Authors Note: Yes, I am late with this update. For that you have my apologies, but thing in real life blindsided me, so I'm afraid it couldn't be helped.
As an apology, I wrote this chapter to be longer than normal, so enjoy it!
KarnDragon: Actually, C.C. has killed Clovis in other fics. Most of those are ones that has Nunnally as the main character, though, and C.C. killed Clovis because she couldn't.
MisterJoke: Don't worry; Lelouch isn't going to be a Gary Stu. He isn't going to make the same mistakes as in canon, but he will lose battles.
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Disclaimer: I take no credit for Code Geass. I do take credit for altering it to suit my whims, however, so any OC's and Original Knightmares not mentioned in Canon are mine.
"Kallen"-Speech
'Lelouch'-Thought/mental communication
"{Die}"-Geass Command
"Halt!"-Loudspeaker
"Roger."-Radio/Walkie-Talkie
Chapter 7: The Knight of Orange
The Office of Margrave Jeremiah Gottwald, Pureblood Central Command Base, Britannian Tokyo Settlement
Jeremiah Gottwald groaned as he waded through the seemingly endless 'necessary' paperwork that needed to be filled out for his temporary assumption of the office of Viceroy.
When he had received word that he was being assigned as the interim-Viceroy, he had initially been delighted. Then he had been introduced to the stacks of paperwork he had to fill out in order to assume office by a pompous Courtier.
To be filled out in Triplicate.
When an exasperated Jeremiah had asked precisely why so much paperwork was required for a mere temporary appointment, the court toady had actually drawn himself up and blustered that it was 'against protocol for anyone but a member of the Imperial Family or an Imperial General to be a Viceroy of a full Britannian Area, therefore the paperwork was there to quietly discourage anyone else from attempting to gain the position'.
When Jeremiah had pointed out that he hadn't asked to be made interim-Viceroy, the petty little man had merely sniffed and responded that the precise circumstances of appointment was entirely beside the point.
That had been at midday. It was now 3 O'clock in the afternoon and Jeremiah was only halfway done. He cast his gaze to the other desk in the room, where Villetta Nu was sitting and filling out her paperwork.
When she had found out about the amount of red tape Jeremiah had to deal with, she had tried -and failed- to not laugh at his misfortune. Jeremiah had taken his revenge by appointing her as the interim Sub-Viceroy, meaning she had her own pile of forms to fill out in triplicate.
Jeremiah had maintained a neutral expression as her face paled at the realisation.
The barrage of insults she had hurtled his way had been music to his ears.
Currently, Villetta's face bore a scowl as she finished yet another form and laid it to one side. Stretching her arms, she leaned back with a sigh before noticing Jeremiah's gaze upon her.
"I hope you realise that I will find a way to pay you back for this, Lord Jeremiah." Villetta said darkly as she directed her scowl at him.
"Whatever for, Villetta? I haven't the faintest idea what you could possibly hold a grudge against me for." Jeremiah responded to her innocently, his face bland and unemotional.
"Humph." Villetta snorted at her commander's act as she stood and headed for the door, "I'm going for some coffee. Want some?"
"Please." Jeremiah nodded in gratitude.
"See you in five." Villetta strode out the door as Jeremiah turned his attention back to the mound of paperwork with a small groan.
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Front Gate, Pureblood Base
Private Dan Smith was bored out of his mind.
He had been guarding this gate for over two hours and in that time, no-one had entered or left. He still had another two hours to go until he was relieved and he was tempted to try and get some sleep while that time elapsed.
On one hand, he wanted to sleep, but on the other, the last time he fell asleep on the job he had been caught by Villetta Nu and got a new asshole torn into him for his lapse. She had threatened that he would be assigned to permanent latrine cleaning duty if she caught him again.
While he was still debating whether or not to sleep or not, a soldier approached the gate.
When Dan showed no signs of reacting to the soldier's presence, the figure standing in front of him waved his hand in front of Dan's face.
Still getting no reaction, the soldier clicked his fingers a couple of times in Dan's face and, upon receiving no response yet again, growled impatiently and yelled at the daydreaming Dan.
"ATTENTION!"
Dan, his body moving on autopilot, snapped to attention. His arm was actually moving into a salute before his mind caught up with him.
"E-Eh? W-Wha-?" Dan started to speak, but was cut off by the irate soldier in front of him.
"You useless excuse for a soldier! Just what the hell were you just doing?" The man seemed to be levitating in fury.
"Eh, ah, I-That is, I was guarding the gate." Dan managed to get out. The soldier in front of him had his helmet on so he couldn't be certain, but Dan could feel the glare coming from him.
Dan gulped. He had a bad feeling about what was going to come next.
The soldier, upon hearing the supposed Gate Sentry's excuse, seemed to swell up.
"Guarding the gate?! Soldier, if I was an Eleven Terrorist, I could have killed you a couple of dozen different ways and that is just from long range!" The soldier seemed very offended by Dan's carelessness and was proceeding to take a strip off of him.
He hated being right.
"Daydreaming on duty is almost as bad as sleeping on duty. I'm going to have to report this." The soldier told him firmly.
