The climb was endless. Sometimes a few floors separating a man from his cozy little apartment seem exhausting. There were hundreds of floors here. Some of them could be reached by elevator, but then Lelouch and Takeshi had to move on foot in order not to attract attention. Myers' map showed the movements of the Republican forces, which greatly increased the chances of being undetected. However, there was a problem"it showed with some delay, and also the communication worked very badly. Several times they almost got spotted.

Takeshi expressed concern that the map would also show their location to the Republicans. Lelouch was sure it wouldn't, since Clovis and Myers didn't want anyone to know about the green girl. Lelouch's assumption was soon confirmed in practice.

"It's finally getting a signal!" Takeshi exclaimed as voices came from the comlink. "Ohgi, do you copy?

"Takeshi? I'm glad you're still alive! Where are you now?"

"On the northern border of Grass.

"Now, don't go anywhere near the headquarters, the repubs seem to be about to squeeze us out of there. Stay where you are, we're heading your way. How's the... cargo?"

"She's dead. But there's still… "Takeshi hesitated and looked at Lelouch. "...Alan."

"Okay, stay where you are."

At that, Ohgi turned off. Takeshi threw another hard look in Lelouch's direction.

"I hate you. You're not a human, you're a fucking sorcerer."

Lelouch only shrugged his shoulders. Takeshi didn't trust him any more. And he had reason to be angry, it had to be admitted. A belated thought crossed his mind that maybe he should have just made him do his bidding. On the other hand... such a thing was disgusting. To live as a helpless slave was worse than death.

"Couldn't you go and just ask Clovis to die, by any chance?"

"You have to get to him first."

I have to say, Lelouch considered that option. However, in order to sneak into Clovis' command center, he'd has to pull that mind-subjugation stunt again, and several times in a row at that. And Lelouch wasn't sure he could do it. The first times he had acted on emotion and done it spontaneously, and it was not certain that he would be able to pull it off at the right moment on purpose. What's more, this subjugation had sucked all the Force's reserve out of him. All Lelouch could do now was passively sense the emotions of those around him.

Finally, the last problem was Clovis himself.

His paternal brother must have been a very different person now than he had been eight years ago. Nevertheless, Lelouch could not forget how long ago, as if in another life, they had played chess together for hours. Clovis was always losing, even though he was older, and each time he tried to hide his resentment, which he did not do very well, making his facial expression absolutely hilarious. And when he began to talk about paintings and pictures, he stopped only when his companions' brains were already melting from fatigue. But how brightly his eyes shone, full of passion for art! Clovis even taught Lelouch to draw, repeating that he could have been a great artist with his abilities. And Lelouch was only glad to escape from the dull corridors of the Temple, away from the hateful swordsmanship lessons, to his home Naboo.

Watching Clovis perform on the holonet, Lelouch had long ago realized that he was no longer the same. And yet, it was still hard to believe that he was capable of ordering genocide.

The broken furniture was covered in dust, dark marks visible on the equally dusty floor. This apartment in the northernmost megablock of Grass was abandoned, but the soldiers broke in anyway to see if anyone was hiding. Lelouch and Takeshi silently decided that dust was better than corpses. As soon as they entered, Takeshi immediately collapsed on the floor.

'We'd better find transport, or Takeshi won't last that long…'

Holograms of the Republican and Rebel maps hovered in the air. All the while, Lelouch listened to the negotiations of both sides and Takeshi whenever possible. It was necessary to fully assess the situation.

"Grass is on the very outskirts, so its southwestern boundary is the wall left over from the ruined dome. That's where Clovis' main forces have gathered, since they were originally outside the city, I assume. And Clovis himself is sitting on the opposite side of Grass, closer to the center of Sandari. They've got the area in a ring and are now squeezing you from the southwest to the north. Yeah, everything's wrong with that plan," Lelouch snickered.

"And what do you think they're doing wrong?"

"Well, if I were Clovis, I wouldn't rush into an attack without waiting for all the forces to gather. That's why you're still hanging on - the Republicans attacked in a very uncoordinated way. And Clovis knew there was no gas, he could have waited. That's first of all. Second, it's very difficult to quickly block off such a large area in a multi-level city. Plus, those underground passages... I'd squeeze the enemy against the wall, away from the center of the city. There he'd be stacked against it and wouldn't go anywhere, as there's no strength to break the blockade. But escaping through the underground tunnels is very realistic. So the Viceroy's plan is... not very good," Lelouch explained.

"But Clovis doesn't know about the underground tunnels," Takeshi said.

