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"Kallen" - Speech
'Lelouch' - Thought/mental communication
"{Die}" - Geass Command
"Halt!" - Loudspeaker
"Roger." - Radio/Walkie-Talkie
Chapter 25: Meeting with the Six Houses of Kyoto
The Next Day
Ersatz Conference Room, Former Yamato Alliance Base, Hidden Location
Zero swept into the room and sat at the head of the table, which was little more than a length of metal banged flat, supported on stone blocks and covered by a table cloth. Around the table, the core members of the Black Knights ended their conversations and came to order.
"I do apologize for the abruptness of this meeting, but I have received some…rather disturbing information." The masked man said. Even through his voice scrambler most of the gathered revolutionaries could still hear some trace of worry permeating their leader's voice.
"What's the situation, Zero?" Mamoru asked quickly. Anything that could worry their usually unflappable leader was something that needed to be addressed quickly.
"One of my contacts received information that he believed was of absolute importance to me." Zero replied as he pulled a sheaf of papers from inside his cloak, "As I said before; the contents are more than slightly disturbing."
Ohgi and Kallen exchanged glances at this. Zero was usually the picture of calm no matter what was happening around him, whether it was being shot at in battle or avoiding assassination by a louse like Tetsuya. Whatever this was, it had to be big.
"Prince Clovis, the late and unlamented Viceroy, had his own private think tank, known as Code-R," the leader of the Black Knights started, "Included in it was a research branch and its own division of soldiers, as well as enough financing that half of their yearly budget could easily purchase at least two battalions worth of Sutherlands."
That made everyone sit up and take notice. The Sutherland may be a mass-produced Knightmare Frame, but that didn't mean that they didn't cost a pretty penny. The money paid for two battalions' worth of Sutherlands could house and feed most of the Japanese citizens in the Saitama and Shinjuku Ghettos, pre-massacre.
"I've managed to trace most of the funding back to three main sources. The first, and smallest of the three, came from Clovis' personal coffers. The second appears to come from several of the kickbacks he received from his various corrupt enterprises, all of which we have managed to shut down with not a little help from dear Sub-Viceroy Euphemia." Zero chuckled slightly at that, as did many of the others. The irony that one of the royals was actually helping their cause, albeit unknowingly still amused most of them. "Finally, the greater part came from multiple offshore accounts that can be traced back to the Office of Secret Intelligence." Any trace of humour had vanished from the masked revolutionary's voice at that final announcement.
Mamoru's eyes widened at that. "An OSI sponsored operation?! Are you certain of this, Zero?"
In response, the masked man picked out a specific sheet of paper from the stack and held it up. It bore the crossed sword and sceptre emblem of the OSI.
"Damn." was all Mamoru could say.
"Who're these OSI guys anyway?" Tamaki asked loudly.
"The Office of Secret Intelligence is an off-the-books unit of the Britannian Military, reporting only to the sitting Britannian Emperor and loyal only to him." Zero answered smoothly, "If the Knights of Round are the knights in shining armour on the battlefield, the OSI are the rogues and assassins that hide in the night and strike without mercy or warning. Blackmail, murder, massacres, assassinations…there is very little that they will not do in order to complete their assignments. If they are involved with this Code-R, then Charles zi Britannia is well aware of it and has given it his, at least tacit, approval."
"Shit!" Ohgi summed his feelings on the subject with that one word.
"Yes, I agree." The masked man nodded, "Code-R has several projects, both active and defunct. Defunct are Projects Methuselah, Iblis, Brionac and Imperator. The active ones are Projects Chimera, Mnemosyne, Gigantes, Lancer and Morgana."
"I ain't got no clue what halfa those names mean." Tamaki admitted with a groan.
"Methuselah refers to the man in the Bible who lived for just under a thousand years." Zero listed offhandedly, "The Iblis is another religious reference, this time from Islam, meaning another name for the devil, Shayṭan. Brionac is the name given to the ancient Irish God Lugh's spear, which was supposedly unstoppable and fiery. Imperator was the name given to the Roman Emperor and also to Roman Generals during its time as a republic. A Chimera was a mythological beast, most classically made out of the combined pieces of a lion, goat and snake. Mnemosyne is the Titan-Goddess of Memory in Ancient Greek mythology. Gigantes is the Greek or Spanish word for giant. Lancer leaves nothing to guess at. Morgana is likely a reference to Morgan le Fay, the antagonist in Arthurian legends who plotted the downfall of Camelot and the Round Table."
"You sure know a lot." The red-headed man noted, blinking at the rather elaborate explanation.
"One picks up these things if one reads." The masked man said modestly, "To return to the topic at hand, almost all of these projects are interconnected to some degree, with the oldest project being Project Methuselah, which was supposedly started a mere three months after the conquest of Japan. Most of the rest seem to be based on things that were discovered during through that project, although there are only frustratingly vague mentions of what exactly they might be."
Mamoru shook himself from his stupor, went over the conversation he had been listening to with half an ear while in his stupor and asked, "You say that the Methuselah project was the oldest and is now defunct? Is there any reference to the date it was shut down?"
"Sadly, no." Zero answered with a shake of his head, "From what I've been able to discern I'd guess it was shortly before Clovis was killed, perhaps a month or so at most. That's when Brionac and Iblis were shut down as well, with Imperator being shelved as soon as Clovis was unofficially declared dead. These papers primarily deal with Projects Chimera and Mnemosyne, with references to Gigantes and Lancer spread throughout the entire report. Several names have been redacted, presumably by whoever provided my contact with this information to begin with, but the gist of the Project is abundantly clear."
"Which is?" Kallen asked apprehensively.
"Human experimentation. More specifically, using MIA or supposed KIA soldiers of the Britannian army and kidnapped members of the Japanese populace as guinea pigs." The masked man said quietly, but his voice was loud in the paralyzed quiet of the room.
"WHAT THE FUCKING BLOODY HELL!?" Tamaki roared as he slammed his hands onto the metal table.
"Damn Britannians! What the hell do they think we are?!" Kallen snarled, her blue eyes blazing with fury.
Ohgi was furious as well, but had more practice at keeping his emotions under check than Kallen and Tamaki, but inside, he really wanted to hurt someone or destroy something. Maybe he'd go to the gym and take his frustrations out on a punching bag later? Sounded like a plan.
Mamoru…well, Mamoru was quiet, but his expression was simply murderous. It was a good thing Clovis was dead, because if he had still been alive, the old martial artist would have taken great pleasure in showing him why you do not piss off the Shadow Dragon.
"Everyone, I understand your feelings completely." Zero said compassionately, "I read the entire report and it almost made me throw up at the descriptions given. But please, regain your calm. I have had the new simulators I 'acquired' set up, so you can go and blow up Clovis' Command G-1 to let off some steam after this. It even streams transmissions of him begging for mercy."
Savage grins met him in reply. Evidently, there were going to be a lot of death screams from Clovis being used in the simulators in the near future.
"So, to return to the subject at hand, Code-R was apparently based in the same complex you stole the poison gas from." Zero nodded at the members of the former Kōzuki cell, "I suspect it was a part of Project Iblis. After that, the Code-R facility was moved to a more secure location…in Narita. On the opposite side of the JLF's former mountain fortress as a matter of fact."
Kallen stared at Zero for a moment before face-palming. "The JLF actually let the Britannians build a base behind their own?" she muttered in disbelief.