"W-Wait! Please! Lady Villetta has threatened to have me put on permanent Latrine Duty if I'm caught sleeping on duty again!" Dan begged desperately. No way in hell did he want to be cleaning all the toilets in the base every day!
The soldier seemed to pause for a moment.
"Lady Villetta? As in Villetta Nu?"
"Y-Yes." Dan gulped out, "She's a tough disciplinarian and most people would rather cut an arm off rather than cross her."
"Ha. How ironic." The soldier snorted in amusement. Seeing Dan's look of incomprehension, the soldier evidently decided to explain himself.
"I'm here to deliver a confidential dispatch to Lady Villetta and her Commander. So you see, your luck really sucks today."
Dan felt the blood seep from his face. He was in serious trouble. He had to do something.
" I-Is there nothing I can do to convince you to do otherwise? Please!" Dan begged again.
The soldier cocked his head slightly, seemingly in thought, before answering.
"Hmmm. Well, I suppose I could neglect to tell Lady Villetta about this if you delete any mention of my presence from the entry/exit logs. This-" the soldier gestured at the dispatch case he held in one hand, "-is top secret, slit-your-throat-before-reading material, so the less attention drawn to unknown personnel entering and leaving the base. Do you understand?" The soldier's voce was quiet and serious.
"R-right! Of course!" Dan replied, relieved that he would not be given the 'General Augustus Treatment' as it was known in Area 11, named after the General who managed to irk Prince Clovis to the point of demoting Augustus to a lowly sanitation tech in Hokkaido.
Dan opened the gate and waved the soldier through. He then did as he was asked and erased the video, audio and electronic records of the soldier ever being at, and passing through, the gate.
'That was too close.' Dan thought as he wiped his forehead free from sweat, 'I thought I was actually going to get in trouble there for a second!'
He was blissfully unaware of how his actions would affect the future.
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Inside the Base Perimeter
The soldier that just entered the base strode forward with confidence, nothing in his bearing suggesting that he didn't have every right to be there.
As he walked, he looked for directions for the Administration Section. Eventually spying a sign that pointed him towards the right way in, he moved in the direction indicated, his steps unhurried and even paced.
Entering the Administration Section, he came across his target almost at once. Villetta Nu was striding down the hall with a tired look in her eyes and a slight slump in her posture.
Deciding to put the question of why she looked exhausted to one side for the moment, the soldier walked up to her and saluted her.
"Lady Villetta Nu?" He asked her as she returned his salute.
She nodded and said, "Yes I am. What do you want?"
"I'm a courier, milady, and I have some documents to be delivered to you." The soldier replied, holding up the dispatch case.
Villetta massaged her temples slowly and stifled a small groan.
"More paperwork for me?" she asked, her voice dripping distain for the idea.
"Above my pay grade to know that ma'am. I just deliver the things." The soldier replied stoically.
Villetta sighed and shook her head. That much was true. The dispatch cases used to transfer sensitive information are programmed to only be opened by the personal code of the intended recipient. If anyone other than Villetta had tried to open the case, the documents would be destroyed.
"Fine. Let's go to my office and get this over and done with." Villetta said with a decided lack of enthusiasm and walked off, the soldier in step behind her.
At length, they reached Villetta's office, a smallish room with little more than a desk, two chairs and a computer terminal crammed in. After closing the door, Villetta moved around the desk and sat in the chair behind the desk. She opened a drawer and began rummaging around inside it, searching for something. Her Courier Personal Identity Code number, presumably.
'About time I cut to the chase.' the soldier thought as he removed his helmet to reveal the face of Lelouch Lamperouge. Looking at the distracted female soldier, Lelouch grinned and then said the words he had programmed the woman to respond to.
"By the command of Alan Spacer."
The effect was instantaneous. Villetta ceased rummaging in the drawer, sat up straight and looked him in the eyes, the red rings around her eyes showing the control his Geass command was exercising over her.
"Master." Villetta acknowledged him with a single word, just as he had commanded her to.
'Good. Looks like the command worked as intended. Now lets get down to business…' Lelouch thought as he recalled the list of questions he needed to ask his unknowing mole.
"Report." Lelouch commanded, "Tell me the highpoints of what you did after I took my leave yesterday."
"After you left me, Master, I made my way back to the Command G-1 on foot." Villetta stated in a monotone voice, "Sometime after I arrived, His Highness Prince Clovis was discovered dead in the command bridge. He was killed with a single shot to the head, made by a standard-issue Britannian pistol. The bridge was powered down during the estimated time of death, meaning the bridge cameras were inoperable and the culprit still remains unidentified."
'So far, no surprises.' Lelouch thought as he motioned Villetta to continue her report.
"After my superior arrested General Bartley and the entire bridge crew on suspicion of aiding and abetting a regicide, he then sent a report to the Homeland detailing what we knew of the battle and the assassination. A few hours later, He received orders making him the interim-Viceroy until His Majesty selects the next permanent Viceroy."
Lelouch inwardly cursed at this turn of events. The Purebloods being put in charge meant the average Japanese civilian's life would become even more unbearable than normal (as hard as that was to imagine) and even Japanese Honorary Britannians would be victimised. Something had to be done.
