"Lelouch"-Speech

'What'-Thought

"{Live}"-Geass Command

"Stop"-Speaker

"Report"-Radio

Chapter 29: Sutomuburinga Part 2, Arrival in Russia

Ashford Academy, 4:32 P.M.

Unknown

At Ashford Academy, a tall woman with blond hair and dark green eyes walked towards her father-in-law's office. She wore a blue strong-shoulder wool fitted blazer, along with a matching wide brim cotton beach hat. Her black heels clicked annoyingly on the floor as she walked.

Selene Ashford, mother of Millicent Ashford.

Her father-in-law, Reuben Ashford, had called her in to discuss her arrangements with Earl Asplund. When he said that, she got a clear idea what he was wanting, and it infuriated her. She had worked for years to get where she wanted, and just as many years to reclaim what she lost.

When she was simply Lady Selene Lanicros, her family had been low tiered amongst the nobility. They were known, but they weren't worth knowing. Her family had their own manor, their own land, but they held little to no power. For years, the Lanicroses had worked to discreetly increase their power, but to no avail.

That all changed when she met the dark haired, blue-eyed heir to the Ashford Family, Robert Ashford. Not only were the Ashfords a powerful family, not only were they sponsoring Marianne Lamperouge, the newest member of the Knights of the Round, but Robert had something in him that Selene wanted.

He was spineless.

Unlike the head of the Ashford family, Robert had a meek and, some would say cowardly, attitude. It was easy for Selene to seduce him into marrying her. Luckily, Reuben Ashford was as dense as he was foolish. When Reuben married, it was, as he put it, for 'love', and believed that his son did the same thing. Idiot, the only reason people marry is to advance themselves or their families. Regardless, she married Robert, and the sponsor for Ashford became one of the Emperor's consorts. Then she gave birth to Millicent, a bright girl who, as she grew up, inherited her mother's looks. She would teach her better than she had been, so Millicent wouldn't make the mistakes she had. A few years later, things started to look even better. Millicent had become very close with Empress Marianne's firstborn son, Lelouch vi Britannia. If she played her cards right, Millicent would become engaged to Lelouch, and the Lanicroses would become part of the Imperial Family, if indirectly. No one would dare risk challenging that.

Then Marianne died, and it all came crashing down. All her hard work, ruined because of one bitch that got herself killed, and a stupid boy who refused to fall in line. As Robert's wife, she was forced to leave Pendragon when the Ashfords left for the newly anointed Area 11. While the new territory was highly profitable if you played smart, it was a backward place if you hoped for political advancement.

However, a couple months after arriving, a miracle occurred. Lelouch and Nunnally had survived the war, alongside Euphemia and Cornelia. The reward and prestige they could gain for returning four members of the Imperial family would be insurmountable. However, the children seemed to have gone mad since the war, as they had no intentions of returning home, or even revealing themselves. Reuben, ever the senile old man, agreed to it. Normally she would've protested, but Cornelia was on her in an instant, even threatening to kill her if she tried revealing them. Reuben, in a brief moment of clarity, was able to convince her to back off. It didn't help that Millicent had fully agreed to Reuben and Lelouch's wishes of remaining quiet. Luckily, with the four children there, she could, with time, find a way to convince them. House Lanicros would rise again.

Then the reports started coming in. It seemed that someone, or someones, at Pendragon weren't content with only killing Empress Marianne. One by one, every soldier, guard, even servant of Marianne were systematically 'eliminated'. Then, her family members started 'disappearing'. The last message she heard from House Lanicros was from her younger brother, the heir to House Lanicros, and the last living member of her House besides herself, detailing how the assassins had connections to the OSI. Two days later, her brother was found dead, leaving House Lanicros extinct. Now, more than ever, she needed to regain the prestige she lost, if only to ensure her family would survive. So, she began concocting her plans.

First, she had to ensure that Marianne's assassins would not reach her. It doesn't matter what plans she made if her killers simply took her out. Luckily, it seemed that Area 11's backwaterness was also a blessing. Because of its remoteness, either the killers didn't have the resources to reach her, or they didn't bother wasting the effort. If they had connections to the OSI, it was probably the latter.

Second, she had to push Millicent and Lelouch together. Before Marianne's death, there were already plans to possibly have Millicent and Lelouch engaged. While it wouldn't be as prestigious as before, marrying into the Imperial Family was still a great honor. Luckily, that plan fell easily into place, as the two were still attracted to each other. However, for years they hadn't openly dated. She couldn't get directly involved, as the two would quickly see what she was doing. Surprisingly, it was Cornelia who helped her, if unaware, by locking those two on a roof. They must have professed their 'feelings' to each other, because they started openly dating afterwards.