"Well, he should. I would know for sure if I were him," Lelouch squinted. "I'm just surprised Ohgi hasn't ordered a retreat before the Republicans take them in numbers. It was…"

"I already told you we have to get as many of the inhabitants out first as we can! We have to buy them time. And you," Takeshi glared angrily at Lelouch, "said you'd come up with some kind of super plan that would allow us to hold out longer."

"Yes, of course…"

"And I'm helping you while you save my friends!" Takeshi interrupted.

Don't interrupt me," Lelouch said in a sudden cold voice. "I was going to say that Ohgi should have backed off so he wouldn't lose more men, at this rate. But I know how to save the situation, "Lelouch waved his hand toward the window. "There's an air-train route through here. And apparently, the Republicans have decided to use it to bring in more equipment."

Takeshi looked thoughtfully out the window, trying to suppress his irritation. Many large cities had overhead railroads. The trains on them hovered at a low altitude above the surface, like land speeders. This allowed much heavier loads to be transported with less fuel. No wonder the Republicans decided to use it to deliver walkers.

"It wouldn't work. Cutting right through Grass, they had to put up serious guards," Takeshi objected.

"Given the low level of organization of the Republicans and the rush, there's a chance. Or maybe you suddenly have other options?"

In response to Takeshi's silence, Lelouch raised an eyebrow questioningly, leaving an unspoken "I knew it" in the air.

"Okay, that'll work, but then what? There's still more repubs!"

"And then..." A obnoxious smirk appeared on Lelouch's face. "Say, you have explosives, don't you?"

When Takeshi realized what Lelouch wanted to do, all he could say was:

"You sure are crazy…"

***

There have been no reports from Myers for almost an hour.

"They must be underground, judging by his last message. There's a bad connection down there. That must be it," Clovis paced nervously around the command center.

"Your Grace, I would send someone to look for them. I'm troubled by Captain Myers' silence," Bartley said.

"And who might that be, Bartley?" Clovis burst out his arms.

"If you will permit me, I would suggest that we have Mr. Gottwald on the case. He seems to me to be a man we can trust. His loyalty, not only to the Republic but to your family, has never been questioned. His actions after Lady Marianne's death speak volumes about that.

Clovis paused in thought.

"It seems we have no other options. Let him seek out my guard. But Gottwald must still know nothing.

***

This hour was terrible. Repubs seemed to be everywhere. Each new report of death, of the deaths of her friends and acquaintances, reverberated with a nagging emptiness in her chest. But Kallen stubbornly moved forward, toward Naoto's fallen ship. There was no reason to hope. But Kallen hoped for nothing. She just knew he was alive. Her confidence infected others.

But, most importantly, Kallen was right.

"Naoto is alive!" Yoshitaka was heard shouting.

Words can't describe the relief and the joy that Kallen felt. Her brother is alive, which means everything will be fine. When he recovers, of course. Yes, Naoto was alive, but it was a miracle. He needed urgent medical attention. So it was decided to get him to the base, even though the Republicans were getting too close to it.

Kallen returned to the base in high spirits. Naoto would live, and that was all that mattered. Ohgi did not share her optimism. He leaned back in his chair tiredly, staring dejectedly at the map hologram.

"Is it really that bad?" Kallen asked. Ohgi nodded grimly. Kallen felt as if she'd been doused with cold water. That's not fair either! They should have prevailed over the repubs this time, not the other way around!

"It couldn't be! Isn't there anything we can do?!"

"It's over, Kallen. We're outnumbered, our few stolen walkers are no match for their armament," Ohgi suddenly tucked his face into his palms. "I'm not a very good commander, I'm sorry, Kallen…"

Kallen leaned against the wall at a loss. How can it be...

Suddenly from the comlink came someone's voice.

"Do you still want to win?"

"Who is speaking?" Ohgi asked.

"I asked, do you still want to win? If you still want to fight, then do as I say."

Since this one was broadcasting on all rebel channels, everyone could hear his strange speech. A line of indignant voices came over the comlink.

"Like who the hell are you? Why the fuck should I listen to you?" Tamaki's voice was the loudest.

"Does it really matter? I'm giving you a chance to win. Will you accept my offer?"

"Yeah, sure…"

"We can't listen to someone we don't know. What if you're a republican?" Ohgi raised his voice to shout out loud. Kallen looked at the comlink in surprise.

"Ohgi, it's Takeshi. Alan wants to tell you he's got a plan to get out of this shithole."

"Who the fuck?!"