Villetta continued with her recital of events.
"This afternoon, my superior took delivery of the paperwork that had to be filled out in order to become the interim-Viceroy. It is a large amount, required to be filled out in triplicate. I found the situation amusing, so my superior made me the interim Sub-Viceroy in order to, in his words, 'Share the misery.' That is a complete recitation of my activities since our last meeting." Villetta fell silent, awaiting Lelouch's next order or query.
"Who is your superior?" Lelouch asked. He had to get a general grasp of his opponent before he could craft a strategy. It wasn't actually necessary, but Lelouch preferred to leave nothing to chance.
"Margrave Jeremiah Gottwald." Villetta replied.
"What is his service record like?" Lelouch probed. Villetta accessed the file on her terminal and read it out to him.
"Lord Jeremiah is a career soldier, graduating from the Imperial Colchester Institute and distinguished himself in battle with the G.G.D.C.F. 5th Regiment "K" Powered Task Company, earning him a position as a member of the Royal Guard in Pendragon. He was assigned to the Aries Palace and was on duty when Her Majesty, Marianne vi Britannia, was assassinated. Afterwards, he joined the Pureblood Faction, despite having rebuffed several invitations to join them in the past. After the invasion and subsequent annexation of Japan as Area 11, he had this unit transferred here."
Lelouch frowned. That was an unusual resume. Why would an up-and-coming soldier suddenly join a group that he had refused several ties in the past and then transfer to a newly pacified Area? The only connection point was….
His mother, himself and Nunnally. That had to be it. Looking at Villetta intently, Lelouch voiced one of the questions that had boiled up from him assimilating the information given to him by his spy.
"Has Jeremiah ever talked to you about why he transferred to the Purebloods?"
"Yes, several times."
"What did he say?" Lelouch probed her for more information.
"He told me that all of the guards stationed at the Aries Palace were considered persona non grata by most nobles as a result of failing to prevent the death of one of the 108 Imperial Consorts, so he had to join the Purebloods in order to save his career." Was Villetta's reply.
Lelouch scowled. That sounds like the kind of thing the nobility would do -blame the common soldiers for something clearly beyond their control. The attack had happened at the precise time of day that there were very few guards around and the vi Britannia family was in a reasonably exposed area. There had been no way for the Royal Guard to respond to an attack that had come out of nowhere and disappeared just as suddenly as it had appeared.
"What has he said about the Consort who was murdered?" Lelouch asked, forcing his voice to come out unemotional and steady. He couldn't call Marianne vi Britannia his mother, as Villetta wouldn't know who he was talking about. It was still galling to speak so impersonally about his own mother.
"Lord Jeremiah bemoans her death greatly. He had considerable respect for her and considers her death on his watch his greatest failing."
Once again, Lelouch was forced to examine the fact that several people in the Imperial Court, barring Cornelia and Euphy, had liked and respected his mother rather than hating and reviling her.
Shaking his head, Lelouch continued asking his questions.
"Why did Jeremiah transfer his unit to Area 11?"
"He confided to me that he did so in order to search for Their Highnesses Prince Lelouch and Princess Nunnally." Villetta replied.
Lelouch raised an eyebrow at this.
"For their bodies, surely?"
"Lord Jeremiah is convinced that they are alive."
"Based on what?"
"Belief. According to Lord Jeremiah, Prince Lelouch was one of the most intelligent boys he had ever met. He had dominated every chess match he took part in, except against Second Prince Schneizel, and he is a prodigy. Based on that, Lord Jeremiah hopes that His Highness managed to find a way for he and his sister to survive."
Lelouch mentally rocked back on his heels. Such a person had been searching for him for over seven years.
"W-What does he plan on doing once he finds them?" Lelouch managed to get out through his suddenly dry throat. The answer to this question was vital, as it would solidify the grand finale of Lelouch's plan for the debut of Zero.
"He intends to swear himself to Prince Lelouch as his Knight if His Highness will allow it. He will then aid him in the protection of Princess Nunnally, if she is still alive, and also help him find the identity of the one who murdered Lady Marianne." Villetta stated, bluntly.
Lelouch couldn't help himself; he gaped at Villetta in shock for a handful of minutes as he processed this latest revelation. Then, slowly, his mouth closed and curled up into a grin.
"You don't say….." he murmured as he began making alterations to his plans. Things had just become interesting.
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With Jeremiah
Jeremiah was wrestling with his paperwork once again. He had to wonder who had thought up some of the questions in this form. Precisely what the county of one's birth in the Britannian Homeland had to do with governing an Area was beyond him. Ditto for number of hours in a Knightmare cockpit and, the strangest one yet, length of time on average he took to shower in the mornings.
Mentally cursing bureaucrats, clerks and courtiers, Jeremiah put a freshly finished form to one side and was reaching for another one, when a sharp staccato of knocks drew his attention from the veritable mountain of paper.
"Enter!" he called out. He needed a small break anyway, so this was fairly good timing. He did wonder where Villetta had gotten to though….
The door was opened by a soldier wearing full uniform, including a helmet, which surprised Jeremiah slightly. Not only was it impolite to wear headgear indoors outside of a battle, most soldiers hated wearing their headgear unless it was absolutely necessary as it felt very claustrophobic inside one.
