Author's Note: OK, so…I hope you all had a good Christmas and New Year. Welcome back to the first 'scheduled' update of the year. I do hope that you like it and please do be so kind as to review.
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Disclaimer: Code Geass isn't mine.
Beta'd By BigCC.
"Kallen" - Speech
'Lelouch' - Thought/mental communication
"{Die}" - Geass Command
"Halt!" - Loudspeaker
"Roger." - Radio/Walkie-Talkie
Chapter 28: Black Heavens over the Witch of Britannia
Several Hours Before the Battle of Port Yokosuka
Black Knights Temporary Base
Zero stood at the head of a room filled with the higher ranked members of the Black Knights, including Todoh and his Four Holy Swords. In front of him was a detailed mock-up of the docks and surrounding port that would become their next battlefield.
"This," Zero's mechanised voice buzzed slightly as he indicated the model, "is our current Area of Operation, or the AO as we will refer to it. We have two primary objectives in the upcoming operation. First is to bleed the Britannians of Knightmares and personnel as well as continue to hammer at their morale. Second will be to gather field data on the operational efficiency of Doctor Chawla's latest children."
"A trial by fire is always the best way to see how well my children shine." said doctor noted absently, from where she was leaning against one wall, tapping away at an electronic tablet.
"Indeed." The masked Revolutionary nodded.
"What intelligence have we managed to obtain on the opposing force's order of battle?" Todoh asked gruffly. Intelligence was the heart blood of warfare and Todoh despised entering battle without gathering as much as possible.
"I have exact force numbers, deployment plans and personnel files." Zero answered matter-of-factly, making the General's eyes widen slightly in shock. "My spies among the Britannians are both highly efficient and well spread out. More than that, Cornelia is following a lead that I purposefully left for her to find, which makes following her tracks and gathering information on what she's planning far easier. You needn't worry General, I know full and well the value of gathering proper intelligence on the enemy, just as you do."
The older man nodded and sat back to allow Zero to continue his briefing. The masked man placed a model of a tanker in one of the dry docks, followed by several models of Sutherlands, Portmans and Gloucesters. Finally, he placed two specially painted models, one a light blue and one black/grey.
"Thanks to the information we've baited her with, Viceroy Cornelia believes she has found the last remnants of the JLF attempting to regroup at Port Yokosuka. Even as we speak, she is moving Knights and Knightmares to launch an attack here…exactly as I want her to."
Kallen shuddered again. She didn't know why hearing Zero speak so confidently was making her feel…strange, but all it was doing was confusing her thanks to her feelings for Lelouch. She was going to have to have a talk with Celesta again and see if the green-haired girl could shed any insights about why she felt such similar emotions for two separate people at once.
'Besides, she's good with her hands.' A traitorous little voice at the back of her mind whispered. Kallen promptly mentally butterfly-kicked said voice and throwing it into a dark corner before focusing back to the matter at hand.
Those thoughts could wait until the battle was over.
"The mainstay of the forces she has available is from the Britannian Royal Marine Infantry Corps, which mostly consist of the sole amphibious Knightmare Frame developed by Britannia, the RMI-13 Portman. It is a Fourth Generation Knightmare Frame and has been the backbone of Britannian Knightmare Naval Combat since it was first entered mass production six years ago." Zero elaborated. "It is only designed for underwater combat, only having four shoulder-mounted torpedo launchers in addition to the standard pair of Slash Harkens. While its combat ability is…acceptable in its preferred environment, even a Burai would be able to defeat one on land."
"So why haven't the Brits upgraded their fuckin' navy like they have the rest of their damned army?" Tamaki asked curiously.
"Because the primary fronts for Britannian expansionism has been primarily land-based for the past half-decade. Britannia's expansionist military has always tended to focus their developments on dealing with their current foe." Zero answered simply. "However, some of my sources have confirmed that a Fifth Generation Amphibious Knightmare is nearing the final stages of development by a research lab in Area 7 that they are, rather unoriginally, dubbing the Portman Mk. II. It isn't due to enter mass production until next year at the earliest. As I said, there simply isn't a need for marine-combat capable Knightmares…yet."
"Yet?" Ohgi asked nervously.
