her, due to her noble family, over Tara any day. However, I wouldn't put it past Tara to tell General Andon about all of us."
"It's a good thing we kept a lot of information about ourselves from her," Tamaki said.
Ohgi nodded in agreement. "Just…try not to draw attention to yourself. We…We can't do anything now. We've lost too many of our men and our leader and we…we need time to regroup and…" He trailed off, uncertain of how to continue. He wasn't charismatic like Naoto.
"You're our leader now, Ohgi," Inoue said softly.
"Yeah, Naoto chose ya to be his second so that makes ya our leader now," Tamaki said.
Ohgi swallowed and then gave them a soft smile. "I can't promise that I'll be as good as Naoto was but…Naoto's dream is mine also and now that he's…" He trailed off, paused, and then added, "I will do what I can to try and make Naoto's dream come true."
"And we'll help you every step of the way," Inoue promised.
"Agreed," Sugiyama said.
"Naoto would've wanted that," Kallen said softly, wiping the tears from her eyes.
Ohgi turned to Kallen and said softly, "You need to return to Ashford Academy, Kallen."
"What? But I wanna…"
"Right now, there is nothing to help with, Kallen, and Naoto would've wanted you to go back to school," Ohgi said firmly.
Kallen didn't like it but she slowly nodded her assent. While she didn't like it, Ohgi knew that she was still overcome with grief over the death of her big brother and that she needed time to grieve and come to terms with it. Ohgi felt that, perhaps, being around friends could help with that; not just the resistance but also the friends that Ohgi knew she had made at Ashford Academy.
"Let's move," Ohgi murmured and led the way to the entrance to the tunnel with the shattered remnants of the Kozuki Resistance trailing behind him.
. . .
June 29, 2016
Osaka Settlement, Area 11
The six tanks moved slowly toward the main road that led to the City Hall at the center of the city. No one was driving them. They moved on their own due to gravity because they were traveling downhill but also because the break wasn't on. The damage done to their frames was clear; scorch marks covered them but their canons looked fully functional as they aimed at the line of tanks and Bamides that lay between them and City Hall.
No one knew what to make of the six tanks that were slowly making their way deeper and deeper into the settlement. They glided one after another, moving down the main road, heading toward City Hall but not firing a single shot. The city was quiet; the only noise came from the tanks as they rumbled across the road, gaining speed as the incline steepened slightly.
Within City Hall, Yosuke Hamada frowned at the sight of the six tanks and looked at Nomi and the others that were gathered around him in the governor's office—said governor was currently tied up, gagged, and in a supply closet—before saying, "Six tanks. I would've thought they would send more as their vanguard."
"Six tanks is a lot of firepower though," Nomi said. "Though they haven't fired anything yet."
"They could be waiting to get closer or their canons could be damaged," Naora, who, along with Tadayoshi and several other survivors of the battle at the military base, had arrived the night before, suggested. "And if they're damaged, they could be used to try and ram a hole in our first defensive line. Best unleash our little surprise and take 'em out now."
"I was hoping to wait until they brought out their knightmares," Yosuke said.
Just then, an explosion occurred in the defensive line and Yosuke swore when he saw one of the Bamides go up in flames. "Damn it. Did you see who fired that?"
"I think it was the tank at the back of that line, the one that's slightly above the rest 'cause of the hill they're rolling down," Nomi said.
"Take 'em out now before they get in another shot," Naora hissed.
"Right," Yosuke said and pressed the detonator. He watched as the detonator-activated mines ignited with a series of resounding booms and the six tanks were enveloped in a storm of flames. Debris went flying in all directions; dirt, rocks, pieces of metal. The explosions had caused the windows in the buildings to shatter but did little else; the majority of the blast was concentrated on the broad main street, obliterating the six tanks and filling the street with a thick cloud of smoke.
"Yes, that got 'em. Guess that commander just got lucky and…huh?" Yosuke frowned and then his eyes widened in utter shock when he saw what happened next. A whole squadron of Sutherlands shot through the thick smoke and crashed into the Bamides and tanks with their jousting lances held at the ready in their hands; beyond the first squadron of knightmares came a second one, that was smaller than the first, which peppered the Bamides and tanks with gunfire.