"Lord Jeremiah?" the soldier asked. Jeremiah smiled humourlessly at him.
"That's what it says on the door." He replied dryly. He noted the soldier didn't so much as flinch at the mild censure in his voice, which was another oddity. A lowly footsoldier such as the one in front of him should be stepping very carefully around any Knight, even more so when dealing with a Margrave.
The soldier held up a dispatch case for Jeremiah to view.
"I have documents for you, sir." The soldier said simply. This simple little sentence caused a wave of despair wash over Jeremiah.
"More paperwork?!" Jeremiah demanded incredulously. He had been assured that the mini-mountain currently occupying his desk was all the forms needed! Were the bureaucrats trying to play some kind of twisted game with him? If they were, they would rue the day they dared cross Jeremiah Gottwald, by God!
"Couldn't say, sir. I was told to deliver this to you, not what it contained." The soldier replied blandly, earning him a glare from the aquamarine haired noble.
"Grrr. Fine. Close the door and let's get this over with." Jeremiah grunted out moodily as he waved impatiently at the door.
As the soldier turned and closed the door, Jeremiah silently drew his pistol and pointed it at the back of the soldier. Once the door was closed, Jeremiah spoke in a low growl.
"Alright, whoever you are. Put your hands up and turn around, nice and slowly."
The 'soldier' did as he was asked, raising his hands up slowly, then turning on the spot to face the pistol-wielding man behind the desk. He then spoke, amusement lacing his voice.
"You really don't like paperwork, do you Jeremiah?"
The Margrave scowled at the insolence the man before him was displaying to him. He gestured at the full to overflowing desk before him with his free hand.
"Not when I have this much of it to fill out, although it is partially thanks to this ungodly amount of paper that I twigged to your ruse." Jeremiah told the man before him, his scowl morphing into a small smirk.
"Oh?" Said the man held at gunpoint, a curious lilt to his voice, "Do tell."
"Simply put, this paperwork hell that I am currently in is every single form required to be filled out for me to become the interim-Viceroy. I was assured of that several times by the bureaucratic lapdog that brought the thrice-accursed things here. So you claiming to have more documents for me despite that and considering all Pureblood paperwork is being handled by Sir Dennis and Sir Wayne, you were more than slightly suspicious." Jeremiah said, musingly. The man he was holding the gun on said nothing.
"But what really set alarm bells ringing was your blatant lack of fear or respect towards a Knight." Jeremiah continued talking, "Any soldier with a pair of brain cells to bash together would tread as if on egg shells around a Knight, even more so around a Margrave!"
Jeremiah paused, interested to see what his 'guest' would say or do.
"I see." the man said with a small shrug, "Looks like I need to work on my acting. I don't really do subservient and down-beaten that well."
Jeremiah snorted. "You truly are impudent, aren't you?"
"With reason."
"Oh? Pray tell, what possible reason could you have for being arrogant enough to display enough impudence to disrespect a margrave of the Empire? I'm all ears." Jeremiah asked sarcastically. The man merely shrugged again.
"All the explanation I need to give will be shown if I remove my helmet." The man told Jeremiah, who looked confused.
"Indeed? Then by all means, remove your helmet. Although I fail to see how seeing your face will change anything."
"All will be revealed in short order, Jeremiah." The man assured his 'host' as he slowly and deliberately unfastened the buckles securing the helmet to his head and then removed the helmet to reveal his entire face.
Jeremiah was stunned as a pair of stunning violet eyes regarded him, eyes that had belonged to only three people in the world. Midnight black hair framed his face and Jeremiah knew whose presence he was in.
Dropping his pistol from his nerveless fingers, Jeremiah cleared his suddenly dry throat before he spoke, his voice shaking and hoarse.
"Y-Your Highness? Prince…Lelouch?"
Lelouch looked down at Jeremiah, his body drawn up in a regal manner, no longer acting like a common soldier but exuding his natural commanding aura.
"Indeed, Jeremiah Gottwald. You and I have much to discuss." Lelouch spoke and his eyes narrowed as he regarded the Margrave.
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Lelouch's Perspective
Lelouch watched Jeremiah, taking in his poleaxed expression and throttled the desire to laugh at it. He needed to be PRINCE Lelouch right now, not Lelouch the schoolboy.
Focusing on the former member of his mothers Royal Guard behind the desk, Lelouch sat in the chair in front of the desk and regally crossed his legs. He would have to be very careful here. A single slip up would result in catastrophe, both for him and for his planned rebellion.
Be Cool.
Be Calm.
Be Collected.
Be in Control.
Lelouch decided that right now Jeremiah was in no state to broach the silence, since he had morphed from poleaxed to imitating a fish out of water, jaw flapping open and closed and eyes wide, so he must draw him out.
Clearing his throat, Lelouch spoke softly, forcing the margrave to clear his head and lean forward to be able to hear Lelouch's words.
"Seven years. For seven long years I have hidden in Japan, watching Britannia stomp down on the pride of its conquered subjects, the Britannians in the Settlement treating the native populous like wild beasts rather than humans and praying that I wouldn't be discovered."
