Interlude 12: A Stay of Execution
I take a deep breath, letting air fill my lungs. And trying desperately to ignore the sickening feeling in the pit of my stomach.
What the hell am I doing...?
Euphie is probably a nervous wreck right now. And I don't have any doubts Lelouch is going to have a conniption fit when he finds out about this.
But...I can't do this anymore. I can't let them waste themselves on a disgrace of a man like me. A man who is torn between loyalties...between loves...
I'm sworn to Euphemia and her ideal of reforming Britannia without war. But...I'm also sworn to Lelouch and his ideal of justice no matter the cost. Fiat justitia ruat caelum, I think he called it.
To choose one is to betray the other. My body shudders as my emotions roil within me.
Still, I'm grateful to Prince Schneizel. He understands what I'm doing. What Euphie is dreaming of.
I stand at attention in the Prime Minister's office at the palace, sunlight streaming in from the stained glass window to my side.
"Thank you for coming so promptly, Sir Kururugi."
I salute with a hand over my chest as the prince returns my salute with a placid smile.
"My pleasure, Your Highness. How may I be of service?"
Schneizel nods to his aide, who hands over a folder with paperwork in it to me.
"Please, sit. Have some tea. I find myself intrigued by the man my sister has chosen as her champion."
Tea, with the Prime Minister? Maybe some of Lelouch's family are better people than he thought.
I smile as I sit down, "Thank you, Your Highness. Please excuse my poor manners, I haven't had the chance to practice Britannian tea customs."
The blonde sighs after taking a sip and putting the cup down, "No, I can't imagine you've had many opportunities since your knighting."
I take a sip and blink in surprise at the taste. "Chrysanthemum?" I say in disbelief.
Britannian tea is usually black or milk tea. Other kinds are considered barbaric and more suitable for Numbers.
"I find the lighter teas such as chrysanthemum and green tea more pleasing to my palette. Besides, our national obsession with black tea is rather boring, don't you agree, Kanon?" he says turning to his aide, who scoffs at the question.
"Your sister Princess Cornelia would be appalled to hear you disparage our heritage so, my lord."
Schneizel smirks as he leans back in his chair, "Well, I think we can trust Sir Kururugi here to be a man of discretion about my tastes."
Is this a test? I nod firmly to him, "You can rely on me, Your Highness."
Earl Maldini covers his mouth to stifle a laugh, "Haha. You really are the very essence of chivalry, aren't you, Sir Kururugi?"
Did I miss something? I blink in confusion.
Schneizel gives a brief lidded gaze to his aide, "Kanon, don't tease the poor boy. He's far too innocent for your innuendo."
Innuendo? Why would he...oh.
I start sweating under the collar a bit as I finally realize what they were talking about.
"Your Highness, Earl Maldini, I beg your forgiveness. I meant no offense about your preferences, I—"
Schneizel and Kanon both start laughing, Schneizel a quiet chuckle, Kanon a stifled giggle.
"Kanon is a terrible tease at times. You gave no offense. Though it is appreciated that you understood his poor humor."
I take a sip of tea, debating what to say, before deciding to try something different. It's not like it matters, anyway.
"I've had some experience in that direction myself. The harassment is always obnoxious."
The prince raises an eyebrow, "How surprising. I had wondered if the tabloid stories about my sister and you held some grain of truth. Do you mean to say that your affections are not for the fairer sex?"
Kanon smirks, a coy smile on his lips, "Fairer being a relative term, Your Highness."
Uh-oh...this isn't as bad as Cornelia asking that question. Though I had hoped I would have Euphie to hide behind, if she did start asking.
But Schneizel outranks even her; he's the face of the Empire in many ways.
I stammer and flush as I try to stall for time, "Err, Your Highness, that is..we...err..I—"
He holds up a hand, actually giving me a more genuine smile than any he's wore since this interview started, "Your face tells me more than your words ever could. I'm glad my sister chose well. Though, I would refrain from public displays of affection with her. I might not care myself, but the conservative factions at court will no doubt carry on about 'disgraceful behavior' or some other such prattle," he says with a dismissive gesture.
Kanon coughs, "As interesting as it is to learn that Sir Kururugi dresses both ways, we did call him here for a reason."