Ohgi scratched the back of his head puzzled, ignoring Tamaki's comments. Then he looked at Kallen. There was despair in his eyes. On the one hand, taking orders from an unknown man was risky. On the other hand, it's a chance to get out. And, if Takeshi is there, nothing bad should happen.

"Ohgi, what do you say?"

"All right, take charge," he finally decided.

"Kento, your call sign is P-1. Move with your squad to the north, to the railroad itself. You'll need help…"

***

"What was the name of the squad leader who found Naoto again?" Lelouch asked.

"Yoshitaka Minami. Just tell me, was it necessary to make this farce?" Takeshi muttered. "And what do you need that gas mask for?!"

"Oh, well, maybe you have something that can change your voice? No? Neither do I. I have to deal with what I have," Lelouch replied, ignoring the first question. Not that the gas mask he took from the corpse of one of the soldiers made his voice any different. But given the interference and the fact that Lelouch deliberately tried to speak lower, it should have made it at least a little harder to recognize.

The thing is, when listing the names of the members of Naoto's group, Takeshi mentioned one name. Kallen Kozuki, Naoto's sister. Lelouch barely managed not to betray his surprise. It must have been just a coincidence. But her voice coming from the comlink was indeed similar to that of Kallen Stadtfield. Lelouch saw Naoto himself only from a distance, but the color of his hair was indeed as bright red as Kallen's.

'How is it that my classmate, and from a fairly respectable family, is also the sister of the leader of a terrorist group?'- Lelouch thought, surprised. But, strange as it was, he'd rather she didn't recognize him.

"P-3, why aren't you there yet? It's only a few minutes before the train arrives."

"What kind of letters are those anyway?" Tamaki muttered grudgingly.

"Tamaki, that's Latin! It's the name you use for droids, for example," Yoshitaka replied irritably. He turned out to be the kind of man who couldn't stand the mess in the ether. Lelouch was even a little grateful to him. At least someone knows how to behave normally.

"What are we, like, droids?! Couldn't you just use normal letters, like Aurebesh?

There was a heavy sigh.

Blue dots in the hologram showed the rebels crowding along the sides of the bridge. There was an anxious silence, even Tamaki was silent.

"It's coming…"

There was an explosion outside the window. A gust of wind brought a muffled murmur. Lelouch reflexively squeezed his eyes shut. Reports of the situation, mixed with shouting and cursing, were heard. The rebels had blown the track, stopping the train. Now it remained to overwhelm the guards and retrieve the walkers.

Despite the obvious danger, Lelouch wanted to be right there at the train to see for himself. The idea of holed up here, in an abandoned apartment, disgusted him. The agonizing blind waiting was killing him. At last the rebels reported that they had taken the guns and the walkers. Now they had a chance to hold out longer.

"P-2, P-5, and P-6, move out to headquarters. The Republicans are going to hit it with all the forces that have had time to approach. Your job is to hold out as long as possible. P-1 and P-3 from the west and east respectively - your job is to find the remaining civilians and escort them to the nearest underground exits. P-4... you go to the northeast and hold off the Republicans if they attack from the rear.

And they would, Lelouch knew, sooner or later. It was just a matter of time. He suddenly realized that he didn't know what he was doing at all. He was just figuring out the best places to send his units, and he consulted Takeshi about the terrain in passing. Somehow it was absurdly reminiscent of another game of chess, except that in chess Lelouch knew exactly what the result of his move would be. But here there were so many variables that it was impossible to say exactly who would do well and who needed to send reinforcements.

So when the blue lights began to go out before his eyes, when the shouting was heard again in the ether, Lelouch felt a growing panic. His palms were sweating, and anxious thoughts began to pop up in his head.

"What if I'm doing everything completely wrong?" Lelouch thought desperately. "Or is the loss acceptable? Yes, losses... I mean, people are dying out there, just because I said, said they had to stand there and protect headquarters..."

At that moment he wanted to drop everything, run away, forget. For he now bore the weight of responsibility not only for his own life, or that of his sister or Suzaku, but also for the lives of all those people.

"And what have I gotten myself into?" Lelouch thought and looked at Takeshi. He clenched his fists tensely, watching the movement of the lights on the map. Good for him and the others who didn't have to make decisions right now.

"Decisions... right. I've decided that I'm going to get my revenge and stop this massacre. So... So I don't have to stop. Otherwise all these deaths will be for nothing."

Lelouch fixed his gaze on the spot where another light had gone out. Here was a chance to make a difference. And he wouldn't miss it just because he was scared. He needs to pull himself together. All those lights... you just have to put them in the right position. Like pawns. Just pawns.

It was easier to think that way. Not so scary.