"To be fair, I doubt they knew anything about it." Zero stated, "The watch posts were likely never very attentive to any activity towards the mountainous side of their base; I daresay that they were more concerned about possible activity on the town's side of the mountain."
"It's no excuse." Mamoru grumbled in irritation, massaging his brow, "Clovis' rampant incompetence and corruption may have guaranteed a soft-pedal approach to locating the JLF main base, but it was practically an open secret that it was in Narita. Had it become more that an open secret, even that buffoon would have been forced to mobilize and do something about it."
"I suspect he was deliberately keeping the JLF base's location a secret so he could hide his project's backup base in their shadow. After all, who would dare suspect that a black-book Britannian science facility was hidden next to the main base of the JLF?" the masked man reasoned.
"That sounds surprisingly…intelligent for Clovis." Ohgi said, a hint of disbelief in his voice.
"It was likely the head of Code-R, General Bradley, who made this suggestion." Zero surmised, "While the man was a pathetic strategist and tactician, he did possess some measure of cunning. This seems like something he would come up with."
"So what're we going to do about this information?" Kallen asked, anger barely held back in her voice, "We can't just let these atrocities continue!"
"I have sent Aegis and Augur to the site, and they report that it has been abandoned." Her leader replied calmly, "It is likely that the two avalanches made the structure of the base untenable, which in turn necessitated their departure. Without further clues, I am afraid they are in the wind."
"Damn!" Ohgi cursed bitterly as Tamaki added several more expletives to his own.
"I will instruct our informants to keep me aware of any suspiciously large disappearances of Japanese civilians in any of the ghettos, though." Zero added with a hard edge to his voice, "You are entirely correct that Code-R cannot be allowed to continue its inhumane experiments. As soon as we locate them, the Black Knights shall mobilize and eliminate them!"
'And steal whatever technology that they've been developing while we're at it.' The masked man added to himself. The means by which that said technologies were developed was monstrous, true, but that didn't mean they wouldn't be useful. Picking a fight with the world's largest superpower meant that sometimes you'd have to get your hands dirty and swallow your pride.
Growls of agreement with his spoken words came from his command staff.
"Very good. Now, this report is top secret and is not to be discussed openly. At all." Zero said firmly, looking pointedly at Tamaki as he spoke, "The last thing we need is for a mob to rise up and go on a rampage against regular Britannians. Especially with reinforcements from the Britannian Homeland on their way."
"More of them!?" Ohgi was aghast, "Who the hell are they sending now? We already have their best field general breathing down our necks, so who could they be sending?"
"Two members of the Knights of Round." Zero replied simply.
Kallen and Mamoru paled, while Tamaki, as always, looked clueless. Ohgi was also a bit puzzled. He had heard of the term before, but didn't connect it with anything.
"I see I shall have to explain who the Knights of Round are first." The masked man sighed, "Thousands of years ago, during the Roman invasion of the British Isles, the clans banded together and the chieftains elected one from their number as a 'super-chieftain' of sorts. This man was the distant ancestor of the Britannian Imperial Family, while the other twelve most powerful chieftains were the first, albeit primitive, iteration of the Knights of Round; the best warriors the super-chieftain had at his command. This tradition continued down through the ages, with chieftains being replaced by the best knights of the nobility during the medieval period and with the most highly skilled assassins and strategists during the world wars. Nowadays, the requirements are that they have to be nigh-prodigies in Knightmare combat, as well as possessing at least some skill in other aspects of war. In other words, not only are the Knights of Round the most skilled Knightmare pilots that Britannia has to offer, they have skills that cannot be guessed at in other aspects of war AND they owe fealty to the Britannian Emperor directly. They are his strong right arm and the fact that they are being dispatched to an area indicates that the Emperor is becoming impatient with the reigning Viceroy or Governor."
"That…ain't good." Tamaki said. His face was the same colour as curdled milk.
"Indeed, and ordinarily I would be far more concerned." Zero agreed, "I have, however, discovered exactly which Knights are being sent. This has let me discover all I can about them, so we have some forewarning about what they can do at least."
Pulling another folder from his cape, he withdrew a photo of a dirty-blond-haired woman wearing a white and gold uniform and purple cape who was smirking at the camera.
"This is Nonette Enneagram, the Knight of Nine." Zero said carefully, "She is the most experienced member of the Rounds aside from the Knight of One himself, and was a friend, and confidant of Marianne the Flash. She was Cornelia's senior at the Imperial Military Academy and if you think of her as Cornelia but better in almost all respects, you wouldn't be completely wrong. Anything that the Witch of Britannia can do, Nonette can do better. That being said, this means her weaknesses are greatly similar as well. Like Cornelia, she possesses a frank and straightforward personality, but is a fairly carefree individual outside of combat. Due to her personality she has little patience for cloak and dagger activities and will ignore Cornelia's presence and orders if she feels it necessary. Aside from her obvious skills with a Knightmare, she is rated as a Marksman with a pistol, is an acclaimed master in fencing and has skill with Savate, a French martial art known colloquially as French Kickboxing."
"That's a lot of information." Mamoru said appreciatively. You could never have too much knowledge on your enemy, from their personality to their habits. "How did you gather so much so quickly?"
"I have known about the Rounds for roughly a week, Mamoru-san." Zero replied, "In a week, a great many things can happen…such as a few nobles in the settlement from Pendragon receiving financial aid for no apparent reason only to be arrested for money laundering and several other less palatable habits."
"Ah." The old spymaster smirked knowingly, "Princess Euphemia being tipped off anonymously again?"
"Naturally." Zero inclined his helmeted head at the older man, "Now Kallen, she is going to be the most troublesome in a battle due to her having a Seventh Generation machine at least on par with the Lancelot and the Guren."
"Dammit!" Ohgi cursed. Two on one, the Guren would be beaten, especially with a Rounds-level pilot behind one of the machines against it.
"I have little information on the specifics of her Knightmare, other than its name being the Bedivere, and that it's bulkier than the Lancelot." The masked man continued, "The good news is that while most of its specs may be identical to or above those of the Lancelot, it is also far less manoeuvrable and slower than the Lancelot. The difference is not as much as I'd like it to be, but it means that the Guren's speed and manoeuvrability will be vital when combating it."
"Understood." Kallen nodded seriously. She'd have to do some serious training to prepare for a fight with a Knight of Rounds.
"The other Knight of Rounds is a new member, Dorothea Ernst." Zero pulled another picture from his folder and placed it next to Nonette's. The woman in the picture was an intense-looking woman with cocoa-coloured skin and hair that extended past her shoulder blades. Her emerald green eyes almost glowered out of the picture and made her appear extremely foul-tempered.
"She is the replacement for Lord Wallace, who retired from active service with the Rounds two months ago." The masked man continued, "As Britannia has the policy of 'if you're not white, you're not right', it is of considerable surprise to practically everyone that she was chosen to replace Lord Wallace. Factors in her favour include her highly zealous pro-Britannia attitude and her rigid adherence to orders. She is the perfect little myrmidon, loyal to a fault and unquestioning of any orders she receives from the Emperor. She is hard-headed, stubborn and tends to look down on the Numbers more than the average Britannian Knight, perhaps as way of taking her irritation at being treated as a second-class citizen out on them. She is an accomplished Knightmare pilot and has skill at wilderness survival, tracking and is supposedly highly skilled and dangerous with a dagger."