"Remember where we are located." Zero stated simply. "Japan is an island nation, thus when we succeed in liberating it, Britannia will find a new need for those same Knightmares in their attempts to reclaim it."
That simple statement, the pride and assurance that Zero seemed to radiate; the sheer confidence when he spoke of liberating not as a hope or a dream but an eventual fact, caused many of the gathered Black Knights to swell up with pride.
"As such," Zero continued, "we will need to be ready to counter such obstacles as they appear. Speaking of…Doctor Chawla, I have managed to obtain copies of the several of the Portman 's preliminary schematics, as well as some other designs based around aquatic Knightmares as well. I will have the data sent to you after the operation, please peruse it at your own leisure and give me your thoughts."
"A pleasure." The Indian woman smirked.
"To continue then…our primary battle plan is elegant in its simplicity." The leader of the Black Knights continued. "Once the Britannian forces launch their… 'ambush,'" there was a definite hint of a smirk in Zero's voice as he let that word roll off his tongue, "on the members of the JLF that are acting as guards for the ship, which will cause it to immediately move out into the bay and attempt to flee. At that point, Cornelia will deploy the Marines, which are already stationed in the bay, to intercept and take the ship. One of their initial torpedo volleys will get a 'lucky' shot and disable the ships main engine, causing it to come to a stop right here. Once their forces have surround the ship and start to board it…I will set off the mine floating underneath where that ship will stop, destroying the ship and setting off the full cargo hold of liquid Sakuradite."
"Oi, oi, oi! What about the crew!?" Tamaki bleated.
"There will be no crew." Zero replied calmly. "I've had our engineering forces remodel the entire control panel of that freighter so it can be operated remotely. It won't be neat or pretty, but our enemies will likely discard that as a result of a panicked and rushed launch. We will not suffer a single casualty nor lose any significant resources while the vast majority of the Portman forces will be wiped out in a single move."
"Just what is this supposed to be?" Todoh growled. He saw what Zero was doing with this scenario. "Princess Cornelia will think it was the JLF committing suicide!"
"Which will play right into her preconceptions." Zero nodded.
"I…beg your pardon!?" Asahina controlled himself far better than before Augur had bitchslapped him, but his eyes still burned with fury.
"Cornelia does not like Numbers. She does not trust Numbers. She has never tried to know Numbers or their culture." Zero stated confidently. "She has only heard the distorted propaganda about Japan's samurai traditions, the ones that claim that they would rather commit suicide that admit defeat. And the actions of General Katase in activating the Gyōkō System have most likely only reinforced that rubbish she has already had poured into her mind. She fully believes by this point that JLF will self-destruct if they cannot flee." Once again a smirk was audible in the masked man's voice and body language. "And thus she will be wholly unprepared when JLF allegiant Knightmares come storming out of the launch boats we'll deploy from the opposite side of the port."
"Hm." Todoh had turned thoughtful as he listened to Zero's explanation, nodding ever so slightly at the points he raised. After several minutes the old samurai gave the masked revolutionary a firm nod, but his eyes were cold and hard as he spoke again. "Had you planned on sacrificing any soldiers for this plan, you would have become rust on my blade before this night was over, consequences be damned."
"Had I planned on it, you wouldn't have realised it until after the fact." Zero returned, his voice matching Todoh's. "But, just to reassure you, in my personal opinion a general's job is to secure their objectives with the least amount of casualties to their own forces possible while maximizing those done to the enemy. There will be times where I will have to risk the lives of the soldiers under my command, possibly even knowing that I am sending my people to their deaths. They will be horrible decisions that I will have to make because it has to be done. I will not like to do it, I will attempt every recourse possible to not have to do so without harming our goals, but I will do so if needs must, General Todoh."
The standoff between Todoh and Zero continued for a moment before the last General of Japan grunted and nodded, accepting the other man's words.
"What happens after the ship blows up, Zero?" Ohgi asked, trying to get everything back on track. That and the standoff between his leader and the Miracle Maker was starting to make everyone a bit edgy.