Lelouch paused and watched Jeremiah again. As he had spoken, he had watched Jeremiah flinch at the barely discernable anger in his voice.
"Imagine my surprise yesterday," Lelouch continued, "When I accidentally fell into a terrorist's truck and eventually ended up in Shinjuku, after being chased by VTOL's and Knightmares, only to find the 8th Mobile Battalion, otherwise known as the Purebloods, tearing the place apart and slaughtering the inhabitants. My surprise had grown immensely when I was almost killed by Clovis' Royal Guard, then saved by the contents of the 'Poison Gas Container' mere minutes before I discovered that. Twice in a single day I was almost killed, and on both occasions it was at the hands of Britannians rather than the Numbers that are sneered upon by my countrymen. Ironic, wouldn't you agree?"
A pale Jeremiah jerkily nodded, his eyes filled with questions. Lelouch decided to answer one that was probably at the top of the nobleman's list.
"You are curious as to why I say 'poison gas' sarcastically, aren't you? Well, the actual content of the capsule was, in matter of fact, a human girl." Lelouch told the man, mentally smirking at Jeremiah's bulging incredulous eyes.
"Yes, Jeremiah, you were lied to about what you were chasing. Not only was it not poison gas, oh no it gets worse than that, the girl in question was a subject of human experimentation, conducted on the orders of both Clovis and my father!" Lelouch spat the word father out like a curse.
Jeremiah's face had returned to its earlier poleaxed expression at this latest revelation. Lelouch had an impassive expression on his own face that revealed nothing. He decided that this time Jeremiah would have to re-start the conversation.
After a couple of minutes, Jeremiah shook himself and seemed to recover himself somewhat. Lelouch gave him credit for being able to roll with the punches, metaphorically speaking. Jeremiah spoke up then, still sounding somewhat hoarse.
"Your Highness, I am glad to see you. I-I have been searching for you ever since I arrived in…Japan…six and a half years ago," The man said Japan as if it were a foreign concept, which Lelouch had to admit, it was for a member of the Britannian Nobility, "I would have tried to get myself assigned as a bodyguard to yourself and Princess Nunnally when you were sent here, but after Lady Marianne died, I couldn't ask to be given so much as a pencil. I was on guard the day your mother was assassinated, and I am ashamed that I could do nothing to prevent her death."
The man was still guilty, after over seven years, about something he had had absolutely no control over. Lelouch was slightly taken aback by this fact, in addition to the deadness in Jeremiah's eyes, although his face revealed nothing as Jeremiah continued to speak.
"I had wondered if I was on a fool's errand all these years, searching for someone that the occupation forces couldn't find in three months, but I still hoped….and here you are, alive and well. Yesterday's close call non-withstanding." Jeremiah spoke as if he were confessing his sins to a priest.
"I did wonder about the gas. If it was so virulent, why only deploy a single battalion to recapture it? And then, why the most fanatical pro-Britannian faction? It makes sense now - Prince Clovis was terrified of being disinherited over this, wasn't he?" Jeremiah mused aloud as he put the pieces together, "But something puzzles me, Your Highness -how did you escape from the Royal Guard?"
Lelouch gave Jeremiah a slow, evil looking smirk that sent chills up the Margrave's spine.
"An excellent question. It ties in with why Clovis was experimenting on the girl. She is immortal." Lelouch said blandly. Jeremiah blinked in disbelief.
"I'm sorry, did you say the girl is immortal, your Highness?" Jeremiah asked disbelievingly.
"She was shot in the centre of the forehead when she took a bullet for me and was fully healed just under forty minutes later, Jeremiah. It's not something I would mistake or confuse." Lelouch said with a hint of steel in his voice. Jeremiah unconsciously straightened in response to the unspoken but clear reprimand in Lelouch's voice.
"My apologies for questioning you, but you must admit it is a little hard to believe, Your Highness." Jeremiah replied.
"No, it's perfectly understandable. I had a hard time believing it myself at the time, but seeing is believing as they say." Lelouch shook his head and continued, "Anyway, after she was shot, she grabbed my hand and made a contract with me -power in exchange for her 'one true wish' being granted. Using the power I obtained, I ordered the Royal Guard to die. They died."
Seeing a look of disbelief cross Jeremiah's face, Lelouch willed his Geass to appear in his eye. Judging from the small gasp Jeremiah let out, he had succeeded.
Deactivating his Geass, Lelouch carried on, "The symbol you saw in my left eye is the mark of my power, the power called Geass. It manifests differently from person to person but in my case, it manifested as the Power of Absolute Obedience. I can command anyone to do anything. There are limits I'm sure, but I have only established a small handful so far."
Jeremiah looked thunderstruck. "So, when you told the Royal Guard to 'die'…" he said, putting the pieces together.
Lelouch nodded. "That's right. I told them to die, so they committed mass suicide. I dislike the fact that I did it, but it was necessary in order for me to return to Nunnally safely."
"Lady Nunnally? She is alive?" Jeremiah sounded relieved that the other subject of his self-imposed mission was also alive.