Third, she had to find 'suitors' for Millicent, and make it convincing. While the others might see it as a desperate attempt to get back into nobility, it was a means to an end. By finding these 'suitors', Lelouch would feel threatened by them, and might reveal himself in order to 'protect' Millicent. Which worked almost flawlessly. The boy would reveal himself after Millicent graduated next year, fully cementing her return to prominence. Her arranging dates with Earl Asplund was only to remind Lelouch of their deal. It was never meant to amount to anything.

Finally, she had to make sure the Li and Vi Britannians didn't kill her. While she doubted they would go that far, she had to be sure. As such, over the years she had acquired several dead drop agents that, if she were to die, would 'lose' their information to the Britannian authorities, revealing the siblings. So far, the siblings haven't threatened her with death, so she hasn't had to use that card.

However, if what she guessed Reuben was planning, it risked everything. She couldn't afford that, taking a quick look into her purse. She didn't want to use this last resort, as it would be too drastic, and have too many ways to fall apart, but she didn't care. The old man needed to fall in line, just like the others.

Entering Reuben's office, the first thing she noticed was that it was much darker than it usually is. The lights were on their lowest settings, the nearby fireplace was off, even the curtains covered the large window behind his desk, the bookshelves surrounding the place seeming to close in on her.

"Ah, Selene," Reuben announced, his gaze seeming to look down upon her, "You finally arrived. Thank you for coming." Selene then noticed that Robert was also there, looking very worried.

'Of course he would be here.' "Robert," Selene calmly said, taking a seat, "Do you know what this is about?"

"No dear," Robert replied submissively, much to the dismay of Reuben. Which was noticed by Selene, who resisted the urge to smile. If Reuben had any hope of separating the two, he was twenty years too late. Robert was firmly under her control.

"Now that you've arrived, we can get started."

"Yes. Now, you've said this involves Earl Asplund."

"Yes. The enigmatic lord and Millicent will no longer be seeing each other. From what I've understood, the Earl was only interested in obtaining our family's data on Lady Marianne's Knightmare, the Ganymede."

Selene barely raised an eyebrow. She found this out easily, and, based on Reuben's neutral tone, so had he. They were just making sure the idiot Robert was on the same page. She'd play along.

"Very well then. Unfortunate, but unsurprising, given current events."

It was Reuben's turn to raise an eyebrow, seeming surprised by her response.

'He probably expected me to fight for her to remain in a relationship with him. So long as Lelouch keeps his end, I have no need.'

"Selene, Robert, with the rise of Ashford almost assured, I'm needing some people to provide oversight."

'Wait, WHAT?!' "I'm sorry," Selene inquired, "But, how has Ashford 'risen'? We're still here in Area 11."

Reuben shook his head in disappointment, "Despite your attitude, Selene, I had hoped that your political intrigue would've taken the reality of the situation. Ashford has firmly planted into Area 11. We oversee over a third of all small businesses, and a quarter of mainstream industries."

"I understand that, but returning to the Homeland~"

"Would only make us vulnerable again to the very people that brought us down in the first place. No, Area 11 is where we belong, even if you don't agree."

'This can't be happening!' Selene had to change tactics NOW! "If we can't leave Area 11, then, once Millicent and Prince Lelouch graduate, why not reveal themselves. Emperor Charles would gladly reward us for sheltering them."

"More likely he won't punish us for keeping them hidden all these years. Not only that, but Marianne's killers may try to have another go at her children, something I'm not willing to allow. And if you're expecting to be more protected, remember, we had no protection when Marianne was killed, and we still lived in Pendragon. I doubt that a place so far from the Homeland will warrant the same amount of 'protection'. No, the only ones that can protect us are ourselves, once again reinforcing my statements. We already have plenty of resources here in Area 11. Returning to the Homeland would only force us to build new resources that wouldn't compare to the ones here."

"But~"

Reuben held a hand up, "Selene, I understand what you want. I want the same thing. I want to be able to return to both our families' former glory. We both have suffered since Lady Marianne's death, and I am truly sorry for what happened to your family. However, a blow like that is something that cannot be healed. We'll never reclaim our families' former statuses. So, the best option for us is to rebuild to a new standard. It wouldn't be as grand as we had before, but it would be enough."

"But then Marianne's children, as well as Cornelia and Euphemia were both found alive!"

"You're looping back, Selene, but I'll entertain it. You are correct that returning them to Pendragon would earn us plenty of prestige, but then what about Lelouch, Nunnally, Cornelia, Euphemia? They'd never trust us again, meaning that we'd be stuck at the prestige we'd earn by returning them, which would be nowhere near our former glory. To top it off, we'd be in just a vulnerable position, only, this time, we'd have no third chances."

Selene was dumbstruck. Reuben was just as senile as ever, thinking that they couldn't return to their former glory. The only reason he believes otherwise is because he's too soft, which is something Millicent unfortunately inherited.

"For years, I've built up the Ashford name to one of the greatest in all of Area 11, in spite of your attempts to undermine it all. But no longer."

