"Your highness. There is word from the search teams." Kanon said to his employer, Schneizel el Britannia. They had returned to the Tokyo Settlement, or what was left of it, without issue half a day ago and were currently in the prince's office. Well, technically it was the secondary office of the Viceroy of Area 11, the presumed yet secretly not so dead Nunnally vi Britannia. But when the prime minister himself declares a room to be his workspace, everyone would do well to ignore the breach of protocol.

Their troops' knightmares were in the process of being repaired, as was the Avalon, so it was the perfect opportunity to deal with some official matters that a prime minister should be doing instead of hunting down a family member. Or so Kanon had said to the prince in an attempt to convince him into the torture of bureaucracy during the ungodly hour that was almost nearing midnight.

The prince had always been rather reluctant to deal with the giant paper mountains that came his way on a daily basis. Usually Kanon or his endless paper-pusher minions would deal with such matters, yet there were sadly some matters only the prime minister could do. For Schneizel, it was mostly just putting his signature on whatever document Kanon and his desk-sitting army had already approved and was thrown in front of him, but the public didn't need to know that.

The prince trusted Kanon, so there was no need to waste his time in rereading boring documents about a new law regarding agriculture.

Glad to be interrupted with his boring task, the prince looked up from the paper fort that he was surrounded with and gave Kanon a questioning look. "Well don't keep me waiting, what's in the report?"

Being brought out of his musings, Kanon redirected his gaze towards his tablet, an action he was as familiar with as breathing, and began to divulge the main points brought up in the report.

"They found multiple dead rebels, all shot with their own weapons. It also mentions their 'joyous' expressions when they died, likely an effect of geass. No other survivors were found, except for the unconscious Knights of Seven and Six. They were found in a cave that matches with one of the coordinates given by Lord Waldstein."

Schneizel went through the information quickly and almost automatically began constructing the most likely scenario that could have happened and his response towards it. "I see. Lelouch must have ordered his pawns to self-destruct. Make sure this is swept under the rug and order the search teams to keep silent about what they found, the last thing we need is rumors spreading about suicidal Britannian rebels. That does leave the question of what happened to the Rounds though… What is their condition?"

"Lady Aldstreim's physical condition seems to be fine, yet she hasn't woken up yet. Sir Kururugi on the other hand… he has been shot in the left kneecap and upper part of his right arm. He also suffers from severe head trauma. The doctors say it is too early to speculate the extent of the concussion, but it could take anywhere from a few days to multiple weeks before he awakens." Kanon answered while inspecting the medical records he had received a few minutes ago.

Slightly appalled that the Knight of Seven would allow himself to be injured like that, Schneizel asked for more details. "How great is the damage to the areas he was shot in? A permanently crippled ace is as useful as a civilian at best."

"The damage to his tissue was quite extensive, but the bones have remained largely intact. There was damage to his ligaments however, and surgery was needed. He will need time in recovery to properly use the functions of his affected limbs again for quite a while. The surgeons aren't sure if there will be any lasting effects after it has been healed, but it, as the report states, 'remains in the realm of possibility'."

The prince sighed in disappointment. To lose an expert combatant without any apparent returns to speak off was the definition of failure in Schneizel's book. Never mind to say he didn't even know how the Knight got in such a miserable condition. Though he could hypothesize plenty, without any confirmation it would be just that, hypothesizing. He was almost certain that Lelouch had something to do with it, but on the off chance it was someone else…

"Notify me immediately if either of the two wake up. I need to know what happened. If someone can incapacitate two Rounds like that we might have a larger problem…" he said to his assistant, getting a nod of agreement in return.

As he looked back at the unwanted stacks of paper that lay in front of him, making the prince wonder how his desk was even able to support the weight, he looked back at Kanon and asked another question to put off his inevitable misery at the hands of Britannian bureaucracy. "How is the construction of the Damocles going?"

Noticing what the prince was doing, the assistant just rolled his eyes and answered the inquiry. "It'll take around a month to complete the construction itself. Then we'll need a few days to a week or so to make sure all systems are operational and it doesn't spontaneously combust or falls out of the sky."

