A lazy brown vortex swirled in the cup. Lelouch took out a spoon and took a sip of the hot caf.

"Rivalz would have just preferred to get drunk, after all this..."

Anyway, Lelouch was already feeling pretty lousy. He should have gone home and slept, but he was sitting at a far table in a dark corner of the cantina, drinking a completely non-alcoholic caf. A shiver went through his body now and then, when the usual noise level jumped from someone's drunken yelling or the sound of broken dishes. Thoughts rushed and pounded around inside his head like mad. In that state, sleep was impossible.

A blue light blinked off to the side — someone had turned on a hologram. A fierce debate broke out on the news about what kind of military operation had unfolded this afternoon. There had been no comment from the Viceroy's administration yet, which left room for speculation. Lelouch felt nauseous.

'And I had a feeling my stomach would be stronger,' Lelouch thought, washing his hands in the restroom. The unpleasant images of the corpses of Clovis's guardsmen came to mind again, and then the memory of the nauseating echo of death in the Force.

Returning to his table, Lelouch found it already occupied by a couple of sloppy faces.

"Up your ass, lost your seat!" They laughed.

Lelouch felt a surge of hot irritation. But he was too tired to argue, so he just turned around and walked out of the cantina. The cold of night reeked in his face, coming from the Wastes. Lelouch threw on the hood of the baggy jacket he had bought a few hours earlier. The clothing store clerk on the lower levels watched him suspiciously as he swapped his ruined Academy uniform for something more decent before heading upstairs.

A short but effective bombardment finally sealed victory for Clovis, forcing the remnants of the rebels to flee. Takeshi and Lelouch were no exception. Soon Takeshi was lost somewhere in the crowd of refugees, saying he wanted no help and wanted nothing more to do with Lelouch at all.

The Mandalore moons shone in the night sky, casting ghostly light on the sparse clouds and pillars of smoke rising above the red fire glow. Lelouch suddenly noticed that he could not see the familiar blue-purple ripples of the energy dome. An unexpected gust of icy wind made him shiver. The dome acted as an air filter; it must have had to be turned off to keep the city from suffocating in the smoke from the fires.

'So that's why it's so cold…' Lelouch thought, hailing an air cab.

Ashford Academy greeted him with silent, dark windows. Lelouch passed the dormitories and academic buildings, the student council building, and pulled in front of the staff house. Ruben Ashford had given him and Nunnally an apartment in the same place where his family and some of the faculty lived. In the pale light of Mandalore's moons, after all he had been through, this familiar house looked as if it had come from some other world.

Lelouch felt something similar when he first came here seven years ago. Then, after the war, after they had parted ways with Suzaku, after Genbu's suicide, when he and Nunnally had been found by the Ashfords, he had felt completely lost, not knowing what the future held for him. Now it seemed that nothing had changed in the intervening years. The future was still hazy. There was only a year left at Ashford High School, and then it would probably be time to go to university, also here at Ashford. And Lelouch didn't even know what he ultimately wanted out of life, let alone his choice of profession.

"Master Lelouch," C8-K0, or Sayoko, greeted him as he entered the apartment. Her copper body gleamed in the moonlight before it was illuminated by the light of the electric lamp.

"How is Nunnally?"

"Mistress Nunnally is already asleep," Seeait-Keyo answered.

Lelouch quietly opened the door of his sister's bedroom, carefully pushed the wheelchair aside and sat down on the bed, gently stroking Nunnally on the pale top of her head. She smiled in her sleep.

"I'm sorry if I made you worry," he whispered.

There was one other thing that hadn't changed since then: the desire to protect Nunnally. One would have thought that she was no longer in danger. But Lelouch knew that as long as the Republic existed, as long as the people responsible for their exile were in power, his sister would not be safe. Once they were exposed somewhere, the chancellor's men would come after them, to use them again in their dirty political games.

'To prevent that, I must be able to dictate terms to them,' thought Lelouch as he opened the door to his room. He didn't believe he could pull something like this off. Not until today. That brief moment of triumph gave him strength, and defeat pulled him out of his slumbering contemplation of life with a sharp sense of injustice. He opened the closet, leaned against the bottom shelf where the safe stood. The Force rippled lightly, singing in his hands along with the oblong object he had removed from the safe.

"Suzaku," Lelouch called in a conspiratorial whisper. "Don't you want to see a real Jedi sword?"