Schneizel nods firmly, "Quite right, Kanon. Were I you, however, I would let my little sister know that she has competition."
Every time I get close to not thinking about it...something comes up. And all that horrible guilt and loathing for my pathetic existence comes roaring back...
"It's not a concern, Your Highness. I... have since ended that relationship."
Liar. You could sooner forget yourself than me, a silky voice whispers in my mind.
I open the folder, looking over the documents. It appears to be the Fukuoka base since occupied by the "Japanese Restoration Army".
Despicable. Disgusting. Even I know this is nothing but a front for the Chinese Federation to take over. The Empire may have considerable corruption in it, but it at least has some redeeming value, things that make it actually capable of so much more.
The Federation, however, is one of the few places in the world where the average citizen lives a life WORSE than that of Numbers.
"You are acquainted with Atsushi Sawazaki, I have heard."
I nod as I skim the defenses. Anti-air emplacements, aquatic mines, armored bunkers. Kyushu was intended to be a forward command position against a possible Chinese invasion. So one thing bothers me about this. I'm no genius at strategy like Lelouch, but...
"Yes, he was my father's defense minister. Your Highness, how was this base taken?"
That question provokes a vexed expression and a tightening of his hand into a fist. "It would seem that they had help from local rebel groups, as well as, I'm ashamed to say, traitors among our armed forces."
Traitors? I gape at the implication. There were Britannians who sold out their own country?
I mean, Lelouch doesn't count, obviously. Britannia sold him out first, exiling him and Nunnally into a war zone. But most Britannians are fiercely loyal to their country.
"But why?"
Earl Maldini sniffs, his nose raised into the air, "My investigations suggest a variety of reasons. Gambling debts, resentment over low positions, corruption in the service, blackmail, and other such things."
He walks over, pointing at the diagram of the base, "Make no mistake, Sir Kururugi. This base should not have fallen so quickly. Not without help from the inside. The Chinese have planned this for some time. It does not take a particularly good general to win when the other side is compromised by blackguards."
The blonde nods grimly, "Indeed. There will be a long and very hard look into how this happened. My sister Cornelia will doubtless have the entire base arrested on suspicion of treason. But that is a topic for after the situation is resolved. What I called you here for, is to let you know that I have a need for your abilities as a soldier."
I immediately salute with my arm over my chest, "I am at the Empire's service, Your Highness."
He steeples his fingers, eyes glinting in the sunlight. Those violet eyes really do run in the family, don't they?
"Earl Asplund has informed me that his research has borne fruit into a new and exciting field. Tell me, have you ever heard of the FLOAT system?"
"I confess that all I know about Lloy—...er, Earl Asplund's work is the Lancelot," I say as I catch myself being informal. And considering how much of a mad scientist he is, I have a bad feeling about this...
"The FLOAT system is a next-generation propulsion system. It was first prototyped on the Knightmare Frame Gawain. Which was unfortunately stolen by the Black Knights during the failed attempt on my life."
So that's what he was up to. But all of that, just to get a single prototype?
"Is their acquiring that something dangerous to us, Your Highness?"
Schneizel shrugs, "Earl Asplund was confident that they will be unable to fix the issue with the Hadron cannons. And the Druid system is too complicated by far to be of any use on the battlefield."
He takes a sip of his tea before smirking, "It's an inconsequential loss at this time. Particularly because the Earl has managed a breakthrough on the FLOAT system that was prototyped on it. Namely, he has found a way to create it as a detachable backpack unit for your Lancelot."
What?! My eyes widen in shock. A Knightmare that can fly?!
Wait. Lelouch has one too...I think the Prince is wrong. He's probably having whoever developed Kallen's Knightmare work on it.
"Wow...How is mine better than the Gawain's, Your Highness?"
Kanon hands me a folder labeled: Lancelot Air Cavalry. "The Earl claims that with this, you will have the same agility and speed in the air, as you do on the ground. The Gawain, meanwhile, was never designed for speed."
I pour over the information in the pamphlet. A lot of this is over my head, but even with what I can understand, this thing is incredible.
"My lord, what is the point of this? How can one Knightmare make a difference?"