"I suppose that would be a rather awkward situation…" Schneizel muttered quietly. "I would like to change the location of all our remaining assets that can be moved without raising any suspicion to the Toromo Agency in Cambodia. Move Nunnally there as well, and make sure she is kept a secret. I don't want to take any risks with the Damocles so close to being finished."

Seeing that Kanon was giving him an inquiring look, he shot one back, making the Earl voice his confusion, "Does the situation truly warrant for us to go into hiding? It seems a rather extreme response. Especially since we still need to find and eliminate Zero."

Understanding where Kanon was coming from, Schneizel tried to explain his reasoning, "We only need to make sure the Aerial Fortress is ready, and most of the world will fold. On the note of Lelouch, he is certainly a problem. But I know my brother, he wouldn't let himself be found unless he wants to. Using our recourses to actively try and hunt him down now would be a waste of effort. Effort we should put into preparing for when he does decide to show himself again."

Turning his seat around slightly to look out the windows, the prince beheld the bright settlement lights and the obvious hole filled with darkness created by the F.L.E.I.J.A.. "It's his turn to make a move now, and he doesn't even realize yet that in little over a month…" Schneizel said as he looked back to his assistant, "we'll have the whole world in checkmate."

…

The Black Knights were shaken by the death of their most elite soldiers, and any who would suggest otherwise could contract a sudden case of getting beaten up. Most of the soldiers that were present to witness the explosion were not only shocked, but understandably confused about the reason they were even put in this kind of situation.

The explanation of rebel soldiers was one thing, but why did they need to fight them? If they were enemies of Britannia, wouldn't that make them potential allies?

Such questions were initially kept within the soldiers' minds, but after the deadly spectacle that claimed the Zero Squads' lives, many began to give voice to the questionable decision making of their high command. Never mind the rest of the army that was still stationed in the Tokyo settlement and had only recently received news of what had happened.

Many calls for an explanation were being reported on the bridge of the Ikaruga, making the already sullen atmosphere in the room even more prevalent.

They had already stopped any efforts to try and find survivors, as it soon became clear there were none. Their ace and captain of the now eliminated team had locked herself in her room, unwilling to talk with anyone.

Ohgi was sitting on a couch at the edge of the bridge, head held within his hands. Villetta was sitting next to him, attempting to ease his chaotic emotional state.

Tohdoh, who finally had a moment to rest after continuously giving out orders for over two hours, sat down next to them, sighing as he did so. Only he knew whether it was from exhaustion or his own worry at their current situation.

"We should be ready to return to the settlement within the hour. There isn't anything left to do here, we should focus on gaining a foothold in Japan while we still can." the experienced Head of the Joint Staff said to Ohgi, trying to get the man out of his troubled train of thought.

He didn't get the reaction he was hoping for however, as Ohgi simply looked up into his eyes with a hollow yet simultaneously determined expression. "No, we have to find that bastard and finish what we started. We owe it to everyone he's killed." he said, murderous thoughts that tried to satiate his amplified need for revenge slowly replacing his guilt.

"We don't know where to find him. Whether you like it or not, you and I both know we can't catch him. Not now, when we are so disorganized." Tohdoh replied.

Seeing that he was still not convinced, Tohdoh was about to give him a stern reminder about the worth of one man compared to all of Japan, but he didn't need to as Villetta decided to help. "Ohgi, think about this. If we don't focus on the country that you were tasked to liberate, the Britannians will surely take advantage of it. I want to see Lelouch fall too, but you need to think about what is more important right now."

Tohdoh wasn't much of a fan of the Britannian Baroness turned Black Knight sympathizer, but he appreciated her help nonetheless, giving her a small nod.

"R- Right… I'm sorry, you're right. I understand." Ohgi said as he found he couldn't refute their logic. "Let's return to the settlement then."

Seeing that he came back to his senses, Tohdoh turned his attention to the constant pinging sound of requests for establishing communications from their lower ranked officers, probably to demand an explanation, and sighed once more.