Selene placed a hand into her purse, the shadows of the room seeming to close even further upon her.

"I'm sending you and Robert to oversee Arodyn Nautical Commercial Engineering and Manufacturing."

Selene nearly jumped in outrage. Robert, for the first time during the entire debate, changed from his submissive posture to one of shock. ANCEM was one of their larger businesses, used for selling boats for the commoners. However, their main headquarters was in the Philippines. If she goes, she loses the ability to directly control things back here in Area 11.

"You can't~!"

"I can't? You seem to be under the impression that I'm giving you and Robert a choice."

"I won't~!"

"You won't? Selene, it seems to me that you think you have any power in this situation at all."

'What is he talking about?!'

"You think I've been unaware of what you've been doing these past few years. Trying to force Lelouch and Milly into marrying each other. While I have no problem with them falling in love, it should happen naturally. However, even when it happened, you just couldn't let it go. You forced," Reuben had to restrain himself from smiling, "Lelouch into a deal with results you knew he wouldn't like. Then you had the audacity to convince some of my staff to help you with your manipulations. Sending messages through them to your dead drop agents. But you made one mistake."

"..."

"They were my staff. Ever since you married Robert, I made sure to only hire people that were absolutely loyal to me. As such, while they listened to your orders, they relayed them back to me."

Selene's eyes widened. But that would mean~

"I know every person who contains blackmail against Lelouch and his siblings. More than that, I have paid them off a long time ago. All they had to do was smile and play the part."

Selene's shock turned into blinding rage. All her hard work, for all these years, and Reuben made a fool out of her. Standing angrily from her seat, she gripped the pistol, pulling it out of her purse, and aimed it at Reuben's head. Robert was shocked, but Reuben kept his calm composure.

"Selene, d~!"

"Shut up, Robert! I've come too far, sacrificed too much to let you ruin everything! You are an old, sentimental fool, who has spent seven years doing NOTHING with those three brats and whore who would get us back to the homeland."

"And what do you plan to do, kill me?" Reuben almost jokingly said the words, "You should know that plenty of people here won't approve."

"And money can buy a lot of silence! Either honeyed money, or something more sour."

"Poetic. But you still have much to learn. All you know is the cutthroat business side of nobility."

"It's the only business, the only law of nature, that matters!"

"And that is why you've failed."

Selene switched the safety off, "And why is that? I didn't see any guards on the way here, and the only public entrance is the main door here. The bookcase door opens too slowly. So, how did I f~?"

Before she could finish the sentence, she felt a massive weight impact her, sending her face first into the desk, while also feeling a kick to her hand, causing her to drop the gun.

"Selene!" Robert cried out in shock as he backpedaled off the chair, though the figure quickly knocked him out as well.

Selene, through her haze, could vaguely see the maid that serves the Vi and Li Britannians.

"Wha~." Selene said through the daze. She then heard massive shifting, as the corner bookcase rotated 90 degrees, revealing Cornelia.

"Honestly, why is it so hard for people to look? Did you really think that I, Cornelia li Britannia, head of Ashford Security, wouldn't notice a weapon inside this school? We knew long before you even entered the premises what you might've attempted to do. As such, Miss Shinozaki was kind enough to wait on the ceiling until you decided to act."

'They knew?'

"Selene," Reuben calmly said, standing up, "I have had enough of your antics. You will go to the Philippines, and leave this desire behind, or, well, as you suggested, if honey won't work, something more sour will. I've done all I can to make this as painless as possible, but you refuse to heed my advice. Perhaps, as my final attempt to get through to you, you should stay in your room here at Ashford to think it over."

With those words, Selene's world went dark.

Cornelia li Britannia

Cornelia narrowed her eyes as Selene and Robert's unconscious bodies. She pulled out her communicator, and called Security, who quickly arrived to carry their bodies.

"I must say Reuben, that went better than expected."

"And why should it not? We had everything under our control, literally."

"True. Here I am, panicking that I don't have a plan to take down Selene because I don't have the time or resources to find all her spies, and here you are, having done it all behind our backs."

Reuben chuckled, "You and Lelouch had your own problems to deal with. Truth be told, it was going to be Milly's birthday present next year. Though, if things go the way they are, I highly doubt we'll get the chance to do so."

Cornelia nodded, "Once Lelouch gets back, we'll inform him, and he can use his Geass to compel them to go along."

"Yes, it's…unfortunate that my son will be involved with that. I had hoped that maybe some part of him was still defiant to Selene, but it seems that hope died a long time ago."

"Though, I'm sure Lelouch will be much more…more…more…"

Cornelia didn't know what she was going to say, because her thoughts continued to dwell on what C.C. said.

'Marianne…alive?! God, what will Lelouch think? God, what do I think?! If she's alive, then why hasn't she come for us, all these years? Especially now, since C.C. has told her we're alive! What if…'

"Cornelia?" Reuben questioned, drawing her from her stupor.