"Sounds like a total bitch." Tamaki sneered.
"She is an unpleasant one." Zero agreed offhandedly, "As a fresh member of the Rounds, I suspect she is being mentored by Nonette for a while. I doubt the two will get along very well due to their…clashing personalities, but they are both professional enough to put it to one side in the field."
"What sort of Knightmare does she use?" Kallen asked.
"A highly-customized version of the Gloucester that has been designated the Exeter." Zero brought out a picture of a red and blue Knightmare, "It is armed similarly to Cornelia's Knightmare, but with access to some of Camelot's technology; I suspect that we are going to be facing MVS blades from her, and possibly Cornelia and her Knights, sooner rather than later."
"Hopefully Kyoto House will be able to reverse engineer the MVS you were able to capture, Kallen-chan." Mamoru said with a proud smile at his former student, who flushed at his praise.
"That was indeed an excellent move Kallen, and one that will bring us a number of advantages in the future." Zero agreed, "Speaking of Kyoto House, I suspect that we'll be summoned to speak to them shortly."
"Why?" Ohgi asked with a frown, "The JLF is still in one piece, for the most part."
"Allow me, Zero." Mamoru said before turning to the younger man, "Kaname, the JLF is all but finished. Regardless of how many soldiers they have left, they've lost their main base of operations and have been haemorrhaging personnel since the Battle of Narita. I estimate, and Zero agrees with me, that they have only slightly more than half of the troops that they had before the battle. Some have come to us, some have fled to the ghettos and some have broken away to form their own groups or have vanished entirely. They are still the biggest resistance group in Japan, but we are rapidly catching up to them in terms of personnel. Our morale is also far higher. Frankly speaking, if Kyoto House doesn't summon us, I will be very surprised. They desperately need us."
"An excellent summation of events, Mamoru-san." Zero nodded, "Ohgi, I expect them to send a messenger with a written invitation. Inform me when it arrives."
"Got it, Zero." The man nodded.
"Good. Tamaki-san, how are we doing for spare parts for the Knightmares?" the masked man asked.
"We're doin' OK, but we'll need more parts and armour plating if we're going into battle again." The redheaded man answered with a frown. Contrary to popular belief, he could be professional when he wanted to. It just had to be about something he was interested in.
"I'll acquire more within the next week." Zero informed him, "Have a list made up of the parts we need most and have it sent to me. Mamoru-san, how are the former-Yamato Alliance soldiers doing in their training?"
"Fair to middling." The old soldier replied with a sigh, "None of them have the right to call themselves soldiers from what I've seen, but with some work they will. Only a few are showing any aptitude for Knightmare combat, so I'd suggest we focus their training into turning the remnants of the Alliance into the Black Knights' main infantry force."
"I'll have to get them better body armour." The masked man remarked, "The uniforms are all very well and good, but for open field combat foot soldiers need better protection then what they can offer. Could you have any recommendations for improvements to the outfits sent to me as soon as possible?"
"Roger that." Mamoru nodded, "The new ex-JLF recruits are pretty good, but need some reminding that their time served in the JLF doesn't equate to preferential treatment here. I've had to put several of them in their place more than once, but most are coming around and learning their lesson now. Although, we still have supplies going missing."
"Still? I'll get Aegis on it once she returns from the mission I sent her on after she investigated the remnants of Code-R's lab." Zero sighed in frustration, "It appears someone, presumably someone on the former Alliance Council, has not gotten the message that it is not business at usual anymore. I want whoever this is caught and imprisoned as swiftly as possible. Understood?"
"Yes sir." Mamoru nodded again, "I'm not any happier about it than you are. I'll get some proper security cameras set up at the locations that've been pilfered from most often, and vet the guards again. There has to be something that I'm missing."
"Kallen, I'd like for you to help Mamoru-san when possible." Zero directed, "A fresh set of eyes on the problem might be of some help."
"Right." The half-blood nodded.
"And now, to alieve you of your frustrations, I hereby adjourn the meeting and direct you to go into the simulators so you can blow things up." The masked man said, a laugh in his voice as the others trooped out eagerly.
Zero tidied his papers away and restored them to their hiding places inside his cloak before sweeping out of the room. He had to return to Ashford soon to spend some time with his sister, which had been scarce of late.
Later that Night
Kaguya Sumeragi's Private Chambers, Hidden Base of the Six Houses of Kyoto
Kaguya sighed as she towelled herself dry; taking time to make sure every drop of water was scoured from her skin by the warm towel. Most of the old fuddy-duddies were outraged that she had no attendants or handmaidens. Though that was probably because several of her 'allies' hoped that they could bribe or otherwise coerce them into spying on her.
Which was exactly the reason why she didn't have any attendants or handmaidens.
As someone who had been raised to be a reasonably perfect Yamato Nadeshiko, she had always had a particular love of traditional Japanese baths and was fortunate enough to be able to have her own private onsen in the back of her chambers. This meant that she had a long, relaxing bath every night, during which time she spent time thinking about the latest idiocies perpetrated by the idiots in the Six Houses.
Munakata, just as a random example, was offended by how badly damaged the Jinrai Pre-Production Type had been during the battle at the Narita Base, blaming Zero as the pilot, and had been stalling the repair efforts. It had taken herself, Akira and Kirihara to convince the man that most of the damage had been from a Seventh Generation Knightmare and was entirely unavoidable, while the rest had been from the avalanche caused by the Gyōkō System and was thus similarly unavoidable.
That old fool Hiroyosi Yoshino was trying to be the power behind the throne with Akira, his successor, although the boy was having none of it. The ever so polite rebuttals to any attempt at 'guiding' him frequently sent Hiroyosi into a puce-faced rant about how the young should respect their elders. It would completely fail to surprise the Sumeragi Head if the old relic had a heart attack one of these days.
Changing into her sleeping outfit, a thin white and red yukata, she made her way back into her main bedroom, where she froze at the sight of a woman standing in the middle of her chambers, dressed in an outfit similar to that of a shinobi and wearing a Hann'ya mask.
"Hello there…Aegis, is it not?" She said after allowing herself a moment of shock.
"Greetings, Lady Sumeragi." The personal bodyguard of Zero replied with a slight bow, "I apologise for entering your chambers so late and without an invitation, but this was the only time when you were without eyes on you and my master desires for me to converse with you in private."
"Zero-sama sent you?" the young girl's eyes widened, "To speak to me? Why? I'm the youngest member of the Six Houses."
"True, but you are allied with Taizō Kirihara, who is your mentor, and Akira Yoshida, someone who owes his position to you." Aegis replied with a courteous nod, making the other girl go rigid in shock, "In addition, you have the ability to sway at least one of the other members of the Heads of the Six Houses, meaning that your position is actually one of the strongest among the Six Houses, despite your youth."
'How does she know top secret information like this?' the young girl wondered numbly, 'Only a member of the Six Houses would know about Akira replacing Hiroyosi, and even a member of the Six Heads would even suspect that Kirihara-dono and I are more than allies of convenience.'
"Ah. My apologies. Everything I have said is all Zero-sama's deductions." Aegis bowed slightly, "May we be seated so we can discus Zero-sama's proposal?"
"O-of course." Kaguya shook herself out of her stupor and remembered her manners. Tightening the obi around her waist, she led her unexpected guest to the sitting area, where she invited her to sit herself down.