***

Kallen touched the rough steering wheel with admiration, like the ones on gravity bikes. The new AT-RT! What could be better! They'd only been able to get their hands on a pretty beat-up model in the past. However, her happy smile faded quickly. An uphill battle lay ahead. The lives of her friends and brother were at stake.

Yoshitaka's squad, of which Kallen was a member, took up positions. The mobility of the AT-RT walkers allowed the rebels to climb to the upper levels, which had suffered the most destruction. Holes gaped in the permacrete sidewalks, scaling durasteel rebar teeth at similar breaches in the walls. Scarlet sunset rays rippled disturbingly in the dusty slurry. Kallen lurched deep into one of the breaches in the wall. The machine beneath her rumbled, bending its metal legs. Even so, the top of Kallen's head barely touched the ceiling.

"Just hope I don't get my head blown off when I get out of here," the girl thought, tensely watching the dots on the walker's tactical screen. The Republicans were moving directly toward the ambush level below. The plan of this unknown man with a strange voice, whom Takeshi called Alan, was to collapse the permacrite beneath the enemy soldiers with explosives.

On either side of the small transport canyon where the insurgents were entrenched, enemy troops were moving in. On the upper levels, walkers stepped cautiously, ready to jump at any moment to another level, or to the other side of the chasm. From below, where there was already solid permacrit, a couple of armored vehicles flew leisurely, followed by men in blue-gray Justice Corps uniforms. The soldiers were breaking into buildings, inspecting them for insurgents.

There were too many Republicans. One could only hope that the plan would work.

Kallen felt the sweat running down her back. In her opinion, the worst part of the fight was the waiting. There was relative silence on the airwaves, even Tamaki was silent. Outside, the footsteps and humming of Republican transport echoed.

Suddenly someone's cry was heard.

"Explosives had been spotted from below!" Yoshitaka shouted.

"Then detonate it," Alan responded immediately.

Space groaned shrilly before the coming wave. Kallen squeezed her eyes shut, and, unable to help herself, plugged her ears. A gust of thunder rumbled in, shaking the walls of the building. Her throat felt clammy from the dust that had fallen from above. Kallen parted her eyes and yanked the walker toward the opening, leaping out onto the sidewalk. Dust snakes braided the canyon in an impenetrable tangle. The walker's motion detectors registered debris falling unseen in the dusty fog and the movement of enemy soldiers below. But Kallen glanced at the screen only a glimpse. She heard the desperate pulsing of life on the opposite wall of the canyon and opened fire. Dust sparkled with the blue plasma of the shot, like a storm cloud.

"Suppressive fire!" Alan gave the order.

"Press with the longs!"

A waterfall of hot, pitch-white lava poured into the canyon, dissipating into rings of suffocating dust in the scarlet sky. The sounds of gunfire clashed with the screams and thunder of a battle. The low rumble of danger ran shivers down Kallen's back, and she surged through the thick dust to the opposite side. She aimed at the seething rage echo and squeezed the trigger again. She took off, crushing the tired old permacrite with her iron claws. The wind whipped mercilessly against her ears in a frantic race through the levels. Kallen didn't feel tired; there was just no time to be distracted by it.

"Kallen! Watch out!" Yoshitaka shouted through the hiss of the comlink.

Kallen realized that she had completely forgotten herself in this flood of battle sounds. She yanked the walker back. Just in time. The dust began to disperse, peeling away the cover from enemy positions. The motion sensors weren't accurate enough at this great a distance to take aimed fire. The Republicans took advantage of this to regroup. Between the floors of breached permacrites, amidst the rubble, two armored carriers stood sideways, covering the Justices. Climbing on top of them was no longer an option - the enemy walkers wouldn't let them in. One of them stealthily crept closer, aimed it at a gaping Kallen and fired a grenade launcher.

When the insurgents robbed the train, it turned out that a special modification of the AT-RT had been ordered for the military unit near Sandari for urban combat, with grenade launchers instead of the usual mortars. But Kallen wasn't thinking about that now. Nor about how dangerous shrapnel from the blast would be for an unprotected AT-RT pilot. She darted away, feeling the howling vibrations behind her. She screamed in despair, as if hoping that her scream would be louder than death. And then there was a deafening explosion, instantly drowning in the white, ringing absorbent cotton. Kallen squeezed her eyes shut as she continued to dash forward in wide leaps. A sharp wave hit her back, something whistled nearby.

And nothing.

Only vibrations and blind patches of light remained from the world around her.

"Hey, hey, Kallen! Are you all right?" The voice was barely breaking through the absorbent cotton.