"Alive, yes. Blind and crippled, but still alive and happy." Lelouch responded absently. "Anyway, a few minutes later, a Pureblood Knightmare charges into the warehouse I was in -a warehouse filled with massacre Japanese civilians and dead Royal Guardsmen- and who should it be but your second in command, Villetta Nu."
"Villetta?" Jeremiah looked momentarily taken aback.
"Yes. I lured her outside of her Knightmare and used my Geass on her." Lelouch ignored the sudden intake of breath form Jeremiah at this point, "I questioned her about her mission objectives then made her give me the codes and key to her Sutherland. I then embedded a conditional activation command in her that makes her an unwitting mole in the military."
Jeremiah looked appalled. "My Lord!"
"I needed to keep abreast with the military, Jeremiah. The chance for future intelligence on military manoeuvres and deployments was far too tempting to pass up." Lelouch told the now frowning Jeremiah in a calm and concise fashion.
Jeremiah sighed and massaged his temples. "I….am honestly torn, My Lord. On one hand, I applaud your decisiveness and quick thinking, but on the other, I am angry and distressed that my subordinate is little more than a puppet now."
"She isn't a puppet. When I embedded the original command, I also made sure to implant a deactivation code as well as an activation code." Lelouch riposted.
"…..Can you undo the command completely, my Lord?" Jeremiah asked him.
Lelouch hesitated. "I can't undo it, per se, but I can bypass it by ordering her not to respond to the activation command. I will ask you to hear the rest of what I have to say first before you come to any decisions."
Jeremiah nodded slowly in reluctant agreement. Seeing this, Lelouch continued.
"By this time, the encirclement of Shinjuku was nigh impenetrable, so I made the only choice I could make; I chose to aid the terrorists. No, don't give me that look. It was the only choice left that didn't involve Clovis shipping me to the Homeland with Nunnally in tow. I do have to apologise for ruining your Knightmare though." Lelouch gave Jeremiah a small apologetic smile as he said that last part.
"You were the Sutherland that shot at me!" Jeremiah realised with a flash of insight with Lelouch's last words.
Lelouch shrugged apologetically. "I needed the terrorist's help, and that red Glasgow pilot was very skilled. She impressed me very much."
"She? The pilot was a female?" Jeremiah asked, startled.
"Yes. I happen to know precisely who she is. At the moment, it is irrelevant." Lelouch's voice was very firm and, very wisely, Jeremiah did not protest as Lelouch continued.
"After I gave them a train-load of Sutherlands, I led them to victory over Clovis' forces. Not that it was difficult. Clovis never did plan more than two moves ahead when we played chess and this shallowness of strategy was evident in his tactics yesterday. Once I defeated the main forces, Clovis became desperate and deployed an experimental Knightmare frame. Ironically enough, it was supposed to be yours."
Jeremiah thought for a moment before remembering the radio calls trying to make him return to base to pilot a new Knightmare.
"You mean those idiots at Camelot actually made a viable Frame this time?" Jeremiah asked with a raised eyebrow. The last Knightmare designed by Camelot, the Bedivere, had been so high-spec that no one had even been able to make it move. That is why he had ignored the requests to return - no point wasting time on a Knightmare that doesn't work.
"They did. It was most impressive. It possessed some sort of energy shielding system that was able to withstand five simultaneous Chaos Mine strikes. It also possessed considerable strength, speed and agility." Lelouch told Jeremiah distantly as he thought back to the sheer speed the white Knightmare had shown.
"How did you defeat it, My Lord?" Jeremiah asked, intrigued. Lelouch smiled.
"I dropped half of the old Tokyo City Hall on the damn thing."
Jeremiah's eyes bugged out at this revelation. That explains the reports of a minor earthquake yesterday!
"Wasn't that somewhat…extreme, my Lord?" Jeremiah opined.
Lelouch shook his head. "Believe me; no conventional ambush would succeed against that Knightmare. Had I not taken the precautions I had, it would have torn through the terrorist Sutherlands like a hot knife through butter."
Jeremiah looked somewhat dubious, but assumed it was another 'you had to be there to believe it' scenario and moved on.
"My Lord, this is incredible! You overwhelmed an entire battalion with less than thirty Knightmares manned by barely trained pilots!" Jeremiah said, a slight amount of awe in his voice. Lelouch snorted.
"As I said, Clovis was a poor tactician and a worse strategist. Add into the mix the fact that I was using their own IFF beacons against them, I would be willing to say that any half decent military trainee could have crushed Clovis yesterday." Lelouch said with a dismissive wave of one hand before he continued to speak.
"After dealing with the white Knightmare, I made my way to the Command G-1 and used my Geass to interrogate Clovis, once I got rid of his bridge crew."
"My Lord….it can't be….did you…?" Jeremiah spoke slowly, hesitating to voice the suspicion that had just been born in his mind.
Lelouch nodded his head. "Yes, Jeremiah. I am the one who ordered the death of my brother Clovis, although he died at the hands of the one he experimented on. A just and ironic fate for him, I would say." Lelouch spoke in a detached, emotionless voice that hid from the margrave the inner turmoil that still swirled within him at the decision he had made.
Jeremiah stared at Lelouch with wide eyes. "You ordered his death? You didn't do the deed yourself?"