The young Head of the Sumeragi Zaibatsu was still, normal precociousness and confidence to one side, a teenager and had all of the body image issues that all teenagers possessed. She envied the hourglass figure of the other woman as she sashayed across to a chair and sat down in it gracefully. Kaguya had slight practice in martial arts, enough to recognize a master when she saw one. This woman was dangerous.
"I am only dangerous to one who wishes to do harm to my master." Aegis said, making Kaguya jump in surprise.
"Did you just read my mind?" the young Clan Head asked as she seated herself opposite her guest.
"No, but when you are surprised, you have remarkably expressive eyes." The masked woman replied easily, "I can also tell you have some experience with martial arts. What level are you at?"
"Um…I'm a brown belt in Karate and a green belt in Aiki-jujutsu." Kaguya said bashfully, "It isn't something most people know about, as the other members of the Six Houses, other than Kirihara-dono, would frown on me learning an unfeminine art, never mind the numerous female warriors, the onna-bugeisha, that have existed in Japan down through the ages."
"Idiots." Aegis shook her head, "Anyway, I am a master of several different styles of martial arts, and so one thing I am very good at is reading body language. You may as well be an open book to me."
"I see." Kaguya said with a nod. So she was being read by a master of martial arts, which meant that deception would be close to impossible. "May I ask what it is you wish to discuss?"
"Zero-sama is aware that the JLF are…fading in strength, shall we say." The masked woman said delicately.
"If by 'fading' you mean 'falling to less than a battalion's strength outside of the Greater Tokyo Area' then you are correct." The Sumeragi Head answered honestly. If she couldn't deceive her with lies or half-truths, she'd just have to deceive her with the truth.
"Oh my, are they so depleted already?" Aegis muttered, "It is happening faster than my Goshujin-sama anticipated. Surely Todoh-dono is maintaining control over the ones in the Greater Tokyo Area?"
"He is, but even here, more and more are slipping away and either going to the ghettos or joining the Black Knights." Kaguya said, her voice becoming wry, "As I am certain you are aware."
Aegis merely bowed her head. "My master is. He is also aware that the older membership of the Six Houses are likely wary and suspicious of him. Is that the case?"
"…yes." The Sumeragi Head admitted reluctantly.
"I see. My master keeps his face concealed for a very good reason, Kaguya-sama." Aegis said carefully, "If necessary, he would unmask to you and the other Heads of the Six Houses, but no one else. Not even the members of his organization, aside from me and Augur, know his identity."
"Mighty I ask why he is willing to give such trust to us and not to his own soldiers?" Kaguya asked, quite reasonably.
"To be blunt, because you are all unlikely to be captured by or betray him to the Britannians." Aegis replied flatly, "You all have too much at stake to risk the latter and if you are captured by the enemy, the entire resistance will either be dead or imprisoned. The troops under Zero-sama's command, on the other hand, can be captured and there are a few of the Yamato Alliance that my master still mistrusts somewhat."
Kaguya couldn't very well rebut that.
"I see. So Zero-sama's preference is for a meeting with just the Heads of the Six Houses?" Kaguya checked. At Aegis' nod, she sighed, "I'm uncertain as to how to accomplish that. Kirihara-dono has instructed me to write the invitation for Zero-sama, but he intends-"
Aegis raised a hand, cutting her off. "Zero-sama has guessed what Kirihara-dono has in mind and will take measures to counter it, rest assured."
"I'll be there as well." Kaguya said, "Zero-sama deserves having someone in his corner in this mess."
"I thank you, on my master's behalf." The kunoichi said with an inclination of her head, "May I ask what your opinion is of my master? It is just my own curiosity and if you wish, I will not tell him what you say to me."
"I don't mind if you tell him." Kaguya said with a pretty pink blush, "I wish to marry Zero-sama. I've been following his exploits since Shinjuku and I admire him very much."
"My master still believes he will be able to fade out of the public eye once he fights off Britannia." Aegis said in amusement, "To be exact, he believes he will be able to return to anonymity once he has defeated Britannia itself. I have attempted to get him to see that won't be possible, but he is a stubborn person when he wants to be."
"He is a man, after all." Kaguya sighed with a small smile, "Sometimes they cannot see what is obvious to all and sundry. No man who has accomplished those particular goals will ever be allowed to flee the limelight. At the very least, he will be the next Emperor of Japan or the head of its military."
"I am of the same opinion." The shinobi agreed, "My master was born destined for greatness, yet he has most humble aspirations. He will make a just ruler…and an excellent husband. Just so you are aware, both Augur and I share his bed on a regular basis."
"Augur…is a woman?" Kaguya asked.
"Indeed she is." Aegis replied in amusement, "That armour she wears is very form concealing, isn't it? I can guarantee that Augur is female and that Master has no inclinations in the direction you are thinking of."
"Oh…good. Not that being bisexual or gay is bad or anything, but…!" Kaguya babbled before forcefully gathering herself and calming down. "Sorry. I tend to babble when I get overexcited or embarrassed."
"It is perfectly alright. So…?"
"Oh. Yes. Men who go to war often need comforted, so it matters not to me." Kaguya smiled beatifically.
"Most women would get mad that their crush sleeps with other women." Aegis said with amusement, "Why are you so accepting of it?"
The younger girl shrugged. "I truly do not know. I am…excited by the thought of Zero-sama bedding other women, truth be told. Besides, a man who has accomplished what he has already deserves a harem and I wish to be one of them, whether as a concubine or as a wife. Does this bother you?"
"Not in the slightest." Aegis shook her head, "So long as you treat my master right, I will not stand in your way. My master is indeed deserving of women he cares for, and there are two, perhaps three, others who will likely come to his bed also."
"Oh my, he is manly, isn't he?" Kaguya muttered in delight, "I look forward to our future…relations…then, Aegis."
"Indeed, Lady Kaguya." The masked woman inclined her head at her politely, "Now, I had better be going. My master will want to hear of this as soon as possible. I will tell you to be as composed as possible when we turn things around on Kirihara-dono."
"I'll keep that in mind." The younger woman said dryly.
Standing up, Aegis strode out of sight. When Kaguya went to look for her, she had simply vanished. It puzzled the girl immensely, as she knew that there were no air ducts or passages larger than a dinner plate in the entire facility, nor was there any way that she could have gotten by her.
"Zero-sama has such interesting companions." She mused aloud before padding over to her bed. She still had to get some sleep, after all, and then she could write the invitation herself.
LLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL
The Next Day
Knight of Rounds Exclusive Airstrip, Pendragon, Britannian Homeland
"Whew…that's one impressive-lookin' monster." The boss of the crew whistled as his men secured the massive Knightmare to the palette.
"It's a monster indeed…all mine too." A cheerful voice said next to him and he jumped as he realized that Lady Nonette Enneagram, the Knight of Nine, was standing next to him.
"Err…my apologies my lady…I did not realize you were present." He apologized feebly.
"Pish-tish." The woman waved a hand at him airily, "It's a perfectly legitimate thing to say; the Bedivere is a prototype unit that more than a few of the Lancelot's systems were based on, after all."
The Bedivere was, in a word, huge. Based on a slimmed-down version of the Ganymede that Marianne the Flash had piloted, the Frame, even while down on one knee, oozed menace. The head was aerodynamic and had red eyes, while the body and legs were red and black. Standing up, it would tower over the Lancelot by a good three feet.