"Well... Master Todo says that non-Jedi aren't allowed to have a lightsaber, especially a dar'jetii," Suzaku stretched out, frowning. Nevertheless, there was doubt in his voice, which Lelouch immediately picked up on.

"And no one will know! Or aren't you curious?"

Suzak was interested, very much so. Master Todo who had conducted swordsmanship training, told him about the lightsabers being used in the Order. But he never showed them. Suzaku looked around feverishly. Kururugi Manor answered with empty corridors. No one was around.

"All right, then."

Lelouch smiled slyly and revealed his palms, which held a purple crystal.

"It is not a sword!" Suzaku reasonably indignant.

"It is his heart. The most important part of the sword. All it takes is to get a few parts. That's why I need your help, Suzaku!"

Suzaku hesitated. There was a struggle in his mind between curiosity and fear of breaking his inhibitions. Lelouch continued to persuade his new friend:

"Your father will buy you anything! It's not hard for you to ask, is it?"

"No, he won't, he's strict," Suzaku resisted. "And anyway, where did you get the crystal from?"

"Where did I get it from? Found it on Ilum, when they took us there. We had a very old droid helping us to put the swords together, can you imagine? And it was very cold, colder than the Wastelands at night," Lelouch grinned happily as he talked about the trip.

"Shouldn't they have taken it from you?" Suzaku sensed that something wasn't right. Why else would Lelouch look so mysterious?

"They did. Well, my sword."

"And they didn't know you took the crystal out?"

"No! Because I put another one in. I tricked them!"

"You found two crystals on Ilum?" Suzaku asked in surprise.

"No, I borrowed the other one from someone," Lelouch smirked smugly. "So, do you want to see the lightsaber or not?"

Suzaku frowned at Lelouch. It was wrong of him to steal someone else's crystal. On the other hand, the desire to see the real sword had become almost unbearable.

"All right, I'll help you," he finally gave in.

Lelouch smiled warmly, remembering those distant times. They hadn't collected the sword until the war began. It had saved their lives several times. But details were scarce back then, so the sword was not pretty, short even for a child's palm. It had been in the safe ever since, serving as a reminder of times gone by.

Lelouch took the jingling pouch out of the safe. Before he'd given up all hope, he'd been collecting new parts. It seemed that their time had come.

Lelouch spread them out before him and summoned the Force. It responded weakly, but it was enough. The sword rose into the air, the parts fell away like old skin, exposing the crystal. New ones flew up and began to connect with each other. Lelouch watched the process tensely. Several times he failed. The force was unaccustomed to it, but he was adamant about putting the sword together this way.

Finally, a graceful, curved, silver hilt was placed in his hand. A button bubbled under his thumb. Lelouch pressed it, experiencing a thrill and delight he hadn't felt in a long time. A rich purple beam erupted from the emitter, filling his surroundings with steady light and a soft hum.

It was time for the future.

Elona 18th, 12 ArS

"You were ordered to look for Myers, not Captain Nu!" Clovis said irritably.

"I informed you that I would need another squad to be more effective. You told me to act on my own judgment," Jeremiah replied nonchalantly. And he was right. Clovis waved his hand, letting him go. He and Bartley were the only ones left in the study.

"Then we must get rid of Nu, she knows too much!" Clovis spluttered his hands. "I can believe that Gottwald won't ask too many questions, but I don't trust Nu."

"We can't just do that; there will be questions. Besides, Gottwald vouched for her. He said he ordered her to keep quiet," Bartley said. Clovis nodded grimly, agreeing, though the decision was not to his liking.

"What shall we do with the boy, then? Let him go, too? You expect me to accept this silly story that he was kidnapped by bandits and ended up in front of the capsule by accident? Too many strange coincidences!" snorted Clovis.

"But, your Grace, he is Mr. Cardemonde's son. I don't think he has anything to do with…"

"Who? I've never even heard of him, so he's nobody."

"Mr. Cardemond is a member of the sector senate."

"Oh... All right, whatever. We'll deal with that later," Clovis rubbed his temples. He hadn't slept much last night, he had a headache, and he was very tired. His press secretary, Coleridge, couldn't cope with the attacks of the reporters. He had to hire Ried to help him again. Clovis had long offered this talented man the position of Coleridge, but for some reason he kept refusing. The streets were heating up with refugees, the firemen and policemen were going crazy, and there were Jedi hanging around the door. And he had to deal with all that! He was about to lose his mind.