No-one present had any extraordinary skill with words, as normally Kaguya or Zero would deal with announcements and the likes. Their soldiers would have to wait until they got back to the settlement for any proper explanation. For now, a 'Wait until we are back in Tokyo' would have to do to appease their justified confusion.

As the former JLF commander stood up to go prepare for their return to Tokyo, he couldn't help but cynically think,

'Let's just hope Schneizel keeps his word.'

…

They got a driver anyway.

Lelouch might have had a lot of resolve, but if you were to ask him, dealing with an angry C.C. was arguably a lot harder than conquering the world. In hindsight, it wasn't much of a hassle. They just called a taxi and geassed the driver.

After parking the taxi somewhere remote and using their original vehicle again, they went to the richer district of the Nagasaki settlement. A lot of the houses were already empty, but some still had their occupants present.

While observing the houses they passed by, Lelouch's phone rung, taking his attention back to the inside of the car. C.C. was seated next to him in the backseats, not taking her gaze from the view that kept passing them by.

Taking out his phone and answering the call, already knowing who was on the other end, he spoke first, "And?"

"Baron Edward Graham. Dovestreet 46, District 2." It was Jeremiah's voice, giving information on their first target.

"Meeting?"

"Yes, my lord. He will be meeting with a 'Lukas Belfort', a young scion of the newly established and not so well known Belfort family. You are expected to arrive at 1 PM."

"Reason for the meeting?"

"Talks about the sale of some local shops owned by Baron Graham. It appears he also wants to return to the homeland."

"Good. Scout out more targets accessible with this Baron's identity."

"Understood."

Closing his flip phone, which had been generously 'donated' by one of Jeremiah's new pawns, he looked down at what he was wearing and frowned slightly.

He was still wearing his Zero costume he had been wearing since he'd returned. It was in a less than stellar condition with all the dirt and grime from the tunnels they were forced to go through. Even though it was in such a condition, anybody who wasn't blind would spot the costume as Zero's almost immediately, even without his iconic cape and mask.

"I really should get a change of clothes…" he said to himself.

C.C., who had been boredly watching the passing houses of the settlement through the car's black tinted windows, glanced his way with a little smirk. "I think you look fabulous."

Raising an eyebrow while looking back at her, while she was desperately trying not to laugh at his precarious attire with a hand over her mouth, he replied to her playful remark. "What are you laughing at me for? You have as much dirt on you as me."

Seeing that his protests were meaningless, he decided to go low, muttering just load enough for her to hear, "At least I don't have as much grime on me as Cheese-kun."

Regretting it almost the instant he finished his sentence, he saw C.C. glare daggers at him, making him shrink back a bit. He really had to stop provoking her, it never ended well for him.

Trying desperately to change the perilous direction this was taking, Lelouch turned his gaze towards their driver. "Go to Dovestreet 46, District 2."

Getting acknowledgment to the new order immediately he turned back to see his tactic of ignoring the deadly look he was getting wasn't helping, so he gulped and also said, "And stop at a clothing store on the way."

…

Baron Edward Graham, Britannian noble and mediocre businessman, although if you were to ask him he was excellent at it, was sitting in the reception room of his mansion. It was only 12:30 PM, still a half hour until his guests were supposed to arrive. But this transaction would determine whether he could get out of this godforsaken Area with his liquidated assets or go back to Britannia like a dirt poor commoner; so who could blame him?

After all, as a noble, however small his title was in the hierarchy of nobility, he couldn't be seen taking a normal plane with the rest of the commoners. His reputation would be all but ruined the moment he showed his face back on the mainland, which would eliminate his standing in the social circles he took so long in getting a foothold in.

It wouldn't be long until his noble title would be revoked because of his disgrace towards the noble class, and God forbid he would have to work to even eat! Truly an outrageous affair worse than death for someone with such an exalted lineage as him.

No, he would rather disgrace himself within the walls of his own, soon to be abandoned, home by waiting for a rich naïve brat that didn't even realize the properties he was going to buy would soon be infested by Eleven rebels if the news of the events in the Tokyo Settlement were any indication.