"As I said, we'll attack." The masked man answered. He arranged the models into three groups. "Cornelia and her Royal Guard, along with ten Sutherlands, will be here, in the centre of the quay. Nonette Enneagram, in her Knightmare Bedivere, will be here, on the left, along with about twenty Sutherlands. Finally, on the right of the quay, is Dorothea Ernst, in her Exeter. She'll also have about twenty Sutherlands with her."
"Isn't that white and gold bastard going to show up?" Kallen asked with a scowl. "I still owe him for Narita."
"The pilot is on medical leave at the moment, by order of the Sub-Viceroy." Zero informed her. "I can thank heaven for small mercies, because the last thing we need is another Seventh Generation Frame on the field. The Bedivere will be bad enough."
"So what's the plan, Zero?" Mamoru leaned forward in interest.
"As I said, one of our primary objectives will be to bleed the Britannians and further weaken their morale. To do so we have three main goals:" The masked man answered raising three fingers. "First, eliminate a good number of the Royal Marine Infantry, which our initial deception will take care of." he stated lowering one finger. "Second, we have to humble the Knights of Round, severely damaging if not destroying their personal Knightmares if possible." He lowered a second finger. "Third, we will once again bring humility to the Goddess of Victory and eliminate as many of her remaining forces as possible." he finished lowering his final finger
Zero returned his attention to the map, adding several black marked figures to it. "To accomplish these goals, we will split into three groups. I will lead Team One, General Todoh shall lead Team Two and Mamoru-san shall lead Team Three. General, I would think you would like to pay the good Viceroy back for her attack at Narita, so you will lead the assault on Cornelia and her forces."
"Hell yeah!" Urabe grinned, eager for some well-deserved revenge.
"However, I must insist that you do not kill her." Zero admonished the taciturn general, causing many in the room to stare at him as if he was mad. "I assure you, I have good reasons for this. Cornelia is a known entity and, despite herself, an honourable opponent when push comes to shove. However, were she to die, the next commander the Emperor sends will likely be the likes of The Vampire of Britannia, Luciano Bradley, or even The Cold Blooded Strategist himself, Prince Schneizel el Britannia. Neither of which would hesitate to massacre countless Japanese civilians in order to eliminate us, nor can I see a way to counter their tactics successfully with our current limits."
Even the Four Holy Swords paled at that.
Todoh merely nodded his head, understanding the other man's reasoning. "Very well. Making her eject from her Knightmare is allowed?" he asked with a raised eyebrow
"Of course, just because we can't kill dear Cornelia doesn't mean we can't humble her a bit."
"Then it shall be done." Todoh agreed with a short bow of his head.
Zero nodded. "Mamoru-san, you will be in charge of eliminating the Exeter and Dorothea Ernst."
"That's an honour." The old man remarked. "What's her machine like?"
"The Exeter, as I informed you when we first received word of their impending arrival, is a heavily converted Gloucester, optimised for mid-to-long-range combat. It isn't as manoeuvrable as a standard Gloucester, but it has thicker armour and its standard armament is a Knightmare Heavy Duty Gatling Gun." Zero answered. "As backup weaponry, it also has a pair of bullpup assault rifles and a pair of curved daggers. It is a very effective machine when it comes to mowing down more heavily-armoured Knightmares like the Panzer Hummel Knightmares of the EU or the Gun-Ru of the Chinese Federation, which also specialize in ranged combat. However, against a Knightmare designed for speed and mobility and specialized close-ranged combat equipment…
"…it's nothing more than an oversized turret." The small, knowing smile on Mamoru's face was telling. "She's so used to being the cock of the walk that she has left herself open. Mind if she dies, Zero?"
"Not in the least." Zero noted absently. "She is the newest Knight to the Round so her position is shaky at best, meaning any backlash from eliminating her would be minimal. Added to that, she is a diehard believer in Charles zi Britannia's ideology, someone who would rather see us all wiped out than even think of us as equals. Removing her from the world might actually do us some good."
"Roger that." the Sleeping Dragon nodded.
"I will be taking on Nonette Enneagram, alongside Kallen." Zero continued. "Rakshata has brought along a few experimental prototypes for the Kokuten to equip, so I will be taking the supporting role, while Kallen goes in to fight it close."
"On it." The redhead nodded determinedly. "What is this Bedivere like?"