Someone yanked her from her seat, shoving a bottle of water into her mouth. Kallen took a few sips. The room swirled around her, along with the worried faces of her comrades. She made her way to her allies.

"She didn't seem to be hurt…"

Kallen felt an acrid nausea in her throat.

"And that one?"

"Gone, the bastard…"

He's gone! Scum! A sudden wave of anger came over Kallen in a sobering wave. She felt better at once. It was as if the nausea and dizziness had never happened. But that wasn't surprising, since she always recovered quickly. Kallen rose to her feet, leaning against the walker.

"Wait, you might be concussed. You shouldn't get up."

"I'm fine!" Kallen protested, clenching her fists. It was as if a second breath had opened in her. "I've got to go!"

"Their fire is too dense, we can't get out…"

Kallen turned to her walker to climb onto it. Her hand fumbled for several cuts in the synthetic leather of the seat. Shrapnel must have splattered it. Kallen frowned. Oddly, she wasn't hurt at all; she felt perfectly fine. How was it that the back of the seat had been hit and she hadn't? What amazing luck.

Along with the other rebels, Kallen lurched for cover at a bend in the canyon, in a high covered gallery. From here there was a good enough view of the enemy positions. Now the Republicans were already pressing in with fire. The ambush was not as successful as planned: there were still too many repubs. Plasma bolts glittered through the empty windows, sparks shattering the wall with black scorch marks.

"How nice that they were so generous and shared something useful with us,"Alan commented from the comlink with a sort of cold chuckle.

One of the guys nearby, called Neji, took the safety off his RPG, getting down on one knee and peering out of cover. The others backed away, stepping away.

"Shooting!"

There was a rumble, and a projectile flew straight into one of the armored personnel carriers. Kallen heard the soldiers die seconds before the explosion and shuddered. She was used to the sensation. In the heat of battle, they didn't make her uncomfortable. But now, in the moment of brief respite, it was uncomfortable. Neji grudgingly rubbed his right ear and muttered:

"Like water had gotten in…"

Now the repubs' AT-RTs upstairs were left without support. They were immediately shot at by Alan's orders, and the remaining walkers rushed in to attack. Kallen didn't sit still, either; she sprinted up the gallery to the side, then out into the open. She had yet to get revenge on the bastard who'd caught her off guard...

***

Captain Viletta Nu was in good standing with Jeremiah Gottwald and not so good with the rest of her fellow officers. Maybe it was because they thought a gorgeous blue-skinned Twi'lette belonged in a brothel somewhere, but certainly not in the counter-terrorism department. Or maybe it was her complicated personality. Either way, she had little interest in the opinions of others.

Viletta was an ambitious woman, so she was excited about the responsible task of finding out what happened to Clovis's guard. Her squad was scouring the area around where Captain Myers had last made contact. Viletta herself was also heavily involved in the search. Her walker ducked into the underground tunnels, illuminating the dusty, musty space with its forward headlights. Viletta stared intensely at the screen showing sensor readings. Communications were poor here, which posed some problem.

Another problem was a possible toxic gas leak: one of the terrorist ships had collapsed nearby. For some reason the command gave no exact information about the chemical composition of the gas, which annoyed Viletta. It was to be hoped that the expensive chemical shielding would do the trick. It was worth thanking Gottwald for that, by the way. It wasn't easy for a Twi'lek to get equipment in a predominantly human army.

Light seeped in from above, washing over the wrecked ship. And dead bodies. Viletta looked around warily. The sensors showed no movement around her, so the Twileka pulled the ignition key and got off the walker. She squatted down beside one of the corpses. Judging by the emblem on his shoulder, it was a member of the Guard. But he died not of gas poisoning, but of multiple burns. Something bad had happened to the Guard, it was obvious now. Viletta turned her head toward the ship.

'I wonder if that's the one? If it is, I guess I can count on a good reward,' she thought, and headed toward the crumpled ship's ajar. A dusty darkness was swirling inside, so Viletta lit a flashlight. The bronzeish metal side of the mangled capsule flashed ahead. Viletta immediately grabbed the gas analyzer hanging on her belt. But it still showed perfectly normal values. And there was a hole in the capsule.

"What the...?"

Viletta took a few steps forward, touching the metal side. The capsule matched the description the command gave her. It was the same thing the terrorists had stolen.

'On second thought, this situation was suspicious from the beginning. The viceroy's actions, all this secrecy... Besides, this strange thing doesn't look at all like the cylinders in which gas is transported. Something's not right here…' Viletta put a hand to her chin in thought. Either way, what the Viceroy is hiding must be valuable information. And compromise is a useful thing. She smiled predatory. It's worth taking some photos and holographs just in case. Against the rules, of course, but no one would know.