"W…What?" he said in confusion.
"They tricked us!" Tadayoshi exclaimed, eyes wide with shock. "They…They used those tanks to convince us to set off the mines and then used the aftereffect of the explosions as a cover to launch this attack."
"The commander predicted what we were going to do and planned accordingly," Nomi realized.
"Whoever that commander is, he's a damn good strategist," Naora said.
. . .
Outside, Osaka Settlement
Lelouch sneezed and sighed, wondering who was talking about him but decided that he didn't care and returned his attention to the digital map of the settlement that showed the positions of everyone.
"Are you sure you want to be in the middle of this, Your Highness?" Jeremiah asked from the cockpit of his Sutherland.
"If a leader doesn't lead, how does he expect his subordinates to follow?" Lelouch replied calmly. In the previous battle, he knew it wouldn't be that long, based on the limited number of defense from the terrorists, so he decided against participating. This one was looking to be a bit tougher and the more fighters would help in this instance. He added, "Lloyd, is the Lancelot ready to be launched yet?"
"It's ready and waiting, Your Highness," Lloyd said and Lelouch could hear the child-like enthusiasm in his voice.
"Wait for the order to launch. Major Frost? Margrave Gottwald? Are you and your squadrons ready?"
"Yes, Your Highness," Kay and Jeremiah responded at the same time.
"We will stay near you, Your Highness," Jeremiah added.
"I appreciate the concern, Margrave, but I know how to fight," Lelouch assured him.
"Still, I will watch your back, Your Highness," Jeremiah stated.
Lelouch smiled to himself. Jeremiah was taking his orders to prove his loyalty to Lelouch and his family very seriously and it was quickly becoming clear to Lelouch that the orange-eyed Margrave really was loyal only to him and his family.
"Thank you…Jeremiah," he said, startling Jeremiah by the use of his first name. At least I didn't call you Jer, he thought in amusement.
"Your Highness, the first defensive line has been pretty much wiped out," Major Hendon, who had asked Lelouch if he could take part in the battle to reclaim Osaka, said.
"Good work. Margrave, Major Frost, you two have the green light. Let's move," Lelouch said and thrust the controls of his Sutherland forward, speeding across the destroyed road. Just because he lacked a lot of physical strength and stamina—he had gained quite a bit during basic training but was nowhere near on the same level as Kay and Suzaku—that didn't mean that he couldn't handle piloting a knightmare frame. Besides, he did have training in that and had scored pretty high on the stimulation test. He mused that it really wasn't much harder than the stimulation had been.
He was nowhere near on the same level as Kay though, who was moving swiftly and nimbly between the knightmares, crashing his jousting lance into the Glasgow's assault rifle or ramming it into the Glasgow's factsphere. Lelouch knew that if the Lancelot failed to work, Kay would be more than enough to take out the enemy.
He cast a glance at the digital map as he thrust his jousting lance into a Glasgow's chest and quickly dodged out of the way to avoid the Slash Harkens the Glasgow fired at him. Only six left, he thought and connected to the A.S.E.E.C.'s base.
"Lloyd?" he said.
"Yes?" Lloyd said hopefully.
"You are free to launch the Lancelot," Lelouch said.
Lloyd cheered and shouted, "Cecile, get ready to launch," right before he disconnected the transmission.
Now time to see if Suzaku is a true Ace Knightmare Pilot and if the Lancelot is ready to be part of actual combat, Lelouch thought.
. . .
Suzaku situated himself into the seat of the cockpit as Cecile moved away from the Lancelot. "Just remember not to take any risks, Private Kururugi. The Lancelot isn't yet outfitted with an ejection mechanism," she said firmly. She paused and then added, "Also, please see if the Blaze Luminous works this time. We think we have gotten all the glitches out of that."
"I understand and I will," Suzaku said and moved his seat into the cockpit, inserting the activation key, and typing in the activation code before fitting the headset over his head. He then gripped the controls and, as soon as Lloyd gave him the go-head, he thrust his controls forward and surged away from the launching bay so fast that he was sure he had knocked down anyone behind him from the powerful wind that he had conjured up.