"Sorry, Reuben, just…some intel I discovered that's hard to believe. And I'm not entirely sure how I should respond to it."

"If it's some plan from the Viceroy~"

"Schneizel isn't involved. Neither is Pollux or Castor. It concerns C.C."

"Then perhaps you should tell me, and I can give my own take."

"Forgive me, Reuben, but, as enigmatic as you are, which your witch of a granddaughter inherited, mind you, even you would find this difficult to comprehend."

"Then give me the basics."

'Even that might be too hard to accept without telling me I'm crazy. But I can give intel that's relevant to C.C.'

"That might do."

Cornelia sat down, as did Reuben. Cornelia pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed.

"You know that C.C. gives Geasses to other people."

"As I just implied with Lelouch Geassing Selene and my son when he gets back."

"Right, right. Well, I learned that C.C. was in Pendragon, and had given a Geass to Marianne."

Reuben's eyes widened and his jaw dropped. "Wait, Marianne?" Cornelia nodded, "Well, this is certainly…interesting. Did C.C. say what type of Geass Marianne had?"

"No. C.C. never saw Marianne use her Geass."

"Hmm, that makes sense. With how Pendragon is, if she used her Geass, depending on what it is, it wouldn't surprise me if she was afraid that she'd be spotted using it."

Cornelia accepted that answer.

"But, I see this has affected you more than that."

"...All my years with Marianne, she was nothing but the epitome of what nobility should be. I already knew the Britannian nobility was cutthroat, our family even more so. But, when Marianne first came about, she was the antithesis of all that. You must've seen that when you sponsored her."

"Of course. The Knights of the Round were more of a prestigious group, instead of a group of our most skilled Knights. By uplifting her to their level, it would encourage more skilled pilots to earn that title. Though, given our current situation, maybe I shouldn't have done that."

Cornelia gave a sad chuckle. "Not just that, but after she became Empress, she made so many selfless decisions. Allied with people who, when I looked into them, were charitable people or groups. Now, to know that she was hiding something this big? It makes me wonder just what else I missed. How could I have been so blind?!"

Reuben was only silent as Cornelia leaned forward in defeatism.

"Cornelia, we've known each other for a long time. So, I feel qualified to say that you have something of a…confirmation bias."

Cornelia looked up, raising an eyebrow.

"You only saw Marianne's rise to Knighthood, then Knight of the Round, then Empress. You weren't there to see the politics behind each of them. Did you know that, in order to get Marianne the test to apply for Knighthood, we Ashfords had to poison the person that was roadblocking her."

Cornelia sat up in utter shock.

"Yes," Reuben continued, "This noble was stonewalling Marianne, dragging the test date for months. Now, we didn't kill him, but we certainly made him bedridden. And don't even get me started on what we had to do to the first Consort that tried to besmirch her. I'll only say there's a reason the Oul Britannians never interacted with Marianne. They were too afraid of what she might do next."

'Wait, did Marianne cause Orkon Oul Britannia's manor to burn to the ground?!'

When Cornelia didn't say anything, Reuben continued.

"Cornelia, I believe that you may have been aware of some of Marianne's more nefarious side, but, since you only saw her more honorable deeds, you choose to ignore them at the beginning. Eventually, you just decided to believe that she had no malice, that she could do no wrong. But I was always aware of it. It wasn't just her honor that drew me to sponsor her, but also her savagery. She could not only bring true virtue back to the title of Knight, but also survive to make sure those changes stick. She may be gone now, but her actions within Britannia cannot be easily forgotten."

"True…"

"Let me put it bluntly, when you put your belief in something, you tend to ignore everything that contradicts that belief. You believed, with all your heart, that Marianne was a paragon of virtue. So you ignored anything that seemed nefarious, up to the point of doing it subconsciously. It's not a bad thing, per say. After all, your criticism about…certain activities, these past few years made sure we didn't screw up early. And Milly is certainly happier with your interference in her and Lelouch's relationship. But it can leave you narrow minded about things you care about."

Cornelia looked to the side.

'He's not wrong. I believed Marianne when she said C.C. was only a friend. If I investigated more into her, perhaps I could've known exactly who Marianne's enemies were,' Cornelia shook her head, 'Wishful thinking.' "I'll…consider what you said."

"And that's all I can ask for, Cornelia. Marianne was a wonderful woman. But, don't think that she didn't have her own darkness. Now, if you don't mind, I've gotten an interesting new applicant for Ashford Security."

Cornelia nodded, "Just make sure to run them by me for final approval."

"Oh, I'm sure you will quite easily approve of him."

Cornelia raised an eyebrow, but decided to drop it, standing up and leaving the room. Her thoughts turned back to C.C.

'What do I do with her, now?'

A member of Ashford Security approached her, handing her a data pad. "Ma'am, a note from some birds."