Finished examining the capsule, Viletta stepped outside and noticed a slight movement. Immediately she drew her blaster from its holster and aimed it at the man who had raised his head. He wasn't wearing a guardsman's uniform, she noticed that right away. The man tried to smile, grimacing in pain.

"Aaah, I'm sorry, miss! I didn't mean to frighten you. I was attacked by terrorists, I'm only a civilian!" The man raised his hands. Still a boy, Viletta realized. "I am Rivals, my name is. Really, I'm not a terrorist, I'm going to school, well, I'm about to finish it. I have my ID!"

The guy was clearly nervous. Viletta froze for a second, deciding what to do. The terrorists, after all, were themselves civilians and easily resembled them. So the order was to spare no one. On the other hand, what if this guy was innocent? That could be easily checked, if he wasn't lying about the ID. But, what was most important, he could shed some light on what had happened here.

Viletta lowered the muzzle of her blaster slightly. Information was power, a lesson she had learned long ago.

***

"It's working! Am I really doing it?!" Lelouch could not restrain a mad smile. Not all the ambushes were successful, but the Republican advance was stopped. They clearly had not expected such resistance! His fingers were trembling now, not only with exertion, but also with anticipation. Maybe… maybe we could not only buy time, but stop Clovis altogether. If he could concentrate all his energies on his headquarters, he might be able to break through his defenses. Oh, that would be a truel triumph!

Meanwhile, Takeshi was becoming more and more withdrawn. Some kind of inner turmoil was eating him up. Almost nothing depended on him anymore, and he indulged in his heavy thoughts.

"How long before the evacuation is over?" he asked.

"Unfortunately, we need more time. But I think we'll make it," Lelouch said. Takeshi nodded curtly. "Do you have someone dear to you there?" Takeshi nodded again.

All Lelouch could do - was sympathize and hope he didn't find himself in a similar situation.

"If Nunnally had been there, I would have dropped everything and run to find her, "he thought. "It's amazing how Takeshi's still holding on."

"Ask P-1 and P-3 if they've seen yours," Lelouch suggested. Takeshi pressed his lips together tightly and lowered his eyes. Perhaps he was afraid of hearing a negative answer. Nevertheless, he reached for the comlink.

"...Have you seen Marie and June?"

"Nagato? No, I'm sorry. Maybe they were the first to leave a long time ago."

Takeshi closed his eyes for a second, trying to cope with his emotions. Nevertheless, his face remained neutral.

"How can Clovis act so cruelly?" Once again Lelouch wondered.

***

Meanwhile, back at his headquarters, Clovis was tearing up and tearing down. His perfect hair style had whipped and now looked unkempt, and he himself was blushing with anger. The officers around him tried to blend into their seats.

"How dare they resist! Me! And rob my train!"

"Yes, the casualties in this operation are unjustifiably high," muttered Bartley, wiping the sweat from his bald head.

"You know, Grace, I have an interesting prototype here," the sly face of Lloyd Asplund, the military engineer, appeared at the side. "We can cover the terrorists with my newer protons…"

"Get out!" yelled Clovis.

"Oh, well, suit yourself, Grace," Asplund snorted, winked at Bartley, and disappeared as quickly as he had appeared. Bartley swallowed nervously.

'No matter what happens because of his Grace's intemperance. Asplund is, after all, a protege of Schneisel himself,' he thought. 'It is as if he knew something.'

"Your Grace," one of the officers called out. "It is becoming difficult to advance. The terrorists are ambushing us with captured weapons and equipment. They have RPGs, that's not good. We need to retaliate…"

"Then... then send everyone over there! We must wipe out this insects!"

"A-all?"

"Yes, all our troops! Tanks too! Let them try to shoot the tanks down with that stupid RPG!" Clovis waved his hands furiously.

"B-but, your Grace," Bartley interjected. "Let pardon me, I don't think that's a good idea…"

"Don't argue! I said so, and so it shall be!"

Bartley sighed, wiping the sweat away once more. Maybe they can crush the terrorists with firepower and numbers.

***

That was it. Ohgi knew this moment was coming. Alan ordered the evacuation of the base to put his plan into action. He looked around sadly at the familiar walls. Many were unhappy with this state of affairs, but Ohgi knew it was necessary, for sooner or later the Republicans would gain the upper hand.

People were bustling around, gathering the most valuable items. They even tried to take out the holoprojector table, but then gave it up. It was too big, and there was no time to waste.