"The name comes from more Arthurian Legends. Sir Bedivere was the Knight who bore Arthur's sword to the Lady of the Lake at his King's request." The Regicide explained. "Quite why Lloyd Asplund chose it is beyond me, but it is, technically, a Seventh Generation Knightmare Frame. I have been unable to discover exactly what the Bedivere is capable of, but I do know that after the X-Project was suspended, Lloyd Asplund implemented two other projects; Project Z, which produced the Lancelot, and Project G, which has produced a Knightmare known as the Gawain. This name is troubling."
"Why?" Tamaki asked in confusion. Kallen answered him.
"Because, in Arthurian Legends, all of the tales agree that aside from King Arthur himself, the two strongest Knights of the Round Table were Sir Lancelot du Lac, the Knight of the Lake, and Sir Gawain, the Knight of the Sun." Kallen stated, having done her own research since she'd found out about the Earl of Pudding's odd naming sense. "If Earl Asplund gave the name of Gawain to something, then it has to be at least as powerful as the Lancelot."
"Excellent research and analysis, Kallen." Zero complemented her. "I find Kallen's hypothesis to be likely close to the truth. Of course, it may be that he went with an entirely different aspect of combat. The Lancelot is what I'd refer to as a line breaker, a heavy assault Knightmare designed to overwhelm the enemy and break through their lines to cause havoc. Quite where the Gawain would go is beyond me, but that is a discussion for another day. For today, let us focus on the Bedivere.
"It is a large Knightmare Frame that stands taller than even the Lancelot and has no built in weaponry that I can see from the few photographs I have seen…not even Slash Harken. That suggests that either Lloyd Asplund didn't design it with any, or they are concealed in plain sight. Several locations might include…"
The briefing continued for several minutes before breaking up at Zero's order. They were now in the part of any operation that the military was infamous for; hurry up and wait.
"Zero." Kallen walked over to him as he stood and looked at a map of Port Yokosuka. "Do you…think this'll be hard?"
"Nonette was a contemporary of Marianne the Flash, and is actually very close to the skill level of the current Knight of One, Kallen." The masked man said quietly. "If there is anyone who is a possible match for you, it is this woman, especially in this Knightmare. I am only sorry I could not give you more than speculations about its capabilities."
"It's alright, Zero." The redhead shook her head with a smile. "I remember you telling me that Camelot has a higher security rating than even the Viceroy's Palace. Getting as much information as you have done is a miracle, all things considered."
"It's a good thing I'm wearing my mask, otherwise you'd see my blush." Zero deadpanned, startling a giggle from Kallen. "Just remember, this is the big league you're entering now. Very few people have ever managed to make Nonette Enneagram try hard. Even Cornelia is barely a warm up for her."
"I've got it." Kallen nodded firmly. "You can count on me, Zero."
The masked man placed on hand on her shoulder and squeezed gently. "I've known I could do that since you were piloting a Glasgow that was falling apart around you."
The blush on her face matched the shade of her hair. "Zero…"
"Go and check the Guren." He advised before releasing her shoulder and walking towards the Hanger. "I still have to do the same for the Kokuten."
Kallen watched him leave for a moment before sagging against the wall. Gods all above, she was so pathetic! She wavered between Lelouch and Zero like a pendulum and it was driving her crazy! Especially since Celesta had revealed that bedamned plan of hers!
'Not to mention the damned witch mauled my boobs like bread dough!' She thought sourly. 'I had bruises the next day, not to mention how sensitive my nipples have become with her teasing them every damn day.'
Shaking her head, she decided that Zero had the right idea. Maybe looking over the Guren would be a good idea. Plus she could keep an eye on Zero himself, since Aegis and Augur weren't here today. Augur was setting up as a long-distance sniper for the battle, and Aegis was on a mission that Zero was being very mysterious about.
Her stride once more confident and strong, she headed to the hanger.
Just after the Destruction of the Cargo Ship
With Kallen
Kallen's lips twisted into a snarl of a smile as the ship exploded, taking with it over thirty men and machines in an explosion that even her Guren wouldn't have been able to survive. She once again offered a silent thanks to any deity listening in that Zero was not her enemy.