Cornelia raised an eyebrow. That was the code phrase for Black Knight business, in case she was needed and was outside the Nest. IT was a recent implementation, due to the massive increase in Britannian security. Taking the pad, she began to read.

-From a squatting bird. Five birds just flew from their nest, heading north-east.-

Translation: One of our spies in the Britannian military reports five fighter jets heading north-east.

Her eyes widened in dread. "Can we contact him?"

"No. Any attempts will not only risk him, but also put us at risk."

Cornelia grinded her teeth. 'Did…was that opening in Japan's network BAIT?! Oh, who am I kidding, since Schneizel is here, of course it was bait. And Lelouch has no way of being warned.'

"I'm sorry, Ma'am. But, for now, they're on their own."

Sea of Okhotsk, 4:52 P.M.

Zero

Zero sat in the co-pilot seat of the Raptor, the plane rocketing above the water way. While it could reach a top speed of nearly 1500 MPH, they had to cut that nearly in half to reduce the chance of being spotted. As such, the hour-long trip was uneventful. Overall, if it wasn't for the G-Forces, and the importance of this mission, he might've decided to take a nap.

'Gods know I need it.'

"Zero," Robbinson exclaimed, "Have you freshened up on your Russian?"

"Vaguely. I hadn't planned on dealing with the Russians that much."

"But you were expecting them to join our cause."

"I planned that they would join us almost immediately. Which means I wouldn't need to negotiate with them as much. I'm more fluent in Chinese."

"Ah. Wanted to keep the eunuchs off our backs?"

"More or less."

Robbinson then flicked one of the electronic screens, "Come on, you stupid piece of junk."

Zero said nothing. This was a common occurrence during their trip. The stealth system may keep them off enemy radar, but it also messes with their electronics. Not catastrophically, but it was still an annoyance. However, Zero was getting a tingle in the back of his neck. Like it was too easy.

"Ah, and there's the coastline."

Sure enough, land could be seen on the horizon, and closing fast.

"Alright. Remember, Robbinson, the Sred~"

"Yeah, yeah, I read the mission. Sredinny Mountain Range. It's the general area where Tsar Taigun no is located. Any idea how we'll find it?"

"Actually, they'll find us."

"I don't follow."

"A hidden base keeping a super weapon for over seven years. We may know the location of the base, but I highly doubt they'll let an unknown fighter jet that just appeared on their radar go without investigation."

"And what are the odds they don't just shoot us down?"

"It's a risk. However, I'm hoping they'll listen to an open broadcast before deciding to shoot us down."

"True~GAH! Would you…?!"

Zero sighed, "What's not working this time?"

"The damnedable radar! I'm getting contacts all over the place."

"Are any of them true?"

"I can't tell. If the one in front of us is true, we would be breathing down their exhaust pipe!"

Robbinson kept flicking the radar screen, the 'contacts' staticy. Each time he touched it, some would disappear, while others would remain. However, one contact got Zero's attention. Or rather, five contacts that were in a V formation. No matter how many 'contacts' disappeared or appeared, those five remained. Eventually, Robbinson froze up.

"Robbinson, do you~"

"I see them," Robbinson gripped the accelerator, "Get me eyes, boss. I want focus on the road if it's true."

Zero turned his head to the right, leaning against the canopy to try to look behind them. At ground level, he saw nothing, as he looked up higher, he didn't see anything pursuers. However, he could see five trails of clouds going into a much larger cloud.

Unknown

Far above, five unmarked BU-87 fighter jets flew in formation. Before they entered the cloud, the lead fighter could see a black, unmarked jet skirting the water.

'The reported anomaly. Just as the Prime Minister said.'

(Flashback)

Five Britannian pilots stood at attention on the deck of an aircraft carrier, the HMS Endurance. Both Prince Schneizel and Pollux were giving them a mission personally.

"I will stress this as best as I can," Pollux declared, "Under no circumstances are you to discuss this with anyone. Any deviation from our orders will be seen as treason. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Your Highness!" All five replied.

"No need to be so aggressive, Viceroy." Schneizel interjected smoothly.

"They need to know the gravity of the situation, Prime Minister."

"And they shall. Now, we believe that Zero is looking for a Russian weapon called Tsar Taigun no. We will use his curiosity to our advantage. We will open a path for Zero to head to Russia. Should he take the bait, our satellites will be able to find whatever unknowns he plans to send."

"If we're lucky, Zero himself may try to go, and we can cripple the Black Knights."

"Very true, Viceroy. Now, once we discover any activity, you will take the five unmarked BU-87 fighter jets, and intercept the target. However, you are, under no circumstances, to contact Britannia for reinforcements. Our relations with Russia are strenuous at best. Should they discover hard facts that connect us to violating their airspace, they will most likely declare war upon Britannia."

"Area 11 already has enough problems dealing with the Black Knights. We don't need a global war to add to it. In short, either you kill the target, or you don't come home. Any questions?"