"Going full throttle right out of the launching bay," Lloyd said with a grin as his face appeared on the screen in front of Suzaku as he glided straight into the city and headed toward where the battle was taking place around City Hall. "Oh and try not to get any scratches on my baby." His image vanished and Suzaku decided that he just didn't get the eccentric genius and he wasn't going to try.
He shot forward, bypassing a few ally knightmares and launched himself at the first enemy he saw, spinning and slamming one of his landspinners into the face of the Glasgow, throwing it backwards. Whirling around, he pulled the jousting lance that the Lancelot had been outfitted with, temporarily until Lloyd and Cecile could work out the glitches in the Master Vibration Swords that were the true weapons for the Lancelot, into his hand and slammed it into the chest of the Glasgow, striking the Yggdrasil Drive. The pilot ejected quickly and Suzaku jumped back to avoid the explosion and launched himself swiftly at his next opponent who started firing bullets at him.
Time to test out the Blaze Luminous again, he thought and moved the knightmare's arm in front of him and pressed the activation button for the Blaze Luminous. Almost immediately, a green shield in the shape of a flat half-sphere sprang into existence in front of his arm; the bullets slammed into the shield, the shield didn't falter, and the bullets were diverted away.
"The Blaze Luminous works, Lloyd," Suzaku said as he charged forward, slamming another spinkick into the factsphere of the Glasgow that had been firing at him, forcing the pilot to eject, and then whirling around, angling the Blaze Luminous to catch the barrage of bullets that had come from another Glasgow.
"Yes! Now time to perfect the MVSs," Lloyd cheered.
"After the battle," Cecile reminded him.
"Yeah, yeah, I know," Lloyd said.
The Glasgow forwent firing bullets at him and charged at him instead, firing his Slash Harkens at Suzaku. Suzaku danced out of the way and fired his own back at the Glasgow, crashing into its Slash Harkens and throwing them off course. He then charged forward, thrusting the jousting lance into the factsphere of the Glasgow and throwing it off its feet and the pilot ejected.
The remaining three Glasgows charged at him and Suzaku pressed his lips together and thrust the controls forward, shooting past the three of them and they crashed into each other. He whirled around and fired his Slash Harkens at the one he was closet to, sinking them into the Glasgow's shoulders and ripping them out. He then charged forward, thrust the jousting lance into the hole made by one of his Slash Harkens, succeeding in severing the arm. He jumped back and angled the Blaze Luminous in front of him when the second Glasgow began firing at him before dancing out of the way to avoid the gunfire from the first Glasgow.
The third one charged at him but Suzaku angled the controls and danced out of the way before slamming his jousting lance into the side of the third Glasgow when it came up alongside him. The power of the thrust sent the third Glasgow flying into the first one, taking them both off their feet and both pilots were force to quickly eject.
As the first and third Glasgows had, temporarily, been used to shield Suzaku from the gunfire of the second Glasgow, he had to quickly bring up the Blaze Luminous to catch the gunfire again. He swiftly circled the Glasgow and launched himself at it, slamming his jousting lance into the factsphere. He yanked the jousting lance away and jumped back before lashing out with a kick into the already damaged factsphere. The force of the kick threw the final Glasgow off its feet as well and the pilot was forced to eject.
Suzaku took a deep breath as the adrenaline began to fade and couldn't help but smile a little when he heard Lloyd cheering in the background.
. . .
Jeremiah stared. That was all he could do. The appearance of the white-and-gold knightmare frame that Prince Lelouch had called the prototype of the first seventh generation knightmare frame hadn't been that big of a surprise, since his prince had told him it would happen. But seeing the pilot of the Lancelot take out six Glasgows in virtually no time at all had been a surprise. Whoever was the pilot of the Lancelot, they were clearly an Ace pilot.
"Who's piloting that knightmare frame?" Kewell wondered.
"I don't know but they're a pretty amazing pilot," Villetta said.
"He really is," Jeremiah mused. "Your Highness, who is the pilot of that knightmare frame?" Prince Lelouch had never told Jeremiah that; when Jeremiah had asked, he just smiled and said that he would find out eventually.