Viletta was annoyed. Jeremiah forbade her to speak to Rivalz or to deal with the case at all, saying it was his Grace's order. The boy had simply been locked up somewhere in the cellars of the Viceroy's residence. It would be obvious to anyone at this point that Clovis was hiding something. But there's no way to find out now, not even Jeremiah is willing to look into it.

'He has enough authority to be Viceroy himself, but he has never been ambitious enough,' Violetta mentally sighed. If only her superior had been the Viceroy, she would have had better prospects. If she had enough dirt, she might be able to add fuel to the raging fire. Hundreds of reporters storming the residence, that'd be a great scoop!

No. Viletta crossed her arms across her chest, leaning against the wall next to the wide window. She would not give up so easily. She finally had a great chance that she wasn't going to pass up. We could leak information about Rivalz to someone. His father, for instance, and have him make demands on Clovis. But then she could put herself at risk. No, she needs someone more authoritative who could do all the dirty work without casting suspicion on her. Someone who could agree to cooperate.

That's when an interesting idea occurred to her.

'And that might work,' Violetta thought, smirking, and walked toward the meeting hall.

Lelouch didn't crawl out of bed until early evening, and that was only because Shirley showed up at his window. The classmate's face was a comical mix of dismay and displeasure.

"Where have you been all day? Are you playing hooky again? And why aren't you answering your phone?" She asked with her hands at her sides.

"I'm sorry, I don't feel well today," Lelouch tried to justify himself. But that was close enough to the truth. Shirley's face went from frowning to guilty. "It's nothing serious, really. Just a headache."

"Then I hope you feel better soon. Just answer the phone next time, we're worried! By the way, where's Rivalz? He hasn't been in all day, either. I was sure he was with you."

"I don't know," Lelouch muttered, averting hiteas eyes. He had no idea how to tell Shirley that Rivalz wasn't coming back. He still had a hard time believing it himself.

"Okay," she sighed. "I take it you're not coming to the student council meeting?"

"No. I'm really sorry, but I can't."

Shirley left, and Lelouch remained standing, trying to figure out what to do next. He didn't feel like talking to anyone. There was a vague desire in his chest to start doing something, to take some steps to change his life. But he had no concrete plan. So he went back to his room and opened the holonet.

"I knew from the beginning that I shouldn't have bought an apartment in a new Republican housing development!" angered some woman from a report on the Sandari News Channel. "So now what? The dome has been turned off, the temperature is spiking like crazy, and these cardboards that were put in instead of walls by mistake are not helping at all! I demand the dome be turned on immediately!"

The aftermath of the battle in Grass was far more devastating. Sandari was simply unprepared for the bitter cold at night and the unbearable heat during the day, typical of the deserts outside the city. Lelouch ran his hand over the windowsill. Reddish dust clung to his palm. It must have come from the Wastelands through the open airing window. Lelouch felt that shutting down the dome was a better alternative than letting everyone choke on the carbon monoxide. Nevertheless, the blame for the city's poor infrastructure was not removed from Clovis and his government.

Lelouch went back to watching the news. Sandari was seething with indignation and panic. The dome shutdown and fires weren't enough. Кefugees from Grass added fuel to the fire, wreaking havoc in the streets. Rumors of Clovis' brutality spread faster than the fires themselves.

'If Clovis doesn't do something, it might end badly for him,' Lelouch thought, not without a bit of schadenfreude. It seemed to him that yesterday he had been almost ready to kill his paternal brother himself. His emotions had subsided a little now, but the underlying anger was still there.

Deciding to clear his head a little, Lelouch went out for a walk. He had a lot to think about. The Force had returned to him, which gave him the ability to influence those around him. And how! Lelouch couldn't remember being taught this kind of mind-affecting when he was still a youngling in the Temple. He only knew of the mind trick, which was a mild suggestion. It was as if the victim was making this or that decision on his own, with no help from anyone else. And he only knew because he liked to sit in the Archives.

In any case, it was hardly reminiscent of what had happened to Myers and Takeshi. Takeshi, meanwhile, was quite aware that something had happened to him, but there was nothing he could do about it. Still, maybe it was just such a variation on the mind trick?