"Attention all Black Knights." Zero's voice came over the radio. "We are now going to introduce the Viceroy to the concept of being on the receiving end of a Knightmare Blitz for a change. You have your orders. Move out!"
"Yes sir!" the redhead barked as the landing boat carrying her, Zero, and the rest of their squad suddenly accelerated. She knew that the four other boats were doing the same thing. Her blood sang with the thrill of impending combat and she finally had a target worthy of facing, the white and gold bastard aside.
'I'm coming for you Nonette!' she though as she tightened her grip on the control levers. If the Knight of Nine got past her, she'd attack Zero. She had allowed that once with the Lancelot; she would not allow the Bedivere to do the same.
That she swore.
With Cornelia
"These Elevens…!" the Witch of Britannia hissed as she fired her Gloucester's Slash Harkens into the ground to avoid being blown off her feet, the rest of her Guard quickly following suit. Some of the other Knights were too slow and got hurled away by the shockwave.
"I can't believe that Kyoshiro Todoh would self-destruct like that…" Guilford muttered in disbelief, barely audible over the roar of the explosion.
"Believable or not, that's thirty good men dead." Cornelia growled. "The entire hold of that ship must have been filled with Sakuradite. The bastards planned to take as many of us with them as they could. Damn it…"
Now she was going to look like an idiot in front of that irksome Dorothea. She was going to be utterly unbearable after this…
"Enemy Raid!" one man's voice echoed over the radio, startling her. "It's the Black Knights!"
"Zero…again he shows his face!" Cornelia snarled. She was getting sick and tired of dealing with that masked menace. Ever since he started showing up, her half-brother had been killed, her baby sister had started to rebel against her in earnest and she had lost her undefeated title in war.
It was like the man was some sort of living curse put on the Earth just to torment her!
A black landing boat smashed into the side of the quay in front of her and disgorged five Knightmares that looked really, really familiar…almost like cut-cost, grey versions of that Guren machine.
"For General Katase!" a voice bellowed from the lead machine that sent chills down her spine. She knew that voice, she'd made sure to memorize it from some of the few audio recordings of him that had survived the invasion. Everything she'd read had painted a picture of a strict professional who made good judgements and did not panic unreasonably, even in the face of overwhelming odds.
"The Phantom of Itsukushima's Miracle…Kyoshiro Todoh…" Cornelia breathed. He was still alive…the ship had been a decoy…which meant… "This was a trap for us the entire time! And we fell for it, hook, line and sinker!"
Or rather...she had fallen for it.
"Take down Cornelia!" Todoh ordered.
"For the Honour of the Four Holy Swords!" the other four machines chorused.
"Rotating Absolute Power Formation!"
"Hai!"
The speed at which the five machines advanced was very familiar to Cornelia, and she reacted appropriately. "All units! Repel the enemy! Do not let them get close!" she roared into her radio as she hefted her lance. "All Hail Britannia!"
"All Hail Cornelia!" Guilford shouted as he led the counter-charge, the Royal Guard following his lead.
The left arms of the four identical units spat bullets at the approaching Gloucesters as they weaved across the concrete, three of them being disabled by precise shots to the thinner armour of the joints. The Knights sensibly ejected after their frames were rendered immobile.
'Such powerful firearms should have some kind of recoil…but there doesn't seem to be any from them…' Cornelia analysed absently as she sped on with her Landspinners.
The right arms of the machines drew some sort of black blade from the small of their backs and the resolution on Cornelia's monitor was high enough to see that the blades had a lot of rotating teeth on them, like a chainsaw.
"Have at you!" one of her Guard thrust his Jousting Lance at one machine, only for the two of the others to intervene; the first slicing his lance in half and the second firing the arm-mounted gun into the head of the unit, causing a system crash and forcing the pilot to eject.
Another Guard tried to take advantage of one of the machines aiding the first, but the one unit with some customization, which she knew had Todoh as its pilot, launched a Slash Harken (from the hilt of his sword!) that smashed into the arm holding the lance, ripping most of it off. The first one then sliced the body of the Gloucester in half at the waist.
"Princess, those swords are the same kind that Zero used against me at Narita!" Guilford informed her tersely. Ah. She thought she'd seen them somewhere before.