Schneizel taps his cheek before responding, "You underestimate your abilities, Sir Kururugi. A Knight of the Round is but one person. But even our enemies in Europe acknowledge that they can turn the tide of a battle by themselves."
That's...a good point, "But what does that have to do with me?"
Kanon smirks, two fingers on his cheeks, "We have been told by General Darlton, and even Sir Guilford, that your skills are high enough to be considered a peer of the Rounds themselves."
I gape in astonishment a moment, about to protest, to say that there's no way that can be right... when Schneizel stands up, walking to the window, his back to me as the sunlight streams in.
"Sir Kururugi, if the people see you leading the charge, an Honorary Britannian, a man who has risen to the rank of Knight of Honor? They would be moved by the sincerity of your valor and honor. And that is why I agree with my sister Euphemia, your princess. Force of arms will not defeat Zero alone. But if we take away his ability to rally the people, by showing them a shining hero who is one of them? Then we can start the work of transitioning Area 11 to a vital part of our grand empire."
I sit there stunned into silence by his words. Is this the power of the man who stands second in line to the throne?
Schneizel turns around, smiling calmly, his hand extended. "What are you willing to sacrifice, for the greater good, Sir Kururugi?"
I look in awe at him, somehow knowing what he's asking. That I have to be the vanguard assault. The one at the highest risk of dying.
That's it! That's how I can resolve my dilemma. By giving Euphie a martyr for her cause and a symbol of cooperation and peace. And by showing Lelouch that there is hope for the Empire yet.
I nod firmly and grasp his hand, shaking with the certainty of a man who knows his destiny.
"I am always willing to fight for the greater good, Prince Schneizel."
"Lancelot, you are cleared for drop. Suzaku...please be careful."
I nod grimly, "Don't worry Miss Cecile. I know what I'm doing."
After all? Everything is going to be better this way.
"LANCELOT, LAUNCH!"
I jerk back in the seat as the G-forces push at my body. This technology is amazing. I'm flying through the air as effortlessly as I move on land.
A warning light flashes on my console. Enemy comms chatter, and targeting systems are painting me. I jerk the frame to the side, avoiding flak fire.
Even with proximity fuses, and a virtual curtain of firepower? They can't touch me.
I spin to avoid a missile, deploying chaff in the air. The sounds of gunfire and explosions going off around me as I glide through the air. Clouds starting to disappear in the night sky as the moon rises.
"So, the son of Genbu has arrived."
I frown as a familiar voice addresses me. Prince Schneizel did say to provide a distraction. And I can't deny that I've never liked Sawazaki.
I activate the communication system as I weave through the air, seeing an older man with a high forehead and a Chinese general standing next to him.
"It has been over seven years since I last saw you. You've grown into a fine young man, if somewhat deluded in your beliefs."
Now I remember why I hated this guy. He always was condescending to me, only treating me decently when he was trying to curry favor with my dad. He probably thought I was too dumb to succeed my father as Prime Minister.
"More deluded than you? I'm not the one leading an invading army, trying to rely on the so-called 'goodwill' of the Chinese."
He smirks at me...well, it's more of a sneer, "Still as painfully oblivious as you were as a child. What do you hope to accomplish serving as Britannia's enforcer?"
I dive towards the point where the transmission is originating from.
The central command bunker.
"I believe that I can change this country within. I've seen the good that lies dormant beneath the surface. Violence won't change anything."
I keep an eye on my power supply as I angle up towards the bunker. Lloyd warned me that this system puts a heavy strain on the power supply and to be careful not to be trapped.
ARGH! I grimace as a Gun-Ru gets a lucky shot, disabling my flight pack. A quick shot of the VARIS blows its head off in return as I discard the pack and switch to my landspinners.
Just a little more. Britannian airdrop units will be arriving soon. I just need their attention on me.
"You cannot be serious. What would your father think, seeing you with the blood of your own people on your hands, Kururugi Suzaku?"
What would dad think...? That's something that's bothered me...ever since I killed him...
"My father died to stop the war. A war we couldn't win. All you're doing is prolonging people's suffering!"
I grimace as I'm taking fire from all sides. Power's below the halfway mark, where are the reinforcements?