Next to the palette that the Bedivere knelt on rested several types of Knightmare swords and rifles, all experimental. When she had made the Bedivere move, the members of Camelot in Pendragon had practically fallen at Nonette's feet in worship and had dug out their prototypes that had been laid to one side for this day.
"Surprised that thing can even walk." The boss said at length, "The Frame must be stressed to its limit with all that weight."
"It has Sakuradite scattered all over the limbs and joints to increase its power." The Knight of Nine replied with a shrug, "Sure, it doesn't move fast, but it may as well be an immovable force once it gets going with its heavy-duty Landspinners. I smashed a Sutherland to bits just by charging into it."
"Whew." The man whistled, "That's some serious inertia damage. No damage done to your Frame?"
"Scuffed the paintwork." Nonette shrugged again, "Anyway, how long until it's all secure?"
"Eh, ten minutes for everything to be secured, then another five for a safety check. Call it fifteen minutes, twenty at the outside." The boss frowned in thought, "Never shifted a Frame this big since Lady Marianne's Ganymede, and that one was a good deal lighter, which is saying something."
"I thought the Ganymede was scrapped." Nonette looked surprised.
"Nope. The Ashfords decommissioned the weapons and the like and took it with 'em to Area 11." The man replied, "I supervised the loading myself. Damn shame."
Whether he was referring to the death of the foremost Imperial Consort and a former Knight of Rounds or the fall of a prominent family such as the Ashfords wasn't clear, but the sorrow was genuine.
"It was." The blond woman said wistfully. She looked over and spotted an impatient looking Dorothea Ernst stomping towards her.
"Better get back to it; I'll intercept her." She muttered to the man, who nodded at her gratefully before charging in to do a great deal of organizing.
"How long are these peons going to take to finish loading your Knightmare and get on with my Exeter?" the Knight of Four demanded once she was close enough to Nonette to speak normally.
"Fifteen to twenty minutes." The senior Knight of Rounds replied evenly. She didn't like Dorothea much. Too much zeal, not enough common sense or decency. She dearly wished that Lord Wallace hadn't had to step down. He had been a truly excellent Knight of Four.
"Tch. Useless Commoners." Dorothea sniffed.
"Those 'useless commoners' can do maintenance on your Knightmare, replace the ammo, repair the battle damage and miscellaneous other things that you have no clue about how to go about doing." Nonette stated in a quiet, but firm, voice, "We nobles may own the battlefield, but those beneath us are responsible for getting us there, making sure our machines work properly and repair them after the battle is over. Losing sight of this fact has killed more than one stupid and foolish noble, Knight of Four and Baroness of Cutler's Hook."
All members of the Knights of Round were of the Nobility, although technically any sufficiently skilled soldier, even a Number or a Commoner, could become one, although the rank non-nobility could reach was limited to the Knight of Four. In the entire history of the Knights of Round, the only Britannian commoner to reach that position was Marianne Lamperouge before she married the Emperor and was bestowed the title of vi Britannia, as well as the minor title of Baron of Lamperouge. As of yet, no Number had earned so lofty a title.
Cutler's Hook was a modestly large fiefdom on the eastern coast of the Homeland in California. It was productive and quiet and had been awarded to the Ernst Family's ancestor over five generations ago for valorous conduct on the battlefield and heroism. Dorothea, to the best of Nonette's knowledge, hadn't been back to her domain in over a decade. She was the kind of person who despised low-ranked nobility even as she was one.
Judging by the twitch in the Knight of Four's right eye, Nonette wasn't earning herself any favors by reminding her of that fact. Not that she really gave a damn about what Dorothea thought of her.
Huffing, the Knight of Four changed the subject. "What do you make of this Zero character?"
"If he's confounding Nellie to this extent, he must be a skilled strategist and tactician." Nonette mused, "She never lets people get the best of her, so this is something new."
Dorothea sniffed. "A Britannian shouldn't allow a mere Number to get the best of them."
"Have you even read any of Cornelia's reports?" the blond shot back, starting to get angry, "Whoever this is has knowledge of both her methods of operation and of standard Britannian tactical doctrine, neither of which is within the easy or probable reach of either ordinary Numbers or Honorary Britannians. Cornelia has deemed it likely that this Zero character is either a half-blood or a full-blooded Britannian."
"That is a ridiculous conclusion!" Dorothea looked scandalised at the suggestion, "Why would any Britannian lead a terrorist group against their own country?"
"Communists, republicans, anti-monarchists, anarchists…the list goes on." The blond woman snorted, "There are always those who dislike the current regime in any nation, but Britannia is especially full of them."
"What?!"
"Ever heard of the concept of the glass ceiling?" Nonette asked in dark amusement, "For the commoners and affluent middle class, there is a very well defined limit to how high they can advance in our country. Even the lesser Nobility, at least those who have been ennobled within the last two generations, face much the same restrictions. Despite the fact our standard of living is much, much better than anywhere, even the Euro Universe and especially more than the Chinese Federation, there are still those who wish to change things that they perceive as being unfair or wrong, leaving Social Darwinism to one side."
"Traitors, in other words." Her fellow Knight sneered, "Well, if this Zero is a traitor, we'll deal with him soon enough."
"Again, don't get cocky." Nonette warned her, "I've seen your tactical skills and while you aren't bad, Cornelia blows you out of the water. If Zero can outmanoeuvre her, he can most certainly outmanoeuvre you."
"She can't be all that good. She lost her precious 'Goddess of Victory' title, after all." Dorothea sniffed, "And she only managed a draw against those worthless JLF peons."
Nonette was really getting pissed at this uppity little bitch.
"Be very careful how you speak of the person who was tutored by both myself and Lady Marianne." She growled angrily.
"The Commoner Queen?" Dorothea scoffed automatically, then realized that she had gone too far as one of Nonette's hands grabbed her by the throat and pulled her close to Nonette, who glared at her from close range with eyes of icy blue.
"Insult Lady Marianne in my presence again and I will challenge you to a duel on the field of honour, greenhorn!" the Knight of Nine hissed in a fury.
Dorothea blanched. In modern times, formal honour duels were all but unheard of and had been banned amongst the Nobility and lesser Knights. The only exception was between members of the Knights of Round, as was vouchsafed by the charter written by one of the Britannian Emperors hundreds of years previously when blackpowder weapons started to herald the end of the so-called First Era of Knights. Any member of the Rounds could challenge any other member of the Rounds for an insult or injury dealt to them and the challenger could set the winning conditions of first touch, first blood or to the death.
Judging by how angry Nonette was, Dorothea was more than slightly concerned that she'd choose first blood, and then lop off a limb.
"Understood." The Knight of Four growled. Her skill with a knife or dagger wasn't anything to sneeze at, but Nonette was almost ridiculously fast with her fencing sabre, which also outranged her. She'd have to pick up sword fighting in order to correct this weakness in the future.
"So glad we came to an understanding." The Knight of Nine smirked, "Just to advise you, Cornelia will strike you if you insult Lady Marianne in front of her as well. She doesn't care about our status as Knights of Round and as an Imperial Princess and Chief General of the Imperial Army; she is very much above us. Act out against her at your peril. She will tolerate us acting unilaterally, hell she probably expects us to, but not challenging her decisions or insulting those she cares for, alive or dead."