"Ohgi, we're done!" A squad returned from the underground tunnels, ordered to plant explosives there.

"Tell that to Alan," Ohgi brushed him off. He was so depressed now that he was in no condition at all to go about his business.

Medbay greeted him with the familiar sweet smell of bacta. Naoto was lying on a bunk with a breathing mask over his face. Ohgi leaned anxiously over him.

"With medical attention everything will be all right," the doctor said.

These words were not very reassuring to Ohgi.

"We'll have to escape, and we don't know what the conditions will be like there..." he thought desperately. Naoto was his best friend, almost his brother. They had known each other since they were children. Ohgi had absolutely no idea what would happen to him, to Kallen, to the others if their leader died.

A pair of men entered the Medbay. A gurney for Naoto levitated behind them.

It was time to leave.

***

Yoshitaka was able to arrange a video feed from his walker, which Lelouch was very happy about. It made it easier for him to command. In general, Yoshitaka's squad was one of the most effective. Certainly better than the P-1 unit run by Kento Sugiyama. And Yoshitaka's squad also had Kallen.

Lelouch couldn't believe his eyes when he saw her on screen. It wasn't because the image of the Academy student was so strikingly different from the walker pilot. No. It was just that she piloted masterfully, with stunning efficiency.

"What a talent," Lelouch thought in amazement.

And then panicked shouts came from the comlink.

"There are tanks!"

"Wow, Clovis is an even bigger idiot than I thought," Lelouch chuckled as he watched the mass of enemy points move toward the center of the ghetto. They were going to take the terrorist headquarters? How predictable. Tanks could scare the sight of them, cover the soldiers. But very soon they would be nothing more than useless tins.

"Retreat, "Lelouch ordered. All that was left was to wait for the right moment.

Once more the minutes of waiting stretched on. Lelouch felt a strange mixture of nervousness, anticipation, and grim elation. He clenched and unclenched his right fist in impatience, desperate for something to occupy his fingers.

And so, at last, the rebel forces squeezed out of the center closer to the southeast.

"Oh, Clovis must be jubilant," Lelouch grinned and gave the order to the comlink:

"Blow it up!"

And then all hell broke loose. The rebels had planted explosives in parts of the underground tunnels over which Clovis's forces were now piled. And though the tunnels were well-made, they hadn't been repaired in a very, very long time. The effect of the explosion in them was catastrophic. The multilevel buildings began to collapse as soon as their foundations were shaken. Apparently, an entire megablock, if not more, had collapsed. Tanks, walkers, and people were buried alive under tons of duracrete and durasteel. A giant cloud of dust soared high into the darkening sky with the last groan of the dead.

Lelouch couldn't stand it and giggled. Victory had never been so sweet! It had never been so... meaningful. Takeshi looked at him furtively, then out the window, where a column of dust could be seen. The rumbling could be heard from here as well.

"I hope this works," he said.

Suddenly the nerves were struck by... something. Lelouch gasped for air, shuddered with an unpleasant aching pain in the back of his head, bright dots danced before his eyes. It was an eerie cold sensation brought on by the Force. Lelouch felt it very faintly now, because of his exhaustion, but the echoes of death caught up with him nonetheless.

Almost like the time on Naboo...

"Will it haunt me all the time now?" he thought. The deaths disturbed the smooth surface of the Force too much, the waves of powerful emotion compressed into an endless blinding chime. Lelouch concentrated, himself trying to calm down and ward off the unpleasant sensations.

Under the cover of dust and the advancing night, the rebels hurried away from the ghetto. True, skirmishes with the Republicans still occurred. But by and large everything went according to plan.

Until a furious Clovis struck back. The sunset swiftly turned back as fire rained down from the sky.

"Are they really going to bomb us?!

Lelouch jumped up from his seat, looking out the window in horror. It was such a familiar sight, the turbolaser fire pouring out of the sky and the bombs dropping. How many times he'd seen it during the war and there was nothing he could do to stop it. He couldn't stop it now.

"Do something!" Shouted Takeshi in panic.

"But we can't do anything against their ships…"

"You promised! You promised you'd stop it!"

"I did everything I could!" Lelouch nervously ran his hand across his forehead, pushing his bangs back. The force around him stirred again, causing headaches and nausea. He felt utterly devastated and tired. Jubilation was replaced by a kind of eerie emptiness inside. Did he really believe he could make a difference?

Takeshi, who had also jumped up from his seat, leaned heavily against the wall. They were lucky they were on the very outskirts of the ghetto and not hit by bombs. The cannonade outside stunned them with a sense of helplessness.