Then Todoh was upon Guilford, the customised sword his machine wielded actually had jets mounted on it to increase the speed of the swing, as well as to add centrifuge to the strike and possibly even rapidly change direction. The blade cleaved through her Knight's lance as if the weapon had only been made of paper and it was only the enhanced abilities of his Gloucester and his years of experience on the battlefield that allowed him to leap back to avoid the powerful backswing.
"With the Gekka my Holy Swords ride and this Zangetsu, we shall have you earn another defeat, Witch of Britannia!" Todoh declared as he brandished his sword and advanced on Guilford again, who drew his Knightmare Sword, which he had replaced after Narita.
Cornelia knew that this was not going to be easy. On top of having what she was almost certain were Seventh Generation Knightmares, the Four Holy Swords and Kyoshiro Todoh had a level of teamwork and trust in one another that was almost inhuman. They moved like one being in five different bodies, trusting absolutely in the others to protect their blind spots. Cornelia had never seen such rapport and cooperation in Knightmare pilots in her life.
Of course, most Knights were concerned with personal glory before everything else, so most Britannian Knightmare 'units' were mostly a group of individuals who just happened to be attacking in the same direction. The only other forces that used Knightmares, the EU and Chinese Federation, used massive units of Panzer Hummel and Gun-Ru respectively in order to even force a stalemate. That wasn't teamwork either, simply slavish obedience to a higher authority.
What she was seeing here was different from both situations. Honest-to-god teamwork and cooperation.
'This is going to be hard.' She thought grimly as she leapt into the air and struck out with her Jousting Lance at Todoh, who parried with his blade. 'Very hard indeed.'
With Dorothea
"What the hell is going on?!" the Knight of Four demanded as she watched the chaos around the port. That much Sakuradite exploding had enough strength to demolish a fortress. Who the hell wasted it like that?!
'The JLF? The Black Knights? No…there's simply no way that mere Number scum would be able to acquire that much Sakuradite.' She reasoned. Only certified institutions within the Empire and other countries outside of it could purchase the powerful energy source. The very idea of any Number having the clout or financial capital to purchase that amount of Sakuradite was so incomprehensible to the new Knight of Round that she spent barely a nanosecond considering and discarding the idea.
"Lady Ernst! The Black Knights are attacking!" one Knight reported.
"Those brazen…! Form up!" she barked with a growl. "We're going to teach these mongrels not to snap at their betters!"
"Yes, My Lord!" the Knights around her responded immediately.
The moment was spoiled somewhat when an Anti-Knightmare Bazooka round landed amidst three of her men, blowing up and destroying them, the pilots only barely ejecting in time thanks to their cockpit's auto-eject feature activating.
"Who the-?!" Dorothea snapped, the Exeter spinning around to point the Gatling Gun in the general direction it had come from. The sight was somewhat humbling. A large group of black-painted Sutherlands were speeding towards her own group of Sutherlands, the one in the lead holding the Bazooka that had claimed first blood. It was the machine next to it that had Dorothea concerned.
Despite her arrogance, she did read briefings on significant Knightmare pilots among the enemy (if they had any) and this red machine definitely counted. If it was the 'Guren' that the reports spoke of then this was the best Knightmare pilot the Black Knights had available, one who had taken Cornelia apart at Narita.
'If I kill this one, I'll be able to rub it into that prissy Princess' face for years.' She smirked. Aloud, she ordered, "Attack! Kill these lowly curs! All Hail Britannia!"
With roars, the Sutherlands opened up at the enemy machines, which quickly spread out and dodge adroitly, much to Dorothea's surprise. Only two machines fell to their maelstrom of bullets, both had been near the centre of the formation and unable to act in time.
Then the black-painted machines opened up with counter-fire before they could reposition, seemingly focusing on two or three machines at a time to ensure that the targets were destroyed.
"That's enough of that!" the Knight of Four snarled and unleashed a hail of bullets from her weapon. The sound of its roar drowned out all of the other weapons and three captured Sutherlands were shredded in a second.
"Now for you!" she turned it on the leader, the Guren. The gun roared, the bullets soared…and not a single one hit.