Lelouch shook his head. "No. The just thing to do was to let the one most wronged by his actions end him, so that is the path I followed. I did stop the girl from torturing Clovis, though. In victory, one must be gracious."
Jeremiah stilled as he heard Lady Marianne's truism spoken by her eldest child. He let out a sigh as he mentally conceded that Prince Lelouch had a point. Prince Clovis had deserved to die for the actions he had taken, both in regards to the events in Shinjuku and with regard to the girl.
The margrave rubbed his eyes tiredly. All these revelations were even more mind-numbing than the cursed paperwork had been!
"So then, My Lord. There are only two questions that needs to be asked now, I suppose: Why approach and reveal all this to me and what your objective is?" Jeremiah spoke wearily, his eyes concealed behind his hand.
Lelouch took a deep breath. This was it.
"I will answer your questions in reverse order. I have two objectives: First, I plan on finding and killing the person or cabal responsible for orchestrating the death of my mother and the crippling of my sister, regardless of who they are or what rank they hold. Even if my father is responsible." Lelouch spoke calmly, his voice even and unhurried.
Jeremiah's eyes widened at this declaration, but Lelouch continued speaking as if he had just mentioned he was going shopping in the near future.
"My second objective is more complicated than it sounds: the obliteration of my father's Britannia." Lelouch's voice became hard, determination emanating from his body in almost visible waves.
Jeremiah's jaw dropped. "Your Highness?!"
Lelouch winced at the almost shrill tone Jeremiah's voice. "Easy there. I said it was more complicated than it sounds. What I mean is that I wish to destroy the arrogant, holier-than-thou, corrupt and foul existence that is the current Britannia and replace it with something new."
Jeremiah gaped at Lelouch, which prompted him to continue.
"Oh, I'm certain that Britannia will eventually destroy itself by overextending it's own reach - someday. Nothing lasts forever, which is especially true of empires and countries. Hell, my father's policy of Social Darwinism practically guarantees the destruction of Britannia at some future date. At which point, there will be a power vacuum in the world and the remaining major powers will fight over the corpse of what was once Britannia in order to gain any slight advantage they can get." Lelouch predicted with a frown.
The Margrave behind the desk had gone pale at the description of Britannia's eventual fate.
"There are a handful of solutions, most of which are either impractical or undoable. As the Imperial family and the Nobility are the ones that set policies for the Empire, change from within is impossible on both the political and social fronts. Exerting political pressure from without Britannia is equally impossible, due to the current disparity in military forces between Britannia and the rest of the world. The only remaining possibility is to defeat Britannia militarily and reform it in the aftermath." Lelouch had to hide a small grin at the nonplussed expression on Jeremiah's face.
"My Lord…you just said that exerting pressure from other countries was impossible due to Britannia's military strength being as strong as it is, only to turn around and say that defeating Britannia militarily is the option remaining!" Jeremiah stated, confusion lacing through every word he spoke.
Lelouch grinned at the confused man. "Ah, but military might and the application of it are two different things. True, Britannia's military might -meaning it's overall forces in total- are significant, however, due to the numerous conquests it has made, a not insignificant portion of forces are used to keep the native populations in line. Additionally, the war against the Euro Universe has started to pick up pace, absorbing yet more men and resources. The sheer size of the E.U. will prevent it's defeat in any less time than three years, perhaps as many as five, barring any sudden technological miracles by either side that would alter the power balance."
Jeremiah nodded, agreeing with Lelouch's assessment.
"The Chinese Federation is of similar size to the E.U., but has far more organised and well trained forces. Rather than a military drawn from numerous countries speaking different languages and military traditions, the Federation is one big super state, with one military and, similar to Britannia; do not allow their own conquered vassals to rise high in the military or government. The High Eunuchs, who run the Federation 'in the name of the Empress', are just as corrupt and self centred as any Britannian Noble and are likely to sell out the Federation in exchange for status for themselves in Britannia." Lelouch continued his lecture, aware of Jeremiah's appraising eyes on him.
Lelouch uncrossed and then re-crossed his legs before continuing.
"These two entities are the only foreign powers with the capacity to resist Britannia. They rival Britannia in both size and population and have the resources to conduct research in Knightmare development. All other countries are of little significance in the grand scheme of things." Lelouch finished, looking at Jeremiah evenly.
"So you intend to aid one of these two entities then?" Jeremiah asked for clarification.
Lelouch snorted. "Hardly. It is better to be a king in your own court than a noble in someone else's. I did say foreign powers, didn't I? There is another entity that can and is resisting Britannia: Japan."
Jeremiah frowned. "Japan lost the Second Pacific War." he pointed out.
"True. It surrendered after a month - with its industries and infrastructure mostly intact. In addition over 70% of the surviving members of the Japanese Imperial Army formed the Japanese Liberation Front and still actively resist to this day." Lelouch countered.
'Even though 'resisting' has basically amounted to propaganda broadcasts and encouraging passive resistance.' He mentally added.
"The Six Houses of Kyoto are the keystone of resistance in Japan. They fund all of the disparate resistance groups and conduct Knightmare research and development. I plan on supplanting the JLF with my own group and retaking Japan, with the support of the Six Houses." Lelouch told Jeremiah.