"You Highness," the leader exclaimed, "Once we eliminate the target, where do we go?"

"An excellent question," Schneizel praised, "Each of you will be given a separate location, detailing five private airfields not affiliated with Britannia. We have paid them off so that they will allow you to land, but they are only expecting one fighter. As such, you must decide which airfield you will take. Five planes, five airfields. I trust you can decide amongst yourselves."

"Yes, Your Highness!"

(Present Day)

"Unknown target spotted. Proceed with the operation." With those words, the five jets dived down from the clouds, pursuing the unknown fighter jet.

Zero

'Damn.' Zero cursed as five jets descended rapidly. "We've been tailed."

Robbinson hit the accelerator, propelling them forward. They quickly passed the coastline, with the Britannian jets in hot pursuit.

"Robbinson, how soon until we reach the mountain range?"

"Five minutes. Those bastards will reach us just as we reach them, though, so get ready for heavy Gs."

Unknown Location, 5:01 P.M.

Unknown

Three Russian officers looked over their screens, making sure all was clear. Like every day since the invasion of Japan, they kept their eyes on those screens, expecting signals to show up. However, none came. Eventually, they decided to do the job with less stress. They would sometimes come in with coffee, or play games on his phone.

Today, one of them decided to play minigolf with a stretch of fake grass and a coffee mug. He hit the ball, sending it towards the mug, but it bounced off the edge. His two compatriots chuckled.

"Говорил тебе, что промахнется." One said amusingly.

"Эй! Мне стало лучше."

At that moment, five pings were heard. All three tensed up, like they just saw a ghost.

"Вы слышали это, верно?"

Again, five pings were heard. Instantly, all three were at their screens, trying to confirm what they were hearing. To their horror, they saw five contacts in formation, heading towards the Sredinny mountains.

"Получите командующего, СЕЙЧАС!"

Sredinny Mountain Range

Zero

The Raptor quickly approached the mountains, the Britannians hot on their tails. They were within missile range, but the cloaking device prevented a lock on. However…

"Boss," Robbinson cried out, "Either I pull up, or we run into a mountain!"

"Just do it!"

Robbinson pulled back, launching the Raptor upward, climbing the mountainside. Soon, beeping was heard in the cockpit.

"Missiles locked, hold on!"

The Raptor cleared the mountain, diving again just as one missile impacted the rocks behind them, the second one clearing the mountain and following them. The Raptor dived, trying to outrun the missile. Once the Raptor dived enough, the stealth system reengaged, disrupting the tracking system on the missile. The Raptor still had to pull a heavy turn to avoid it, but it was no longer tracking them. The Britannian jets quickly followed them.

"Boss, I hope you can handle the~"

"Don't worry about what I can or can't handle! Focus on keeping us alive!"

"As you command! Brace yourselves!" Robbinson engaged the accelerator once more, as the Raptor went into the maze of mountains. The Britannians split up, three chasing down the Raptor, while the other two took separate paths. They twist and turn through the mountains, the Raptor doing its best to keep ahead of them. Sometimes they would fire a missile, forcing them down another path. Zero could see that, between the mountains, the two Britannians were slowly gaining on their sides.

"They're boxing us in!"

"I see that!"

The Raptor took a hard turn, squeezing Zero into the chair.

"GRRRRR!"

"Hold it, boss!"

"I hope those Russians know what's going on!"

Before Robbinson could respond, they took another turn…with a mountain face in front of them. Gasping, he pulled back, and the Raptor climbed the mountain. Instantly, three missiles were fired upon them.

"These damn huairs! Deploying flares!"

Robbinson flicked a switch, and three flare trails came out of the Raptor, the heat from them confusing the missiles, which veered off course. As they dived, a couple of the Britannians fired machine gun rounds, causing slight damage to the hull.

"Any more flares?"

"Sorry, boss, that was the last one."

They continued to bob and weave through the mountains. Zero was starting to breath heavily, which concerned Robbinson.

"Hey, boss, stay awake. I know you aren't used to this, but hold on."

They saw the two Britannian jets come from behind mountains infront of them. They were boxed in! The only way out was up.

"Damn it." Zero wheezed. He still had enough awareness to grip the co-pilot handle, and fire the machine gun. Several bullets impacted one of the jets, and it exploded in a ball of fire. Zero was shocked, as were the Britannain pilots, as they broke formation. Zero quickly looked around, seeing a trail of smoke from where the jet used to be.

"On our left."

Robbinson turned, seeing a squadron of four Russian SU-57s diving towards them. Robbinson quickly dived, avoiding a head on collision with the remaining Britannian in front of him.

"Robbinson, open frequency, now!"

"Okay…Got it!"

"Мы японцы, стреляйте в преследующих нас людей!"

"What was that?"

"'We're Japanese, shoot the people chasing us!'"