Lelouch really wished there were Archives at hand, or someone who could answer his questions. But there was no hope for that, so the only option left was to try to understand the nature of the new ability himself. The Force had recovered from yesterday, though not completely. Still, it should have been enough.

Lelouch walked over to one of the benches in the park in front of the Academy, where some kid was sitting, munching on a sandwich. He concentrated, calming the restless thoughts, clearing his mind as he had been taught years ago to summon the Force.

"Give me your sandwich," Lelouch waved his hand, directing the Force at the boy. He blinked a few times and looked at Lelouch doubtfully.

"Why don't you just go to the mess hall?" He suggested." I need my sandwich, too, actually."

'What did I do wrong?' Lelouch thought frustratedly. However, he was in no hurry to give up.

"You want to give me the sandwich," he swung his hand again, putting in a little more Force. This time the boy nodded stiffly, held out his hand... But then he blinked a few times and frowned.

"No, I think I've changed my mind, I'm sorry. Buy your own."

A few further attempts yielded only the same short-lived effect. And when Lelouch began to feel irritated by the whole situation, it dissipated completely. He had to admit defeat.

'Well, a negative result is also a result, right?' Lelouch thought. At least one thing he realized was that he couldn't pull off the mind trick like that right off the bat. But then why did it work yesterday? Was it the stress? It sounded like nonsense, based on what was taught in the Temple. The Force is best obeyed by someone who has cleared his mind of extraneous experiences. But there was no denying the obvious exception to this rule either.

Without having come to any final decision, Lelouch decided to test his powers again. Only this time outside the Academy, so that if he failed he would not be reminded of his strange behavior on every corner. People on the streets looked tense and frowning. Lelouch tried to use the mind trick on the people waiting for the turbolift, then on several others. However, he still had no positive results, and the Force was exhausted again. Angry enough, he returned home.

At home, right on his neatly made bed, the green creature was eating pizza. There was a box lying next to it with a red sign on it that said "The Hutt Pizza" and a picture of a smiling Hutt face.

'There's… there's… crumbs in there now!' was all Lelouch could think about at that moment.

"You. Eat. Pizza. Right in my bed!" he finally exhaled in an unnaturally high voice, gasping with indignation. The creature raised its eyebrows ironically, moved its big ears slightly, and then muttered:

"Your bed I don't see here, for there on the floor are boys sleeping."

Lelouch had no answer to this insolent statement. Especially since he was now a little preoccupied with something else.

"What the hell kind of thing are you? You've been shot in the head, no one survives that!"

"Is wrong, your judgment," said the green girl from the capsule as she took another bite of pizza. The cheese-soaked piece of sausage flopped on the bedspread. Lelouch's eye twitched.

"There, get off the bed. Now!" he ordered. But she only smirked impudently again, apparently amused by his anger. "That's it, you asked for it," he grumbled, and flailed his arm in an attempt to pull her off the bed with his telekinesis. To his astonishment, she didn't even move. It was as if the Force didn't notice her, went right through her.

Only now did Lelouch realize that he couldn't feel the green one at all. It wasn't that she didn't glow like a gifted one, but she didn't have the aura of a normal living being. That was even stranger than the fact that she had survived the headshot.

"Ungrateful," she snorted in response to his attempt to use the Force.

"I'd be much more grateful if you'd knocked politely on my door instead of breaking in and dirtying my bed," Lelouch muttered, leaning against the wall. Realizing that he was getting nowhere, he tried to bury his irritation deep inside.

"And wait until you deign to appear?"

"And why not? You're the one who came to me. By the way, do you have a name?"

"You can call me C.C.," she said after a moment's pause.

"That's not even a name," Lelouch snorted.

"There won't be another one," she shrugged. "The other extreme is to change your last name, but not your first name."

"You know too much," Lelouch squinted suspiciously. "How?"

"Full of rumors is the Galaxy, is ripping, the Force," she answered evasively, and popped the rest of the pizza into her mouth. Lelouch felt a rush of irritation again. She knew more than she was saying, that much was clear. And it stressed him out that someone, as if completely invulnerable, knew his secret.

"Well, at least tell me what you want from me in the first place." Lelouch sighed. Why else would she insinuate that he owed her the rest of his life?"

"When the time comes, find out you'll. In the meantime, what you have wished for all these years should you do."

Lelouch frowned.

"Well, no, it wouldn't work that way. I wouldn't want to find out that your wishes were contrary to mine."