"Slaves Hebrews born to serve, to the pharaoh
Heed To his every word, live in fear
Faith Of the unknown one, the deliverer
Wait Something must be done, four hundred years"
What is that? Something faintly coming through on the comms...?
"Surrender, Suzaku! I promise to treat you fairly as the son of Japan's last Prime Minister!"
"So let it be written So let it be done
I'm sent here by the chosen one
So let it be written So let it be done
To kill the first born pharaoh's son
I'm creeping death"
What is that? It's getting louder. I shake my head at the offer, "I would be disgracing my father's memory if I sided with people like you, who would rather be servants to the Chinese than work for our freedom!"
The Chinese general whispers something to Sawazaki, who blinks in surprise.
"What do you mean, the underwater minefield is disappearing?"
He turns to me with an angry expression, "So this is a diversion for Britannia! Very well, I offered you a chance out of respect for your father! I can see that you have chosen to remain a stupid boy. So you can at least die as a man, Kururugi Suzaku!"
An explosion sounds off nearby, as gunfire erupts. What the hell is going on?!
A squad of Gun-Rus surrounds me, my power on its last legs. My Blaze Luminous exhausted.
"Suzaku!"
I look up at my comms screen, feeling my heart break one last time, "Euphie..."
She's in tears, her hands clasped together, her expression distraught.
I'm so sorry Euphemia. Please understand...I'm doing this to give you a chance to save both our countries...
"Suzaku, please! You have to run away! There's too many of them!"
I shake my head, "I'm almost out of power, Euphie. There's nothing more I can do. Please...forgive me..."
"Suzaku...I COMMAND YOU TO LIVE FOR THE SAKE OF OUR LOVE!"
My breath catches. What? Live for our love?
"All I've done is hurt you. All I've done is turn everyone in Britannia against you. If I can do this...show Britannians that there are Japanese who believe in the system...then maybe your dream can happen..."
"Suzaku, please! You have to—!" the signal cuts out suddenly.
A few rockets blow open a wall near me, startling everyone.
"Kururugi! We've been trying to reach you! The Black—!"
"Now Let my people go, land of Goshen
Go, I will be with thee, bush of fire
Blood, Running red and strong down the Nile
Plague, Darkness three days long, hail to fire"
And standing there in the opening...The Black Knights?! But how?! How did they get here?!
That explains why the comms are intermittent. That music is their jamming signal. But what's going on...? Why are they here?
"So let it be written So let it be done
I'm sent here by the chosen one
So let it be written So let it be done
To kill the first born pharaoh's son
I'm creeping death"
The Lancelot falls to its knees, power barely at 5%. I can't evade them anymore. And the Black Knights are too far away...even if they would help.
I sigh and shake my head. What's the point? No one is coming to save me. The Black Knights know me as the enemy at this point. And...this really is what I deserve.
"Die by my hand!
I creep across the land Killing first-born man!
Die by my hand!
I creep across the land Killing first-born man!"
A baleful and familiar voice rings out from on high, sending a chill down my spine, even as red-and-black energy courses around me, destroying the Gun-Ru units.
No...no no no. Please no...
Please don't let it be...I shiver in fear, all but certain of what's coming.
Suddenly, the music stops. All is silent, save for the burning of wreckage and the alert sounds of the base.
I look up, and turn pale with terror.
There, descending from the heavens, the cloud cover that was overhead all but gone, framed by the light of the moon?
The stolen Knightmare Frame, Gawain. Its arms folded across its chest as the clearly-functioning Hadron Cannons in its shoulders close up after firing.
And then, the comms screen lights up and my heart finally shatters at the sight.
Zero, Demon King of The Sixth Heaven. The man I love...
"General Cornelia, I find this tactic appalling. Surely you can do better?"
What? He's speaking on all channels? I see his posture in the command chair, tense, fingers steepled into a claw like shape.
"I had wondered if this invasion was another of your vile schemes, Zero," Cornelia says as my screen shows her standing with her knights.
Zero gestures with his hand, twitching his fingers as he speaks. I gulp as I recognize the code hidden in the seemingly innocuous movements.
'I AM FURIOUS WITH YOU. WE WILL TALK LATER.'