"You have to see him to believe it, Jeremiah," Prince Lelouch said simply and Jeremiah could practically see the enigmatic smirk on his prince's face. A moment later, he had keyed on the loud speaker of his Sutherland and said, "This is Prince Lelouch vi Britannia, Commander of the 11th Regiment, codenamed the Black Knights. Surrender now and you will be given a fair trial. Continue to resist and you will be taken out."
A moment later, an unfamiliar accented voice said, "This is Yosuke Hamada, third in command of the Crimson Sakuras. We surrender."
Jeremiah relaxed, thankful that the battle seemed to be over, and glanced toward where the Lancelot was standing. Just who is the pilot of the Lancelot? He wondered silently.
. . .
After the surrender of the remnants of the Crimson Sakuras, Lelouch had them all arrested and taken back to the military base where they would be held until he returned to Tokyo. He then turned to gaze at his friends who had ejected out of their Sutherlands once Jeremiah and the Purist Faction, whom Lelouch had ordered to do a sweep of the city checking for more threats, reported that there were no more threats in the city.
"That was fun," Rayne said, wiping the sweat off her forehead. "And showing them terrorist bastards what's what was fun too. Now I'm sure all of us are dying from curiosity, Your Highness, so do you suppose you can answer the question I'm pretty sure everyone is thinking right now? Just who is the pilot of that knightmare frame?" She pointed to where the Lancelot was standing as the pilot hadn't yet left it.
"I really am curious as well," Kay said. "The way he moves…he reminds me of someone though."
"Yeah, I got that feeling too," Rayne said.
Lelouch chuckled; however, before he could say anything, the Lancelot suddenly shot forward and thrust his arm in front of Lelouch, activating the glowing green shield. Lelouch whirled around just in time to see a bullet slam into the Blaze Luminous and bounce off.
Lila whipped out her rifle and aimed it at the building from which the sniper's bullet had come, her eyes narrowing as she, activating the scope on her rifle, watched and then pulled the trigger. The bullet shot forward, slammed through a window, and struck the figure that had just run into the bullet's flight path without realizing it.
Jeremiah was already heading toward the building, disappearing inside while Lelouch turned to Lila, still bathed in the light from Suzaku's Blaze Luminous. "Very nice shooting, Lila, he said.
Lila inclined her head as she lowered her rifle. "I was just doing my duty, Your Highness," she said.
Jeremiah came back about five minutes later, holding something in his hand, and walked over to join Lelouch. "Crimson Sakuras," he said, holding out the patch on which the crest of the Crimson Sakuras. "They must have had one more trick up their sleeve before they surrendered and the sniper must've thought that he may as well." He turned to the Lancelot and added, "And I have you to thank for saving Prince Lelouch's life."
Lelouch turned to his friend's knightmare. "So do I. Come on out. That's an order," he said.
The Lancelot straightened up and the Blaze Luminous deactivated before the cockpit ejected and Lelouch swore he heard the jaws of everyone behind him drop when Suzaku was revealed. Suzaku, using the cable, lowered himself to the ground and walked over to join Lelouch and kneeling.
"I do thank you for saving my life," Lelouch said, gesturing for his old friend to stand up. "I don't know how you saw that sniper and, frankly, I don't care. I'm just grateful that you did."
"There's no need for thanks, Your Highness. I was simply doing my duty," Suzaku replied.
"S…Suzaku? You're that knightmare's pilot?!" Rayne blurted out the question that Lelouch was sure was on everyone's mind.
"Yes, he is," Lelouch said, not taking his eyes off his old friend. "And you have proven yourself a capable pilot and a strong fighter. You've earned this. I am promoting you to Warrant Officer."
Suzaku looked stunned, probably surprised that Lelouch would actually promote him. As far as Lelouch knew, no Honorary Britannian has ever held a rank higher than that of Private, but he felt Suzaku deserved it so he was getting that promotion, whether he liked it or not.
. . .