The four SU-57s broke formations, chasing after the Britannians. As the Britannians and Russians dogfight, Zero noted some things on the tail wings of the SU-57.

A cyclops, a shield, a top hat with wings, and a claw with three strike marks behind it.

"Boss, should we help them?"

"We have no missiles, as well as no idea what frequency they use. We'll likely only get in their way."

One of the Britannians got a few hits on Shield, causing one of the engines to burst. Three Strikes, having shot down his Britannian, quickly moved in to help Shield, firing a missile to force him away. Three Strike chased the Britannian straight into Top Hats's firing line, and was quickly killed. Then, as Cyclops took down a third Britannian, the final one got behind Three Strikes, and started a chase. Quickly, though, Three Strikes pulled a post-stall maneuver, flipping the SU-57 backwards and over the chasing jet. As the Britannian flew under Three Strikes, a missile launched from his jet, killing the final Britannian.

'We could certainly use more pilots like him.' "Robbinson, pull up."

"You sure? They may be allies, but I don't want to risk your safety."

"I'm sure."

With a nod, Robbinson pulled the Raptor up, and the four SU-57s boxed around them.

"State your name and intent." A distinctly non-Russian voice answered. Zero and Robbinson looked at each other warily.

"That sounded Britannian, boss."

"Yeah, I know," Zero switched on the communicator, "I am Zero. Several weeks ago, I learned of a hidden Russian weapon developed for the Japanese. I have come here looking for it."

"...State the name of this weapon."

"Tsar Taigun no."

"..."

"Robbinson, get ready to dive."

Robbinson gripped the stick, as Zero braced himself.

"...You are to follow us. Any deviation will be treated as hostile."

Robbinson looked at Zero, who nodded. The Raptor stayed in formation with the Russian jets as they turned north-east. As they passed several more mountains, they saw what appeared to be an abandoned runway. One with a very wide runway. As they approached, the three non-damaged jets pulled back, with the remaining deploying landing gears.

"You are to land on this runway."

"Understood." The Raptor deployed landing gear. As they landed, an APC with an anti-personnel cannon, two jeeps with machine guns mounted, and over two dozen soldiers started running out of the seemingly abandoned warehouses. As the Raptor slowed to a crawl, they surrounded the jet, weapons drawn, while the damaged Russian jet stopped several dozen yards farther down.

"Better put on your costume, boss."

"Yeah."

Robbinson flipped the switch, making the rear section of the cockpit become opaque. Zero quickly took off the pilot helmet, putting back on his Zero helmet.

"Open the cockpit," one of the Russians demanded, "NOW!"

Robbinson opened the canopy, allowing Zero to stand as he put his cape on. Nearly half the Russians lowered their weapons in shock.

"Стой!" A Russian officer ordered as he jogged to them. The Russians lowered their weapons as the officer stopped. His cap hid his black hair, with his green eyes looking impressed. He stroked his neck collar long beard as he took in Zero.

"Zero," the officer called out in English, "I'm Tarish Zhokov, the commanding officer of this installation. It's a pleasure to finally meet you."

Zero dropped from the cockpit. "And it's an honor to come to Japan's biggest supporters," as he approached, Tarish offered a hand, which Zero gladly took, "Though, I'm amazed how much effort you've put into making this base look abandoned."

Tarish chuckled, "Yes. Speaking of which, may you please move your jet into one of our hangers? We don't want any Brit satellites finding it."

Zero nodded, turned to Robbinson, who overheard.

"Got it, boss." Robbinson closed the canopy, and one of the Russians held glowing batons to direct the Raptor to the right hanger. As they did so, the remaining three jets landed, much further down the runway, and began turning into another hanger. As for the damaged one, an emergency vehicle came in to spray down the burning engine, afterwards he saw Russians hooking it up to a tow truck.

"Walk with me." Tarish softly commanded, prompting Zero to follow him into the base, "You are correct that we've kept this base hidden well. After Japan fell, we had to make sure the Britannians never suspected this place. Every day we had, at most, ten people working all day to make the outside look as decrepit as possible."

The two entered the base, soldiers occasionally stopping to salute Zero.

"And how is the Russian Republic? How much support can we expect once we begin the rebellion?"

Tarish stopped, lowering his face.

"I'm not sure. We've been cut off from all communications."

"What do you mean?"

"When Japan fell, both the Prime Minister and the Tsar ordered us to have as little communications with Russia."

"So you and your men have simply been stuck here, for seven years?"

"As little communication. During some holidays, I would have some men sent home, but, except for the weekly supply trucks, we've had little knowledge from our government."

"That…complicates things. I'll have to account for a possible rebellion without Russian support. What were your orders, exactly."

"Don't worry. Our orders were to remain silent until we believe it is a good time to help Japan. With your actions, that time may be fast approaching."

"Yes. It'll also make getting back to Japan more difficult. I doubt I can simply fly back in."