"Ha! As if I would ever ally with scum like the Chinese."
Sawazaki regains his voice at that moment, "Zero! You have come to aid us! Now we can push forward and eliminate the Britannians once and for—!"
"I did not give you permission to speak, THIEF," he says, turning his mask towards Sawasaki.
Thief? What? That doesn't make any sense. Traitor, certainly. Coward, I can see that. But thief?
"Thief? What?!"
He nods slowly, "You have committed theft against the Japanese people. By allying yourself with the High Eunuchs and pretending to be a liberator, YOU HAVE STOLEN HOPE!" he bellows, pointing an accusing finger at the politician.
Cornelia gives an unlady-like snort at that comment, "So you think of yourself as a messiah, Zero?"
The masked man turns back to her, "Perhaps. I like to think I have the credentials to claim such a title. But I prefer to answer to Demon King. But that's not why we're speaking on an open channel."
He raises his left hand up in a upturned claw, "I have decided that I do not want a mêlée à trois here on these islands. Thus, I am here to offer a temporary ceasefire for humanitarian purposes, and to throw these hunting dogs of the High Eunuchs back into the pits from which they have crawled."
Cornelia's lip quivers a moment as she rubs her chin, and then she throws her head back in laughter.
"Hahahahaha! You truly are a cheeky little scoundrel! Tell me!" she says with a sudden glare. "What reason do I have to aid you, when you are just as much a threat to the empire as these foreign interlopers?"
"Viceroy! A word!"
Euphie's voice rings out as she marches over to whisper in her sister's ear. Euphie...Even now you show how brave and honorable you are.
My eyes brim with tears at my own shame and failure as a knight, and as a man.
Zero gestures with a tap of his fingers on his bicep and a cocking of his head.
'You are not permitted to die tonight.'
I blink in shock. Even after all this...you still come to save me...? I clench my fist as my heart feels as though a iron spear was thrust into it. Why can't any of you see that I'm a worthless person...?
"Very well, Zero. Five days of ceasefire, and your aid in subduing the Chinese Federation."
Zero scoffs, "Two weeks. And I want the leaders publicly executed on live television. You can have the Chinese General, but I want Sawazaki."
Her Highness narrows her eyes, "Ten days, and you give us the General. Sawazaki is yours."
Zero taps his fingers on the console. Please, Lelouch, take the deal. It's better for the people to have some peace after a terrible time like this.
"We will both attend the executions with an honor guard, in solidarity of our cooperation."
"Deal."
He cackles, making claw shapes with his hands, "Muwahahahahahahha! Fantastic! Then let us commence the slaughter! BLACK KNIGHTS! NO! PRISONERS!"
A red Knightmare comes up to me, holding a energy filler. Kallen, you're here, too? I sink into my seat, feeling a cloud of depression over my head.
"Lancelot, Zero says take this. And try to keep up. He'd be disappointed if you died here to these losers."
...Honestly? The Chinese don't scare me nearly as much as facing down Lelouch after this is over.
"Don't worry," I say as I switch the filler out, watching my power supply go back to full.
"Dying here would be disgracing the name of my Princess," I say firmly.
And Lelouch and Nunnally would never forgive me.
The Gawain reopens the hardon cannons on its shoulders as the jamming signal resumes, though with our side patched in this time. The index finger on its hand extended to point at the enemy barring our way.
"I Rule the midnight air, the destroyer
Born I shall soon be there, deadly mass
I Creep the steps and floor, final darkness
Blood Lambs blood painted door, I shall pass"
The blazing weapon carves through any Gun-Rus or Burais in its path, leaving a burning trail ahead of us.
The massive machine starts flying towards the base command, the red body of the Guren trailing behind it as Black Knight units, and Royal Marines scramble to crush the invading army.
I put the Lancelot's landspinners into high gear, moving to catch up. My sword cleaving through a Gun-Ru trying to pick off the Gawain from behind.
"So let it be written So let it be done
I'm sent here by the chosen one
So let it be written So let it be done
To kill the first born pharaoh's son
I'm creeping death"
At least the people on Kyushu are saved. Lelouch, Euphie, CC...I'm so sorry...