June 30, 2016
Osaka Settlement
The following day was spent helping the pilots that had been injured and attempting to help the civilians of Osaka get back on their feet after that battle. After the unfortunate death of the governor, something that had happened right before the Crimson Sakuras lost the battle and surrendered, Lelouch had assumed the responsibilities of governor until a new one could be chosen. Currently, he was in the midst of requesting of General Andon that relief aids be sent to Osaka to help the civilians whose homes had been destroyed during the battle.
General Andon looked thoughtful. "I believe that could be done. It will take time but I will have it sent out as soon as possible," he said. "For the time being, I want you to remain in Osaka. I will be arriving within a week or two to inform you, personally, of your next mission."
Lelouch frowned. He was hoping that he would be able to return to the Tokyo Settlement. "Why can't you tell me what my new mission is now, General?" he asked.
"Because I want to, personally, observe you, Your Highness, therefore I will be accompanying you. I would get there sooner but there are some problems that have risen up that I must sort out. At the latest, I will arrive by a week from next Thursday but it may be sooner," Andon said.
Lelouch nodded; while he didn't like it, he really had no say since Andon was his superior officer and neither Schneizel nor the Emperor had given him any orders that would countermand Andon's. "Very well. I will see you in two weeks if not sooner, General," he said.
Andon inclined his head and his face vanished from the screen.
Lelouch got up, deciding that he needed some fresh air, and left the command building. He walked over to join where his friends from basic training had gathered. As he neared the area, he heard Tadashi happily grilling Suzaku on his promotion and knightmare frame and smiled to himself.
I suppose this is like a break before my next mission. While I would prefer being back in Tokyo, this will do just as well, he thought.
He walked over to join his friends, listening to Tadashi's questioning.
"When did you become the pilot of that knightmare frame? What kind is? I've never seen it before but it sure looks awesome," Tadashi said.
Suzaku shifted. "Well, Lelouch kinda just…surprised me by dragging me to meet Lloyd who built it and told him that I was to be the test pilot Lloyd was looking for," he admitted, looking faintly embarrassed but also uncertain.
"I did not drag you. I just asked you to come with me," Lelouch said.
"Still took me by surprise," Suzaku admitted.
"What kind of knightmare is it though? I've never seen anything like it," Rayne said.
"The prototype of the first seventh generation knightmare frame," Lelouch replied.
Rayne whistled. "Nice," she said.
"You were impressive though, Suzaku," Kay said with a faint smile. "But then, you did get a perfect score on the stimulation so I kinda figured that'd happen if you ever got behind the controls of a knightmare frame."
"I never thought I'd ever be a knightmare pilot since Honorary Britannians normally don't get to be knights," Suzaku said, glancing at Lelouch.
"I made an exception. Besides, there's no law against it," the prince said simply.
Suzaku's lips pulled into a frown but he said nothing.
. . .
A/n what do you think?
Mob: we still can't find Tara
Blaze: (pokes head out of bunker) Allen, Lenalee, and Kanda were supposed to find her
Kanda: the beansprout got lost and she managed to get past us as a result
Allen: you're clearly hard of hearing or just plain deaf. I told you that she was sneaking past us and you didn't hear me. (Sighs) I suppose I shouldn't be that surprised that you're hard of hearing, or just too slow to understand me; otherwise, you would know that my name is Allen
Kanda: I would not be talking. You're so slow to understand others when they give you directions, it's a no wonder you always get lost, beansprout
Allen: at least I know how to use people's true names. Or maybe you're just a forgetful old man and that's why you don't remember
Kanda: (eye twitches as he draws Mugen) your white hair clearly makes you the old man. Maybe I should cut it off and sell it to another old geezer (glares at Allen)
Allen: wouldn't black hair fetch a better bargain? (Glares back at Kanda)
Blaze: hey, hey, calm down you two! No fighting in…
Kanda and Allen: (gives Blaze a terrifyingly demonic glare) stay out of this!
Blaze: (gulps in terror and bolts back into the bunker) Someone finish the chapter! And I don't own D Gray man and I meant to say that last chapter! (Slams door shut)
Lenalee: (sighs) Blaze hopes that you enjoy this chapter, her first update of 2017, and the next chapter she will try to get up before the end of January. Reviews are much appreciated and thank you very much for reading!