"We could... We could try to gather the last of our forces and attack Clovis' headquarters, get him to stop bombing," Lelouch said uncertainly. "Except that he must be heavily guarded, especially after we took over the train. I'm afraid that would be suicide."

Helplessness turned to anger. Lelouch clenched his fists. Why does it have to end this way? After all he had done? After all those sacrifices? He took a few jerky steps away from the window and picked up Myers' comlink. He hadn't noticed the device had gone off a few minutes before. The Republicans must have finally realized that its owner was dead. But Lelouch didn't care. He pressed the call button. And the Viceroy decided to answer it after all.

"Who are you? Did you kill the captain of my guard?" Clovis' demanding voice rang out.

"The bastard deserved to die," Lelouch hissed. "You are next."

He swung himself around and threw the comlink against the wall in a fury. It shattered into several pieces with a crash. Lelouch was breathing heavily, trying to calm down a bit and figure out his next plan of action. Destroying the comlink helped a little.

Suddenly the cannonade outside the window subsided. It was as sudden as if the thunder had stopped mid-roar. Only isolated explosions and the crackle of fires filled the silence. Lelouch and Takeshi rushed to the window. Clouds of smoke rose over the ruined city, and through them they could hardly see the Republican ships flying away.

"No, that can't be..." muttered Takeshi. "He can't be frightened of your threat."

Lelouch shook his head in surprise.

"What on earth happened...?"

***

Clovis was furious. The casualties exceeded every conceivable estimate. Those Elevens had dropped buildings on his tanks! Just buried a huge part of his army. This wasn't a counter-terrorist operation, this was a war!

And then there was the report from Gottwald's subordinate: Meyers was dead, as was his entire guard. But they found an empty capsule and no gas. Clearly, the green wretch has escaped. Clovis wasn't going to stand for that. There was nothing left to lose. It's time to put an end to these terrorists. And he doesn't care about conspiracy anymore. He should tell Dithard to beat back all press attacks about the bombing, which one can probably already hear in orbit. Let him blame it all on the terrorists.

For a while, Clovis had the pleasure of enjoying the sight of the destruction in the ghetto.

"Sir, there's a call registered from Myers' comlink. Probably terrorists," one of the officers said. Clovis cringed at the inappropriate treatment. Oh, those Justices! He should reprimand Bartley.

"Receive it."

Clovis didn't even know how to respond to the threat. Unless he could laugh at the terrorist's helpless rage. On the other hand, the creep had killed Myers. Maybe he had a test subject. He has to deal with it and double the guards just in case. Clovis was about to give the appropriate orders when a guard burst into headquarters.

"We said you were busy, that you couldn't be seen," he said, breathing heavily.

And then two men in sand-colored robes and wide brown cloaks entered the headquarters. One of them, the older one, smiled slyly through his reddish beard.

"Sir Viceroy. You should have been notified of our arrival. The Jedi Council is very concerned about the tense situation in your sector. We have come to promote peace and eliminate conflict."

Clovis smiled tautly, inwardly boiling with anger.

"Yes, of course I have been notified. However, let me ask you, what are you doing here? This is a classified military operation."

"Indeed it is. We learned of it entirely by accident, from the media," the Jedi smiled broadly again. "As I said, we're here on a peacekeeping mission. The Council does not condone violence unless it is absolutely necessary. Therefore, I ask you, honorable Viceroy, to cancel the order to bomb the city immediately."

"You have no right!" Clovis' voice sounded hysterical.

"Oh, yes, I do," the abominable Jedi never stopped smiling. "The Council has given us broad authority. This mission is also authorized by the Senate of the Republic. I have a document to that effect. I can either send you the electronic version or show you a copy on flimsy plastic. Which would be more convenient for you?

Clovis continued to stare furiously at the Jedi. He, in turn, without waiting for an answer, pulled a stack of flimsy sheets from under his cloak and shoved them under the Viceroy's nose.

"Your bombing order falls under clause 4.3 on exceeding the necessary violent measures against terrorism. So please cancel it, or I will have to notify the Council and the Senate."

Clovis cast a grim glance at the Jedi, then at the documents. Then turned to the frozen officers and gave the order to cancel the bombing, trying to keep a stony face. Then looked at the Jedi again.

"Oh, forgive my impoliteness. I completely forgot to introduce myself. I am Master Jedi Obi-Wan Kenobi. And this," he nodded at the young man with brown curly hair and a long, thin pigtail hanging from his temple," is my Padawan, Suzaku Kururugi.

The padawan smiled a little wryly. He was slightly pale, as if he wasn't feeling well.