'Fast!' Dorothea thought in shock. The red machine had leapt into the air as soon as she had started to turn in its direction and was bouncing between buildings to confuse her aim, which was succeeding. The Gatling Gun was heavy and unwieldy, even with the Exeter's reinforced servos adding to her machines strength, and the other machine was simply too fast for her to keep up with.
With one final leapt, the red machine flew into the air and was outlined by the moon as it hurtled towards her. A feral smile crossed Dorothea's face as she levelled the Gatling Gun right at the centre of body mass of the incoming machine.
"I've got you now! Let's see you dodge in mid-air!" she gloated.
In one smooth motion, the Guren drew and threw something at her so fast that Dorothea couldn't see what it was. It slammed into her Gatling and she blinking in incomprehension as she saw the hilt of a sword sticking out of the barrel, having cut into the internal machinery of the gun as it struck.
"Chesto!" a male voice roared and the Knight of Four looked up in alarm as the Guren gracefully spun into a kick, aimed right at the sword hilt.
Dorothea swiftly dropped the broken weapon, it was useless right now, and ejected the extra ammo containers secured to her Knightmare Frame as well, since without the Gatling Gun they were simply extra weight and would only slow her down. As she did, Dorothea threw the Exeter to one side just in time to avoid the kick. Incredibly, the arm of the Guren reached down and snagged the sword hilt, ripping it out of her Gatling Gun and completely demolishing her beloved weapon beyond any hope of repair.
The red machine landed just as the rest of the BK Sutherlands reached the Britannian Sutherlands and engaged them, deploying Stun Tonfa and more of those black swords.
"Well now…that wasn't bad for a warmup." The pilot of the Guren said as he turned his machine around to face the Exeter.
"Who are you?! The pilot of the Guren is supposed to be a female!" Dorothea demanded.
"That's the Guren Mark Two you're talking about." The man corrected her. "It has a silver arm. This is merely the Guren Mark One, the prototype of the prototype. And as good as Red Queen is…this old man can give her a run for her money. She's got bigger fish to fry compared to you, Knight of Four, so you'll just have to settle for facing the Sleeping Dragon of Kanto today."
"Tch. A prideless name such as that…" the woman scoffed.
"Pride is it? Well, that's one thing and this in another." The Sleeping Dragon remarked as he pulled out another sword and started lazily working them through the air in a display of dexterity that left no doubt that it was a Seventh Generation machine. The blades moved so fast that they were blurs in the air. "I fought for my country as a soldier as a young man and mustered out to teach martial arts. Then the invasion happened and I was forced to fight again. I really should retire and leave it to the next generation, but until they're ready to take up that burden…I'll keep going. Now then, Knight of Four…I hope you have an up-to-date Last Will and Testament…because you're going to die today. Do try to put up a fight."
"Impudent…! Don't think so highly of yourself, you lowly Number scum…!" Dorothea growled despite her growing trepidation. This was a first for her; she had never been outclassed technologically before. Up until recently, no Britannian had since the era of muskets and blackpowder. That this scum had managed to get his hands on a Seventh Generation machine despite the fact that even Britannia had only just developed a handful of experimental machines of that generation was galling to the highest degree.
Drawing her two Bullpup Assault Rifles from their holders over her Exeter's shoulders, she levelled them at the Guren MK-I. "Let's dance, scum."
With Nonette
"Hooohhh…so that's the Guren." Nonette grinned. She always thought that the designs of the mass-produced Britannian machines were so dull, so she liked to see machines that were out of the norm, such as her own Bedivere. So the Guren, lithe, hunched over and dangerous, really tickled her fancy. "Interesting."
The other machine that she spotted of interest was the black machine that looked similar to it to the rear. Other than the paintjob, a very nice black with gold trimming, and the lack of a silver arm, the only difference was the head unit, which had not two eyes, but three. Two were where you would expect the eyes to be, while the third was on the forehead. It split apart to reveal a small Factsphere every now and then.
"So, you're the Red Queen I've heard so much about?" Nonette asked via her external speakers.
"That's right." The woman on the other side answered the same way. "So you're the Knight of Nine I've been hearing about?"
The Knight of Round frowned in thought. "You really are a girl."
The Guren flexed its claw-like hand as a visible sign of its master's ire. "Again with this?" Red Queen asked in annoyance. "You're a female Knight yourself! Why is it so surprising for me to be female too?!"