Releasing Dorothea, Nonette smoothed out the wrinkles in the other woman's uniform. "Now that we've had this little chat, I think you'd better get back to your Exeter. Wouldn't want the paint to get scuffed now, would we?"
Understanding the dismissal in her voice, Dorothea reddened but did as instructed. She vowed to avenge this humiliation at some point. No one treated her like that and got away with it!
"Uppity brat." Nonette snorted as she wandered over to the crew, who had just finished strapping down the Bedivere and were getting reamed out by the boss.
"…no, no, no!" he was saying, "Davis, that securing line is fastened the wrong way! Adams, that one is too loose! Jackson, just what the hell were you trying to do here?! It looks like a spaghetti junction! Redo them now!"
He turned around and nodded wearily at Nonette. "My lady."
"Good help hard to find?" she asked.
"Like you wouldn't believe!" the man sighed, "They're good kids, but they really need to knuckle under and follow procedure all the time, not just when I'm standing over them with a whip."
"Too true." Nonette agreed, "Say, what's your name?"
"Petty Officer David Lowe." He replied with a nod, "Ordinarily, I'd leave this to my Sergeant, but some idiot broke his leg the other day so he's out for R&R while it heals. Stupid idiots riding forklifts…"
"Ah." The Knight of Nine nodded. She'd ridden forklifts before and it was fun. Without any load, those things could actually go pretty fast. What a rush! She'd never hurt someone riding them though. She'd made sure to have the warehouse or wherever the forklifts were used in empty before having her fun.
Lowe sighed again. "Well, I'd better send some of the boys to give the Exeter a once over to make sure everything's ready for loading. Plus it might get the Knight of Four off our backs."
"Yeah, and pigs might fly." Nonette shook her head doubtfully.
"I live in hope, said the priest unto the princess." The Petty Officer replied, "Samuels, Jenkins! Go over and put the Mark One, Mod Zero eyeball on the Exeter. If it ain't shipshape and Bristol fashion, one of you come and tell me. If it is, both of you stay put and get the equipment ready. Move!"
The two men groaned before making their way out of the hanger.
"Why those two?" Nonette asked curiously.
"Both of them are too thick-skinned to let anything Lady Ernst has to say get to them." Lowe replied, "Plus they're both full-bloods. Most of the rest of my crew are three-quarter bloods or less, but we're the best damn team in Pendragon."
"Good. Because you and your team are coming with me to Area 11." The Knight of Nine said with a wicked grin, "Dorothea can get her own crew."
"Yes'm!" the PO saluted her formally. It was a tremendous honour to be chosen to maintain a Knightmare piloted by a Knight of Rounds and would be very good on their career records, "Should I alert my superiors?"
"No, I'll handle that." the woman waved a hand dismissively, "They'll whine and moan about it, but they won't dare argue with a Knight of Rounds. Once the Exeter is loaded up, tell your men to grab their overnight bags. We'll requisition anything else that the need once we get to the base at Area 7 or Area 11."
"Thank you, my lady!" Lowe said with a grin, "We'll put our best effort forth for you!"
With that, he went back to berating his men.
"Good subordinates are worth their weight in gold." Nonette smirked, "Now then…Area 11. I wonder how that land will treat me?"
Three Days Later
Private Limousine, Disused Road, Tokyo City Outskirts
"I still don't get why Aegis isn't here!" Tamaki complained, "And when the heck are we going to arrive already? We've been drivin' for fifteen minutes already!"
"Have some damn patience for once, Tamaki!" Kallen snapped. The two redheads were sitting opposite each other, allowing the Ace of the Black Knights to glare her male counterpart down, "Do you really think the driver is just going to go straight to the base of the Six Houses? Obviously he's taking a circuitous route to deceive any watchers about our destination. And didn't you listen to Zero before we set out? She's on a vital mission!"
Zero, Augur, Ohgi and Mamoru were sitting quietly, waiting for the ride to come to an end.
"I still don't get why you aren't worried about this meeting." Ohgi grumbled.
"Because the Six Houses need us more than we need them." Zero replied quietly, "The JLF is practically splintering apart at the seams outside of the Greater Tokyo Area and its members are being absorbed by either the local ghettos or by the other local resistance groups. Todoh is keeping the JLF here in Tokyo under a firm grip and has even reorganized them to account for the fact that there's only about seven-hundred of them left, but a force that small, with no influx of recruits, is not going to last long in even conventional guerrilla warfare, never mind a pitched battle. One or two more battles like Narita and they're done for."
"Just so." Mamoru agreed, "Whereas the Black Knights are gaining more and more recruits every day. We're almost on par with the JLF in terms of numbers alone and are working on bringing the standard of training up to at the very least match theirs. Plus, we ensure all our men have a good amount of light combat experience with our constant raids on those Britannian scum who deal in Refrain, which pays dividends in public relations to boot."
"It's just…the JLF has fought for Japan for seven years." The former head of the Kōzuki Cell said hesitantly, "It feels…wrong…to supplant them like this."
"An understandable sentiment I suppose, but it must be done." Zero said firmly, "The Black Knights are the best fighting force in all of Japan right now among all the resistance groups. Having the official sanction of Kyoto House will make us legitimate in the eyes of the people. Eventually, I hope to absorb the JLF into the Black Knights."
"Do you really think they'll let that happen?" Kallen asked doubtfully, "I mean, these are the same people that Kusakabe belonged to."
"Most of Kusakabe's little clique were killed in the defence of the Narita Base." Augur replied, "The rest have broken away from the JLF and vanished, which is of slight concern to Zero-sama, and to the Kyoto Houses as well. Anyway, the point is that most of those who remain in the JLF aren't likely to be as stupid about us. Either that or they've got enough common sense to keep their opinions to themselves."
"Man, you really don't hold back." Tamaki remarked.
"I am what I am." The white and silver clad woman replied coolly.
Suddenly, the car stopped and the occupants of the car felt a lurch as it started to rise up.
"Hoh? A car elevator." Zero remarked, "It appears we have arrived. Be careful and take no action without my say so. This means you, Tamaki-san."
"Why me especially?!" the redhead protested.
"To even ask that question…" Kallen sighed.
As the elevator shuddered to a halt and the car drove out, Zero looked out of the blacked out window and smirked beneath his mask. As expected, they had been brought here.
"Everyone, my masters await you in the room ahead." The driver stated as he opened the doors, "I shall await you here for the return journey."
With a nod, Zero led the way, with the rest following him. When they entered the next room, the large windows on one side immediately caught the attention of everyone aside from Zero and Augur. A view of an expansive landscape filled the window, with the Britannian Tokyo Settlement visible in the distance, with red metal sweeping down what was a mountain.
Tamaki staggered over to the window and peered out. "It can't be! The Fuji Mines?!"
"To think that the Six Houses have this much influence…!" even Mamoru was impressed.
"You get executed if you're found here without authorization!" Ohgi said in disbelief.
"What a view!" Kallen awed.
"It's disgusting." Zero said flatly, making everyone turn to look at him oddly.
"Zero?" Ohgi asked in surprised.
"For hundreds of years, the holy Mt. Fuji has stood as a sight of beauty. It has inspired artists, writers, poets, samurai and even foreigners who witnessed it. Now it is a visible symbol of Japan's current state; crushed under the jackboot of the Britannians, being raped and sucked dry by the conquerors and their mines. It is disgusting."