"Oh, no," C.C. grinned somewhat grimly, "it would probably be to your advantage. Common interests, we have.

"So, a mutually beneficial alliance?" Lelouch raised his eyebrows in surprise.

"Say that, you could"

"I don't make contracts without knowing the terms."

"Already made one, you have," C.C. said sarcastically. There was actually nothing to contradict.

On the other hand, there was reason to trust the green one. She might have had a score to settle with Clovis, since he'd kept her locked up. She knew who Lelouch was, so she could assume he had a grudge against his family, too. She probably even kept an eye on him. What's more, she needed him so badly that she threw herself under the blaster bolts. Although, as it's clear now, that's not really a problem for her. But it's just not understandable why she doesn't want to talk about her goals. Is it because of a lack of trust?

Lelouch went over these thoughts in his head several times.

'So I'm some kind of investment for her in the future? And she's not sure if the investment is worth it and therefore doesn't risk revealing all the cards?' he thought. That seemed the most logical conclusion based on the information available. It meant that C.C. wasn't a threat yet.

"Okay, we'll be allies," Lelouch nodded, taking a few steps toward the closet. Suddenly he swung his hand sharply and yanked the covers off the bed with the Force. C.C. flew to the floor with the pizza box. "But that doesn't mean I'm giving my bed to you to be torn to pieces," he added with a chuckle, looking at the green one, who was rubbing her bruised forehead.

Lelouch opened the closet, pulled out a clean spare bedspread, and stepped into the bed. The linens on it were somehow unknowingly stained with cheese and covered with crumbs. The bedspread failed under C.C.'s pressure.

"You... witch!" He exhaled as he took the spare bed clothes out of the closet followed by the second bedspread.

"Thank you for the compliment," C.C. said cheerfully from the floor.

Rivalz sometimes did stupid things, especially when he was drunk. He was not, however, a complete idiot. When he woke up after being shot by the Republicans, he realized it was best to keep quiet about it when other Republicans asked. Besides, he was already tormented by his conscience for his long tongue. After all, he screwed his friend by getting him into this gangster crap. Deciding there was no need to ruin Lelouch's life further, he decided to keep quiet about his role in the latest events.

Now Rivalz sat in a prison cell behind the force field, wondering what his fate would be. Nevertheless, this cell was better than death in the ghetto. It was worth commending himself for his unexpected foresight when he picked up the portable shield generator. It had little charge, so Rivalz got away with a burn and a temporary blackout, but he was alive.

Rivalz had had a lot to fantasize about during those long hours in the cell, but what he hadn't expected was two figures in sandy robes and heavy brown cloaks on top, who he was surprised to recognize as Jedi Order members. They turned off the force field to enter Rivalz' cell.

"I am Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi, and this is my Padawan, Suzaku Kururugi," the man with the reddish beard introduced himself. Kururugi nodded in greeting. "Are you Rivalz Cardemond?

"Y-yes," Rivalz nodded, unsure of how to respond. The Jedi were a real mystery to ordinary citizens of the Republic like him.

Okay," Kenobi smiled ."We have been informed that you are being held in a cell for no good reason.

"Yes, yes," Rivalz agreed cheerfully." I'm just a schoolboy, I got into this lousy situation by accident.

"It's our duty to protect the innocent. But in order for us to help you, could you tell us exactly what happened to you? Please try to remember as many details as you can, it's important."

Rivalz sighed in relief. It could have been so much worse. He told the Jedi what he had repeated several times before to Miss Nu and several other scowling men in uniform. The Jedi didn't accuse him of anything, unlike the men in uniform, only smiled kindly.

"Are you sure that's all?" Kenobi asked when Rivalz was finished.

"Yes," he replied.

"I'm sorry, could you say that again?"

Rivalz looked at the Jedi in surprise. He looked intently into his eyes. It seemed like he was staring into his soul. It made him uncomfortable.

"Yes," Rivalz repeated, though less confidently than he would have liked. The Jedi nodded, frozen in thought. His Padawan stared at his master expectantly. Rivalz was no longer sure where to put himself from this prolonged silence as Kenobi turned his head toward him again and made a strange pass with his hand.

"You want to tell the truth about yesterday's events, beginning with your abduction by the bandits," he said. Rivalz suddenly felt warm and good inside, and he smiled relaxed. This Jedi was definitely trustworthy. He guessed he was safe to tell.