He was brought out of his musings as his maid, the only one his family still employed, entered the room. He raised his head, gesturing her to speak the reason she interrupted his train of thought, which she did immediately after getting his permission. "My lord, the guests arrived."

He was slightly perplexed, but only for a moment. He had already expected the little brat to try and put him on his heels by arriving too early. It was a common tactic, but no less effective. If he were an inexperienced businessman, that is.

"Send them in." he ordered his maid with a frown. If the brat had the brains to at the very least use a basic tactic, he might be slightly more competent than he had initially expected, which could complicate matters.

Nonetheless, it was still a stupid move to buy property in an area that was in near open rebellion, so he still didn't expect much of this 'Belfort' upstart family.

Either way, he needed the money, so he wasn't going to let this lifesaving opportunity sail because of his own pride.

He plastered the most amicable smile on his face as he could muster and waited for his guests to be led into the room.

When they entered, though, he had to use all his willpower not to let his expression falter. 'They're just kids, dammit!' he thought within his mind. The butler of the Belfort family said it would be the son of the patriarch of said family that would be negotiating with him.

Although he was initially quite outraged by the disrespect of the head of the family not coming to negotiate, he kept it to himself. It wasn't all that uncommon for heirs to sit at the negotiating table to learn the necessary skills they'd need if they would ever want to take their parent's place. But this?

The people, or rather children, in front of him both looked barely old enough to have graduated high school, let alone manage a financial deal! The boy, who he assumed was Lukas Belfort, had purple eyes and black hair. He was dressed in a brown jacket with a black t-shirt under it and jeans as pants. He was dressed as a commoner!

The girl with green hair was even worse. Not her clothing per se, although they too should only be worn by a damn commoner, but she held a plushy! A yellow, dirty… thing!

'And why does it have a hat?!'

Unbelievable! He was going to have words with the head of this atrocity of a noble family, of that he was sure.

As he kept on trying, and admittedly failing, in keeping his expression amicable, the boy sat himself opposite to him, while his companion just plopped herself on the couch to the side, not giving an apparent damn about decorum.

Upon seeing this, the Britannian baron gave up on even trying to pretend and voiced his disbelief. "This has to be a joke, right?" he asked in distaste. This wasn't the time to be dealing with nonsense like this. The only reason he hadn't flown into a fit of rage at the innumerable breaches of noble etiquette and thrown them out of his house was because he needed their money. And even still he was seething inside by being the butt of such a disgraceful showing by his counterparts.

The boy in front of him then had the gall to raise an eyebrow and look at him like he was an idiot. He was about to throw all caution to the wind and begin a long tirade about how a real noble should behave when the boy spoke. "Right, let's get this over with…"

Edward was about to question this naïve brat what he meant by such a casual phrase, that had no place at such a formal occasion, when the boy's eyes lighted up into a bright shade of red.

"Now then, be my slave."

Two weird shapes, of what could be described as the front view of birds, seemed to fly at his eyes when he felt something shift within his mind, and then, suddenly… everything made sense.

Of course. What was he even thinking? He had been so stupid. So naïve. This was his master. His everything. How could he possibly have felt anger at his master only seconds ago? Truly his eyes were opened, and he had his master to thank for it...

He began smiling, gratitude overflowing his very being at having the opportunity to personally serve him.

He stood up and bent the knee with reverence to his lord. "Of course, master!"

To his right he heard the disinterested voice of his master's companion saying with a sigh, "And here we go again…"

…

AN:

A little shorter than normal, but I'm not going to write filler to keep the same chapter leng-… Ah, who am I kidding? I have the power here! I can do whatever the hell I want! Muhahahah!

*insert super evil overlord speech here*

Reviews:

Wynn Silver: Yeah, it's a bit long on chapter 4. Didn't like it either. Sooooo *snip* *snip* there, rant has been vanquished! Sleep well reader, you are safe!

Perfectcell69: Yup, I'm an idiot. At least the office part, that's been 'fixed'. I don't know what the "Settlement" actually means… Like, only the metal platforms? Or the many houses next to it too? Because now those platform looking city thingy has a nice hole in it, but it's still there… ish.