"AHAHAHAHA!" a loud laugh echoed around the room, "Well spoken, Zero! Truer words have never been spoken!"
A palanquin with a reed screen became visible on the other side of the room, with two figures outlined behind it. One was slightly larger than the other and a pair of gnarled hands clutching a roughly-cut wooden cane could be seen under the reed screen, while a pair of delicate hands clasped a folded fan on the other person.
"My apologies for not revealing our faces, but those who also hides their faces, such as you and your companion, must understand my reasons." The older voice said gruffly.
"It is indeed understood." Zero inclined his head, "However, before we begin the meeting formally, I have information that is of vital importance to pass on."
"Oh? Do tell." The man seemed amused.
"In approximately two days, two members of the Knights of Round will be arriving in Japan." The masked man stated bluntly.
"What?!" the man jerked, "Are you certain?"
"My source has never been wrong before." Zero replied implacably, "The members coming are Dorothea Ernst, the Knight of Four, and Nonette Enneagram, the Knight of Nine. Additionally, Lady Enneagram is bringing with her a Seventh Generation machine that is at least equal to the Lancelot in combat."
"…guh, to think we were unaware of this…!" the man from Kyoto House hissed, "I thank you Zero. I will have my operatives confirm this information, but for now…"
He clapped his hands and four Burai-Kai trundled out of the darkness behind the palanquin and raised their Assault Rifles at Zero's group. Men in black suits equipped with pre-invasion handguns also appeared.
Zero sighed, shook his head and muttered under his breath, "My, oh my. I knew from the start that you were planning on something such as this, but to think that you actually did it…"
"What's the meaning of this?!" Kallen yelled angrily at the messenger.
"My companion here wishes to see Zero-sama's face." The other member of the reception committee spoke up now, her voice that of a young girl in her teens, sweet and clear like a bell.
"Zero has led us to victory over the Britannians time and time again!" the redheaded girl argued, "We need his leadership! It doesn't matter who he is beneath his mask!"
"I for one agree with you, Kallen Kōzuki, but my companion is obdurate in this matter." The girl replied sadly.
"Why you-!"
"Be calm, Kallen." Zero placed a hand on her shoulder, making her fall silent and blush slightly, "I knew that this is what they would likely do. Do you think that I had not prepared for it in advance?"
"Hoh. So you expected this, did you?" the man asked in amusement.
"Indeed I did…Taizō Kirihara and Kaguya Sumeragi." Zero said with relish.
"-! You! How did you know their names?!" one suited man demanded as he raised his gun and pointed it at the masked man.
"Taizō Kirihara, the founder and head of Kirihara Industries, which controlled a monopoly on the Sakuradite mining, you were one of the main backers of the Kururugi administration." Zero recited, unconcerned with the man's demands, "After the conquest of Japan, you apparently turned your coat and became a collaborator with the Britannian colonial administration, earning yourself the name of Baikokudo no Kirihara, or Kirihara the Traitor. In reality, you are the leader of the Six Houses of Kyoto, supporting various resistance groups throughout the nation, most notably the Japan Liberation Front…and we of the Black Knights. Your protégé, Kaguya Sumeragi, is the last of her family barring her cousin, Suzaku Kururugi, and takes an active role in Sumeragi Heavy Industries, which is the source of most of the materials that are used to build the Burai, Burai-Kai and my Jinrai Pre-Production Type. I am also aware of the identities of the other four Heads of the Six Houses and their place in your organisation. How is Hiroyosi-san dealing with being retired, by the way?"
"No one who knows their names can be allowed to live!" the guard snarled and the rest raised their weapons.
"My word, you are inflexible." Zero sighed, "Augur."
"My lord?" the white masked woman asked.
"Put them down. Blacklight."
In a blur, one of the Burai-Kai leapt back and fired its Slash Harken at the two others on either side of it, neatly disabling them. At the same time, Augur drew a sabre-like weapon and charged forth at a speed that the guards couldn't believe, lashing out and destroying the weapons of her targets. One man managed to back off and fired shots at her, but they all missed. She responded by pointing her weapon at him and depressing a hidden button. The tip of the sword detached from the rest and flew towards the gun the man had, smashing it from his grasp. Pressing another button made the three thin wires attached to its base draw it back onto the main sword.
As the last Burai-Kai fell and the remaining men were disarmed, Kallen gazed in awe at Zero. He had read the hand of the Six Houses perfectly in advance and taken steps to neutralize their plans before ever accepting their invitation.
'Incredible' was the only word that could come to mind for her opinion of Zero.
Then Zero started walking forward.
"Now that we all know who you both are, is there really any point in staying behind that veil?" he asked.
"Humph. I would suppose not." Kirihara stood and walked out of his palanquin using his cane as support. He was a short man dressed in traditional Japanese clothing. His eyes were bright with intelligence and he gazed warily at Zero and Augur.
Kaguya Sumeragi, when she followed suit, was dressed in an outfit that looked to combine a western dress with a kimono, the lower part being the swirling cloth of a dress, while the waist was tied with an obi and was a kimono above that. She had long black hair that cascaded down to her waist, bright green eyes and wore a small golden circlet on her brow. She was looking at Zero with admiration and not a jot of surprise.
"So, what now Zero?" Kirihara asked, seemingly unconcerned by the Knightmare Assault Rifle pointed in his direction, "Do you intend to capture us and use us as hostages?"
"Now, Kirihara-dono, why would I bother with that?" the masked revolutionary laughed, "It would mean that the JLF would try and eliminate the Black Knights, and I do emphasize the word 'try' here. No, I wish to end this without any further…unpleasantness."
"And what might your solution be?" the old plutocrat asked as he leaned on his cane.
"My understanding of the situation is that you, and presumably the four other Family Heads, cannot trust me without knowing who is behind my mask." Zero bridged his hands before him, "Is that an accurate summation?"
"It is, Zero-sama." Kaguya answered with a sweet smile, "I have been trying to convince them that it is a pointless endeavour, but you know how stubborn the elderly can get."
The masked man let out a chuckle. "Indeed. Well then, I suppose the logical thing to do is show you who I am."
"WHAT?!" most of the room cried out.
"Of course, I will only show my true identity to the Six House Heads, in a room barren of other people and recording devices of either audio or visual types and with the understanding that my identity is to remain sealed to those members only." Zero continued, ignoring the disbelieving looks being sent his way, "Should you agree, then Aegis and Augur will also unmask to the six of you."
"Waitwaitwaitwaitwait!" Tamaki interjected, "Why're you willin' ta unmask ta them an' not us?!"
"How likely are the Heads of the Six Houses to be captured by the Britannians as compared to a member of the Black Knights?" Zero asked flatly, "The answer is infinitesimally smaller by an order of magnitude to the point of improbably unlikely. While we have not had anyone captured as of yet, it is only a matter of time. I do hate to say it, but my identity is worth more than a single soldier. This way, even if tortured by OSI, they will be completely unable to reveal what they do not know."
Kirihara chuckled. "Yes, that is an excellent point, a paranoid but highly effective security measure if nothing else. A secret is indeed no longer a secret if more people than is truly needed to know about it are told. I take it then that your troops will be heading back to your base?"
"Indeed. I am sorry that they had to see this, but your invitation did insist on them coming." The masked man said, immediately raising a hand to quell the protests that bubbled up out of Kallen's mouth, "No, Kallen. This is an order. Besides…Aegis! Come out."