"Hmph, well, considering you blew up our radar, pretty sure the Brits are aiming every navy ship in Japan in our direction. However, that could be used to our advantage."

"How?"

"Let me worry about that," Tarish chuckled, "Japanese and Russians, working together once more. Feels like our war with China all over again."

"Yes. Old enemies standing side by side. Cliche, but it is certainly poetic."

"Hmph, if certain things are to be believed, we may have been more than just old enemies. Have you ever heard the rumors surrounding Princess Anastasia?"

'Rumors? Interesting.' "I'm afraid not."

"Not surprised. Our governments did their best to conceal it. During the Romanov's brief exile after the Bolsavisks took over, it's believed that Princess Anastasia and the heir to the Japanese throne fell in love."

"And why is that something that big didn't garner more attention?"

"Probably because there was little to it. The only evidence was circumstantial, with the two being alone and friendly with each other. But, you should know how easily the masses can be manipulated."

"All too well."

The two entered an elevator, and headed down.

"My point is that our nations have been linked for many years. If these rumors were true, I'm amazed that neither government attempted to make it official."

"Given the still tense relations, I doubt it would go over well. Our countries still 'hated' each other, and it wasn't until the Russian Civil War that the process of healing could begin."

"Still, it showed the level of cooperation that we were willing to go to. Even during World War 2, despite previous biases, both our countries were willing to unite for greater prosperity."

'His tone. It's almost like…' "You were there?"

"Don't let the beard fool you. I'm much older than I look."

Zero narrowed his eyes. Despite the facial hair, he could see wrinkles along the eyes.

"I'll take your word for it." The elevator opened, and the two continued walking.

"Bah! I'm simply dropping filler to pass the time. I doubt you came here for a simple history lecture, especially one based on rumors."

"While true, it doesn't hurt to learn something new about your allies. Whether it's good or bad."

"Also true. But, you're here for Tsar Taigun no. How did you discover it?"

"A Britannian Black Ops group known as Code R had acquired corrupted files regarding the project."

Tarish stopped in his footsteps. "How did they get it!?"

"That we don't know. However, you don't need to worry. The only thing that was salvageable from it was the name, as well as an image of the project. A large bomber of sorts."

Tarish brought a contemplative knuckle to his mouth. "Hmm, based on the time, you must've seen an image of the prototype."

"Tell me about the project."

"Well, as you likely know, we Russians aren't sitting on mountains of Sakuradite. As such, we had to find other ways to combat an eventual war with Britannia. The Tsar believes that Knightmares shouldn't be the end all be all for combat."

"And I agree. Our research division has developed infantry weapons capable of taking down Knightmares."

Tarish's eyes widened, and Zero could only guess he had a massive grin.

"Well, give those to the Russians, and the Brits will have a complete massacre on their hands."

Both chuckled at the thought of Russia, one of the largest land militaries in the world, having infantry weapons that can harm Knightmares. They continued walking down the hallway. As they walked, they approached a massive window that stretched for a dozen feet down the hallway.

"And here is the fruit of our labor, Zero. When we heard about your group, we added a little something special to it."

Zero looked out the window, and what he saw gave him pause. What he saw was a massive plane, easily 3500 feet wingspan. It had two massive contra-rotating propellers, with four smaller ones on each wing. Unlike the image he saw days earlier, the center section was larger, seeming to account for a cockpit. As he looked at the cockpit, he noticed what Tarish meant when they added something special. Upon the top central section of the hull was a massive symbol, the sigil of the Black Knights.

"May I present to you, the King of the Horde, Tsar Taigun no."

Unknown Location

Hidenobu Kubouin

"Is everything ready?" Hidenobu questioned Tatsunori.

"Yes. Our spies in Tokyo are in place. Should an opportunity present itself, we'll be ready to strike. But, I warn you again, old friend. This is a dangerous line we're treading. I hate the Britannians just as much as you do. But, one more step, and this is not reversible."

"Good, good. I refuse to allow Charles's spawn to gain control of our country."

"And you would deny our country the freedom it nearly has?"

"What good is freedom when it's at the head of the enemy. Even if it takes another seven years, Japan will earn its freedom ,by our own hands. Not at the hands of foreigners."

"And the others."

"They'll accept it, in time. They need to know that we cannot accept outside help, or we fall to their influence."

Tatsunori grinned. "Good to know we're on the same page. For Japan's freedom."

"And the destruction of its enemies, both external and internal."

Author's Notes: Been a LONG time since I updated this story. Honestly, I'm just glad to finally get back to it. Don't worry, the next chapter won't take over a year to come. I just hope that the chapter is worth the wait (I doubt it XD). I also discovered that I SUCK at writing aerial battles when it involves jets. Let's hope that aerial battles with Knightmare will be easier to write.

As always, leave a review, fav/follow, and I'll see you all next time.

Next Update: SMM: Saber