Suzaku had strange feelings when he learned that he and his master were being sent to Mandalore as part of another diplomatic mission. He didn't think he'd ever visit his old homeland again. On the one hand he was bound to Mandalore by fond childhood memories, on the other by the pain of loss and the horrors of war.

It was not an easy task. Suzaku knew how tense the situation in Sector Eleven was. He and his master had to try to prevent as many casualties as possible and sort out the tangle of contradictions. The Death Watch was a terrorist group that advocated a revival of old barbaric traditions. And though the task seemed impossible, they have already taken the first steps toward a peaceful resolution to the conflict by stopping the bombardment of the Viceroy.

Speaking of Clovis, it occupied a separate line on the Jedi's extensive to-do list. The fact is that the main assignment, though important, was just as important as the second, secret assignment. Rumors had reached the Jedi Council that Clovis was conducting some experiments related to the Force. Only the Order itself had permission to do so, because only there could provide a sufficient level of security and assurance that during the experiments no one will not suffer, and their results will not fall into the wrong hands. That is why Clovis had to be stopped.

For now, he and the master had to gather information, look for clues that indicated that the Viceroy had broken the law. In many ways that was why the master was interested in the words of that blue-skinned Twi'lek, Viletta Nu. She spoke of the strange capsule that supposedly contained poisonous gas that almost caused Clovis to destroy an entire district, the pile of bodies of Clovis's personal guard near her, and the fact that the only witness to what had happened, an ordinary boy from Ashford Academy who had been caught in the crossfire by accident, was locked up somewhere under the Viceroy's residence and no one was allowed to see him. All this looked very suspicious and demanded investigation.

At first, the guards flatly refused to let the Jedi see Rivalz, hiding behind the Viceroy's personal decree. However, the master talked to a few people, showed them his papers, added a little suggestion, and then they were allowed in. Rivalz himself was not willing to tell the whole truth either. As the master said, he smelled his lies almost immediately. Suzaku sensed almost nothing, he was not good at this sort of thing. He clearly should have practiced more. Still, he didn't blame Rivalz for trying to lie. After all, what they had learned had truly shocked them, and surely would have signed Cardemond's death warrant if Clovis had known about it.

On his way out of the cell, Suzaku opened his mouth to ask all the questions that plagued him.

"Not here," the master said.

In silence they reached the quarters they had been assigned to live in. Suzak was uncomfortable in the midst of all this luxury, but it was safe; the master triple-checked them for wiretaps and cameras.

"We are not going to inform the viceroy of what Rivalz really saw, are we?" Suzaku asked the master. In reality, he was more concerned about something other than the fate of Rivalz, which made him feel a little ashamed."

"No, definitely not," Obi-Wan replied thoughtfully, stroking his beard in his favorite manner. "We can't let them get affected, not Rivalz and his friend…"

Yes, that friend was exactly what Suzaku was worried about. Rivalz said his classmate Lelouch was with him. Someone with the same name as Suzaku's childhood friend. It would seem nothing special, how many Lelouches are there in the Galaxy? Except that he went to Ashford Academy. And Suzaku remembered Lelouch saying more than once that the Ashfords were friends of his mother, and he often played together with Milly, who was several years older than him. Moreover, since this Lelouch was a classmate of Rivalz, he must have been about eighteen years old, like Rivalz himself. That is, as old as the Lelouch with whom Suzaku was once acquainted. All these coincidences were suggestive.

"If he's alive, of course. Most likely, he's buried somewhere in the ghetto," Obi-Wan continued, not noticing that the Padawan was in his own thoughts. Suzaku's insides went cold with those words.

'No, it's too early to worry,' he said to himself. And anyway, a Jedi is not supposed to have attachments.

"What are we going to do next?" Suzaku asked.

"We need to gather more evidence of the Viceroy's machinations. I would like to visit the shipwreck site of the capsule for starters. I think we should talk to Miss Nu again. But we must be careful: Clovis has already shown that he is ready to eliminate anyone who knows too much."

Suzaku nodded in agreement.

"And now," Obi-Wan, smiled slyly, "it's training time."

"Training? But where? I don't think this place is suitable for sparring," Suzaku wondered, though he suspected the master had something else in mind.

"That is correct. That's why you're going to go make arrangements for us to be allocated a gym. It will be your training as a diplomat."