The rebellious Burai-Kai shifted to one side as the pilot ejected their seat. Aegis stood up and bowed slightly to her master.
"Goshujin-sama, I trust you are unharmed?" she enquired calmly.
"Naturally." Zero nodded, "So then, Kirihara-dono, do we have an agreement?"
"Hum…yes. Yes, believe we do." The man nodded, "It will take some time to convince my fellow House Heads, so in the meantime, why not send your subordinates back first?"
"Agreeable. Do they have safe conduct to the drop-off point?"
"Naturally, this incident was caused by my plan, so the blame rests with me."
"But Zero!" Kallen protested.
"I'll be fine. I have Augur and Aegis here with me." The masked man reassured her.
Kallen still looked dissatisfied.
"Kōzuki-san." Kaguya stepped forward and curtseyed to her, "I, Kaguya of the Sumeragi Clan, pledge that no harm shall come to Zero-sama while under this roof. I extend my protection to him, in the name of the Six Houses of Kyoto."
Kirihara chuckled. "You have some good soldiers, Zero. Not many could get Kaguya to say so much, let alone a formal oath of hospitality."
"Kallen is our best Knightmare pilot and my third in command." Zero said easily, "She takes to both positions like a duck to water."
Once more, a delightful shade of red dusted the redheaded girl's cheeks.
Later
Private Meeting Room, Secret Base of the Six Houses of Kyoto, Mount. Fuji
The atmosphere in the room was tense as Aegis methodically swept the room for bugs and hidden cameras. Just about the only ones without any tension were Kaguya, Zero and Augur, who had given her weapon to Kallen to return it to their base.
"The room is clear, Goshujin-sama." The masked woman reported at last.
"Humph. Of course it is. We told you it was." Munakata grumbled.
"There is never such a thing as being too cautious." Aegis stated bluntly, "The actions of Kirihara-dono, as understandable as they are, have necessitated my guard being raised. Besides of the fact, you have subordinates who are overly zealous that might have acted unilaterally 'to save the dignity of the Six Houses' no?"
"You-!"
"Silence, Munakata." Kirihara snapped, "She is right. After the action of that that fool Kusakabe, caution on the part of Aegis-dono is understandable."
"I am a mere retainer, Kirihara-dono. Such respectful honorifics are not needed for one such as I." Aegis bowed to him.
"Ha! You are an officer of a visiting resistance group." The leader of Kyoto House snorted, "Respect is given where respect is due, girl. Accept it, by all means."
"…then I shall accept your words at face value, Kirihara-dono."
"Now that that is sorted…" Zero said and withdrew a small rectangular device from a pocket in his jumpsuit and opened it.
"What is that?" Kaguya asked curiously.
"A broad-spectrum signal jammer, just in case any of you are wearing wires or mini-cams." The masked man said bluntly.
"Very thorough." Kirihara noted.
"A man in my position needs to be." Zero stated, "Now then…shall we get to the heart of the matter?"
"Yes, let us do so." Akira Yoshida said with a frown. He wasn't happy that his fellow House Heads had been threatened.
"Very well. I believe that the main thrust of your worry is, rather than my actual identity, what my goals are and if I am being backed by any foreign countries, such as the Euro Universe and the Chinese Federation, correct?" Zero asked.
"Just so." Kubouin nodded.
"My goals are quite simple. In the short term, the liberation of Japan and the defence of the nation." Zero stated, "In the long term…I seek the overthrow of the current Britannian Emperor, the reduction of the influence of the Nobility and an end to the Number and Area system. In short, I seek to destroy Britannia."
"Are you mad, boy?" Osakabe snorted.
"Are you?" the masked man countered, "Japan has the overwhelmingly vast majority of the world's Sakuradite reserves on its shores. Britannia will not let go of such a jewel from its crown, not so long as Charles zi Britannia is alive, in control of his mental faculties and on the throne. To think otherwise you must be senile. No, you must throw Britannia out and keep them out, which will mean taking the fight to them."
"Additionally, you will have to keep an eye on the Chinese Federation." Augur added, "For those parasites the High Eunuchs to either try to grab Japan for themselves or for them to sell the Federation out to Britannia in exchange for power and prestige. The first scenario is troubling, but not impossible, but the second is more than slightly troubling. If the vast workforce of the Chinese Federation is put to work for Britannia, we would be in serious trouble."
"I agree." Kirihara looked grim, "What is the likelihood of that second scenario occurring?"
"Given the Prime Minister of Britannia's personality…almost a hundred percent." Zero stated after a moment of thought, "Second Prince Schneizel el Britannia is known as the Cold-Blooded Strategist for a reason; he never fights for the sake of fighting or for land, but for victory. He arranges things so that no matter what happens, he can obtain victory. The man's overwhelming genius is the sort that Nobunaga Oda was renowned for, except he uses his just because it is expected of him. He is a hollow man with no wants or desires, no pride in the military save for those that have been successfully executed with perfection. If he can accomplish a bloodless coup d'état, he will do it."
"If Zero-sama is willing to be that effusive in his praise of the man's strategic and tactical abilities, I suggest we take this as a likely scenario." Kaguya said seriously.
"Indeed…indeed." Kirihara muttered, "I will have our agents in the Federation make enquiries. The greedy Eunuchs are so easy to bribe that it's pitiful. It shouldn't take too long to discover any plans in the works."
"This is all very well, but I demand that Zero remove his mask." Munakata said impatiently, "That is why we are here."
"Quite." Osakabe agreed.
"Very well." Zero nodded, "Just to confirm something; my identity will be kept a secret between you six and no others?"
"We agree to that." Kirihara said simply.
"Aegis, you first." Zero said with a nod.
The Hann'ya-masked woman reached up and depressed a hidden switch on her helmet that made it retract most of itself into a compact mask. She then removed it from her head, revealing her true face to the members of the Six Houses.
"Greetings. I am Sayoko Shinozaki, a humble sworn retainer to Zero-sama." She said with a slight bow.
"Shinozaki…? As in the Shinozaki School of Taijutsu?!" Akira asked in surprise.
"Indeed." Sayoko said with a nod.
"No wonder you were able to infiltrate the base." The boy said in awe.
"Indeed. The stealth skills of the Shinozaki were whispered in circles before the invasion." Kirihara said with a nod.
"Augur." Zero said.
Similar to Sayoko, the knight-like woman pressed a switch that made the mask retract, but rather than the back retracting in, it was the sides that were drawn in. When she removed her mask, C.C. smirked at the stunned expressions on the men's faces.
"Celesta Crossfield, at your service." She said, "But please, call me C.C."
"What…what nationality are you?" Akira asked with a gulp. She was very pretty, and he had no experience with women besides Kaguya and the maids.
"Hmmm…French…I think?" C.C. said with a thoughtful look, "I haven't been back there in a long time, so it's a moot point. I prefer to think of myself as being a citizen of the world."
"And now, Zero, it is your turn." Kirihara said intently, leaning forward slightly in anticipation.
Slowly reaching up, Zero grasped his mask, allowing the shutter system to activate, folding the separate parts of the helmet into the mask portion before removing it, revealing silky black hair and violet eyes that were instantly recognized by two of the six people opposite him.
"It's been a long time, Lord Kirihara, Lady Kaguya." Lelouch vi Britannia said with a small smile.
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Next Chapter: The Pride of the JLF
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