"It's not your gender that I, and everyone else, are surprised by, dear." Nonette gently corrected her. "It's your age. All female Knights are at least in their early twenties by the time they're sent into battle. You cannot be over twenty, if that." The way she was acting almost made Nonette think she was still a teenager, but that should be patently impossible.
A huff from Red Queen let known her displeasure. "And?"
"You are getting quite the reputation among the troopers here in Area 11; they've started to call you 'The Red Death.'" The older woman informed her pleasantly. "That you have such abilities, even taking your Seventh Generation Frame into account, at such a young age is something a lot of people would have difficulty believing."
"I started with a piece of crap Glasgow and worked my way up." Red Queen snarked. "Even then, I was holding off a battalion of Sutherlands all by myself. A machine with good specs means nothing without the skill to put it to good use."
"Well said." Nonette nodded in agreement. So many young idiots didn't get that these days and slacked off on their training. "Now, just to get something straight here…you're fighting to avenge your brother?"
"Yes." The sheer venom the younger girl, and she was just a girl, managed to inject into that word made Nonette wince.
"Older or younger?"
"He was my only older brother. Clovis captured him and tore him to pieces, torturing him for days until he died!" Red Queen hissed. "I know that killing you Brits will not bring him back, but he dreamed of a Japan free of Britannia, and I plan on making my Onii-sama's dream a reality, even if I have to butcher the entire Britannian army single-handedly to do it!"
'OK, this girl has a serious axe to grind against Britannia. Not without reason too.' Nonette thought with a sigh. She hated having to defeat those who she viewed as being in the right, but she had no choice. Hers was not to reason why, hers was but to do or die.
A shame, such talent really shouldn't have to go to waste like this.
"Very well. Then let me give you a proper introduction." She said. "I am Lady Nonette Enneagram, the current Knight of Nine of the Knights of Round, and I challenge you. Name yourself, warrior."
With Kallen
She stilled. The redhead remembered Zero talking about this before she had boarded the Guren a short half hour ago…
{Flashback}
"Kallen." Zero stepped over to her.
"Zero?" the halfblooded girl looked up in surprise. "What the matter?"
"I forgot to mention this at the briefing, but Nonette is a very unusual person by Britannian standards. She honestly gives appreciation and honour to those among her enemies that deserve it." The Masked Man stated. "You are the Ace of the Black Knights and our strongest Knightmare pilot, so she will honour that strength with a formal challenge."
She looked disbelieving at this. "You're sure?"
"I am." Zero nodded. "I am planning on reorganising the Black Knights after this operation and you will be promoted to the commander of my personal guard, Kallen."
"I…wh-what about Aegis and Augur?" Kallen gasped, her eyes wide.
"Augur is my advisor and Aegis is my personal bodyguard off of the battlefield." He explained simply. "You will be in charge of my security on the battlefield. Do you accept?"
"Y-Yes! Of course." She blurted out, her heart racing. In charge of Zero's bodyguards on the battlefield? What an honour!
"Good. In which case, this is how I want you to respond if she challenges you as I have surmised…"
{Flashback End}
Grinning, Kallen spoke the words she had memorised with pride.
"Well met, Nonette Enneagram! I am the Red Queen! Ace of the Black Knights, the one who defeated the Witch of Britannia in single combat at Narita! I am the Commander of Zero's personal guard, the Obsidian Knights, and you may call me the Knight of Zero of Japan! I accept your challenge! May the best pilot win, as I intend to!"
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Next Chapter: Sword-Bearer vs. Crimson Lotus
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Knightmare Hanger
- Name: RPI-X2C Exeter
General Characteristics
- Crew: 1
- Height: 4.70 Metres
- Weight: 8.29 Metric Tonnes
- Power Source: Yggdrasil Drive, Energy Filler
Design Features
- Cockpit Ejection System
- Factsphere Sensor System
- Landspinner Propulsion System
- Gatling Gun Ammunition Pods
Armament
- X2 Chest-mounted Slash Harkens
- X1 Knightmare Heavy Duty Gatling Gun
- X2 Bullpup Assault Rifles
- X2 Knightmare Curved Daggers