Suzaku almost groaned aloud, but held back. Otherwise, the master would be poking fun at him for the rest of eternity. All this negotiating was hard for him, not like swordsmanship. Obi-Wan, watching his reaction, said:

"You might think it's easier to use the mind trick. But you must understand that this is a last resort argument. You can't impose your will on others just because you don't like something or don't know how to negotiate.

"Yes, Master, I understand," Suzaku sighed. With that, he was in complete agreement. He didn't like the mind trick technique at all. The whole thing felt wrong somehow. On the other hand, if used correctly, it could do more good than harm, since it didn't involve violence, much less the use of the Dark Side.

"But tell me, Master, why can't we stop Clovis this way? It seems to me that it would not be using the Force to its advantage, it would be within the mission."

"I wish it were that simple," Obi-Wan hummed. "But the mind trick does not break the will of others, only helps to come to an understanding, and does not work on some races. What's more, everyone who needs to know about Jedi abilities is well aware of them, and they train their minds in a way similar to what I showed you." the last words were spoken with a slight reproach. Suzaku lowered his head bashfully. Mental techniques were clearly his weakness.

Clovis is one of the Chancellor's sons, and he's also experimenting with the Force, so it's very likely that he knows about mind protection.

After finishing his conversation with his master, Suzaku staggered off to complete his task.

C.C. sat at his computer and didn't do anything suspicious. Lelouch had been watching her from the corner of his eye ever since, creating a separate account for her, and changing his password just in case. However, C.C. had only been reviewing the news for the past few years.

'I wonder how long she's been a prisoner of Clovis?' Lelouch thought. He didn't even try to ask her, having already realized that she always answers as vaguely as the Jedi masters do. Speaking of which. Some time earlier, Lelouch asked her:

"So are you a Jedi? Or... a Sith?"

"Prejudice guides you, hmm?" She answered question after question with her irritatingly ironic inversion.

"I have to base my judgments on something, don't I?" Lelouch hummed, mimicking her tone.

"And who is a Jedi or a Sith to you?" That was the first time there was interest in his voice. It was indeed an interesting question.

"If you omit my hatred of the Jedi, or rather of the masters for my exile, all that remains is a sect of religious fanatics infected by the corruption of the Senate," Lelouch tilted his head, putting his fingers to his temple and cheek, as he often did when he was pensive.

"Hmm, why so?" It was even strange to hear his voice without a hint of sarcasm.

Lelouch turned to the window, his gaze wandering over the jagged edges of the city skyline.

"I've been thinking a lot about this. I think it's about their radical views. If you don't conform to the most absurd things to their worldview, then you're no longer entitled to use the Force. What did they tell a ten-year-old child when he was upset and angry about his mother's murder?" Lelouch chuckled bitterly. "They said he had no right to affection or those feelings at all. It's completely inhumane. In these eight years, I've learned that emotions are a perfectly normal and natural part of any living being. It is therefore completely pointless and even harmful to give them up when it is not necessary to concentrate to use the Force."

"To the Dark Side such thoughts lead," C.C. said with such obvious sarcasm, as if she were mimicking someone else.

"So you're a Sith after all?" Lelouch reacted immediately.

"Binary views are as radical as Jedi," she snorted contemptuously.

"Nothing of the sort," Lelouch said irritably. "Just trying to find out if what the Jedi say about the Sith is true. I'm not personally familiar with any of them... Well, maybe... Anyway, it doesn't matter now. You see, they talk about the Sith as some kind of universal evil, which again reminds me of a religion that needs a personification of vice. This, and the inconsistency of Jedi teachings, makes me question it. I even think that maybe there is no Dark Side."

C.C. made a strange grunting sound, something resembling a stifled, surprised laugh.

"That's a bold statement."

"And why not?" Lelouch held up his hands. "It would make a great scary story, wouldn't it? You stray from the Code, you're some kind of demon. And I don't see how you can separate the Force in two? It's the same for everyone, just like the laws of physics. I'm not a scientist, of course, but I try to look at the world around me in a rational way. Logic tells me that there is no Dark Side."

"Sound logical, it does," C.C. didn't argue, but Lelouch couldn't understand her reaction to his arguments, because it was so neutral. Nevertheless, he did note one thing for himself: she certainly wasn't overly principled.

The night of the nineteenth to the twentieth was approaching, and yesterday's fires were still raging.