"I….see." Jeremiah said slowly, processing the outline of Lelouch's plan he had been given. It was audacious, daring and nigh impossible. Were it anyone else telling him this plan, he would also call it foolish, reckless and utterly hopeless.
Then again, defeating an entire battalion of Knightmares piloted by highly trained Knights with a mere twenty or so Knightmares piloted by rank amateurs was supposed to be impossible and that had happened the previous day.
"That still begs the question of why you came to me, My Lord." Jeremiah pointed out, once the Margrave had processed all he had been told thus far.
Lelouch's face instantly became serious. "Up until a half hour ago, I had no idea who you were or that you had been in my mother's Guard. Then Villetta told me all she knew of you."
Jeremiah couldn't read the look on Lelouch's face, but got the impression from his words that his Prince was impressed with him.
"You have remained steadfastly loyal to my bloodline for seven years, joining a group whose ideology clashes with my mothers' ideology in order to come here and find my sister and me, in order to protect us." Lelouch paused as he sent an approving look towards Jeremiah, "Such determination and unwavering loyalty is uncommon. I had to meet you in order to find out what you were like as a person."
Jeremiah cleared his suddenly dry throat. "And….what is your opinion?"
Lelouch made eye contact with Jeremiah. "Honestly, you surprised me. I was under the impression that the entire Imperial Court had despised my mother, but recently I have been receiving information that some very high-ranking people had admired my mother before her death. Your guilt, misplaced as it is, merely confirmed all of the information I have gathered."
The exiled prince tapped his jaw slowly in thought before continuing.
"You are practical enough to compromise your own opinions in order to survive to fight another day, yet loyal enough to those self-same opinions to maintain them privately. You inspire fierce loyalty in your subordinates and are loyal to them in return. And finally -" Lelouch smiled briefly, "-you stalled what could have been a very promising and illustrious career in a backwater area, just for the sake of finding and protecting Nunnally and myself. That convinced me that you are a person that can be trusted."
Unconsciously, Jeremiah straightened in his chair at Lelouch's praise. Lelouch regarded the margrave steadily.
"Jeremiah Gottwald, is your loyalty still firm? Are you still willing to entrust your loyalty to me, despite what you now know I have done?"
Jeremiah's head jerked up in surprise and shock at Lelouch's questions.
"My Lord?!" he managed to get out.
"What I plan to do will not be easy to accomplish by any means and thus, I need every advantage I can get. The service of a trustworthy Knight will be a boon to my chances of success. That being said, I will not force you to swear to me, and I will merely ask that you not inform others that Nunnally and myself exist." Lelouch told him frankly.
"You…would not use your…ability…on me?" Jeremiah asked, for clarification.
Lelouch shook his head to indicated the negative.
"No. Either I trust you enough to ask you to be my Knight, in which case should you, refuse I trust you to accede to my wishes, or I don't trust you, in which case I wouldn't have bothered with this whole conversation and merely used my power on you in the first place." Lelouch replied with a small shrug.
"One…one final question, My Lord." Jeremiah said softly, his body rigid with tension, "Are you doing this for Lady Nunnally? Or for yourself?"
Lelouch glared at Jeremiah, his eyes becoming colder than ice. "Everything I do is for Nunnally's sake and my mother's memory. Everything."
A tense silence filled the room as the exiled son of a murdered mother met the eyes of a soldier and Aristocrat of the regime that claimed the life of that woman. The silence was broken by Jeremiah standing and moving around the desk to kneel before Lelouch.
A sense of triumph filled Lelouch as he began the age old ritual used by the Britannian Imperial Family to swear a Knight as a Prince or Princess' Personal Knight.
"Jeremiah Gottwald, on this day, dost thou abandon yourself to become a sword and shield for the greater good?" Lelouch noticed that Jeremiah's eyes were glistening with unshed tears. Tears of joy, he realised.
"Yes, Your Highness!" Jeremiah whispered.
"Courage and Honour, Duty and Sacrifice, these are the hallmarks of a Knight. Dost thou swear to hold these values foremost in thin heart and mind?" Lelouch continued.
"Yes, Your Highness!"
"Then I, Lelouch vi Britannia, hereby recognise you as my Knight. May you remain ever victorious." Lelouch concluded the ritual with a smile.
Jeremiah stood and saluted Lelouch, the tears falling free from his eyes as he finally, at long last, truly served a member of the vi Britannia bloodline.
"Thank you Your Highness. I swear you shall not regret this." Jeremiah spoke with a husky undertone as he wiped the tears from his face.
Lelouch's smile grew for a second. "I know I won't, Jeremiah. Now, about Villetta…"
"Yes my Lord, I actually had an idea about that. Can you…" Jeremiah put his head together with his Prince and began planning.
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Next Chapter: The Meeting at Tokyo Tower
Authors Note: And that's it. Orange-kun is getting drawn in and Lelouch has a powerful new ally.
I couldn't find any oaths in canon that suited my needs, so I adapted the Oath of Knighthood from R1, episode 18 to suit my needs.
See you November the 30th.