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Disclaimer: Code Geass isn't mine.
Beta'd by BigCC
"Kallen." - Speech
'Lelouch.' – Thoughts/mental communication
"{Die.}" - Geass Command
"Halt!" - Loudspeaker
"Roger." - Radio/Walkie-talkie
Chapter 34: The White Knight Returns
Next Day
Ashford Academy Student Council Room
"Urgh...kill me now..." Kallen groaned under her breath. She was sitting at the table with her arms folded over a slightly crumpled jotter and textbook, pen held listlessly in her hand.
'Why do the Britannian schools even care about how the Chinese Federation was formed anyway? The bastards are usually so self-absorbed that the rest of the world's history might as well not exist.' she thought, her mind stuck somewhere between bitter (her usual mindset alongside rage when regarding the Britannian Empire) and exhausted.
Drilling recruits on basic weapons handling, practising her Knightmare skills in the new Guren-type training simulator that Rakshata had recently built, attending meetings of the Black Knights' leadership. Her position with the Black Knights as both a commanding officer and their ace pilot were both things she treasured, but the combined duties were draining. Add in ordinary Britannian schoolwork/homework and checking in on her mum and it all became a bit too much for anyone.
Reluctantly, she forced herself to start re-reading the passage about the transition between the Chinese Empire and Chinese Federation. It was boring stuff about a sadistic emperor who had been in possession of a brilliant and loyal general who had put down the Xinhai Rebellion by disgruntled military officials in 1857 ATB. The emperor, Puyi, had asked the eight surviving leaders of the rebellion if they wanted a say in the running of the country rather than dying, to which the men had said yes. They had then been turned into eunuchs and appointed as the Council of High Eunuchs, with the Emperor installed as the Hereditary Council Chairman.
That emperor had only been six at the time, so it was supposed that the idea had come from the Prime Minister of the time, Yuan Shikai. With the emperor distracted with his new 'advisors' (under armed guard of course), the Prime Minister had free reign to rebuild the bureaucracy of the old Chinese Empire into something more effective and streamlined, although it had fallen short with his death in 1861 ATB from poison.
"Do any imperials actually turn out decent human beings?" she muttered as she added what she knew to her essay.
"I think all depends on how they're raised. Grow up in a den of vipers and you'll likely end up a viper yourself." Lelouch offered from behind her, making the girl yelp and levitate about a foot off her chair in fright. She turned her head and glared at him for that, but it bounced off him like a pistol bullet off a Knightmare's armour.
"Don't do that!" she snapped at him, her glare weakening as he simply smiled down at her in a way that had butterflies fluttering in her stomach.
"You've been working hard lately, Kallen." the raven-haired boy said seriously. "That report isn't due until this time next week."
"I do have to keep my GPA up, even with my frequent 'sick absences' you know." Kallen groused. "My brother wanted me to get a good education...ahem. Anyway, did you need something?"
"You need a break." Lelouch decided before reaching out and pulling her to her feet. "Come along, I have something that'll help you relax."
"Wait, Lelouch! I have to-!" she yelped, caught off guard by this boy (that she did NOT like) manhandling her like this.
"-to take a break. Couldn't agree more, all work and no play makes Kallen a dull girl after all." the boy replied cheerfully. "Or do you want me to unleash Milly and Celesta on you again?"
"...fine!" the redhead growled with a flush on her face. "You don't have to drag me, dammit. Where are we going?"
The previous day had been...embarrassingly irksome for Kallen, not to mention pleasurable. Celesta had dragged her into an empty and out-of-the-way classroom and stripped her topless before groping her to the edge of an orgasm several times, as well as leaving several kiss marks over her breasts and collarbone. Why could she not say no to the damned girl?!
'Because she knows our body like the back of her hand and makes us feel oh-so good.' a traitorous voice purred at the back of her mind that sounded a lot like the damned greenette. 'Imagine if she taught all of that to Lelouch~? Or even join us in bed with him?'
Nope. Nope, nope, nope, she was not thinking about this. She had not just very strongly imagined being naked in bed with Celesta and Lelouch at the same time. Forcing her neon-red blush down, she sighed in relief as Lelouch released her wrist.
"So where are we going?" she asked again, resigned to being dragged around the Academy by the Student Council Vice President. Really, she was the Ace of the Black Knights, a blooded warrior who had taken down just under two-dozen enemy Knightmares and had dismantled the former Britannian Goddess of Victory in single combat with ease, and yet there were at least three people at this school who could basically tug her around like she was on a leash!
What the holy hell was with this school?! Did Milly put something in the water?
…Wait no! That was exactly something she'd do!?
'Mental note, start bringing a canteen.' she thought absently before a certain purple-eyed pretty boy pulled her back to reality
"Somewhere that I think you'll like." was all Lelouch would say on the subject. Huffing, Kallen followed him through Ashford's corridors. It was after school and Zero had practically ordered her to take the day off from Black Knight duties so she didn't exhaust herself. She'd argued, of course, but eventually relented and decided she could use the time catch up and get a bit ahead of some of her schoolwork instead, but nope. Lelouch was apparently worried about her too.
(She ignored the slightly warm feeling that having both of the two men in her life worried about her brought.)
"Isn't this the garage?" Kallen asked with a blink. Ashford had enough buses to evacuate the entire student body if need be, as well as a whole bunch of floats for the School Festival (and anything else that Milly's devious and imaginative mind could concoct).
"Yeah. There's something here that only the engineers, the Dean, Milly and I have access to." Lelouch said with a smirk. Approaching what looked like a large blank wall at the back of the garage, the boy opened up a hidden panel and typed in a code into the keypad so fast that Kallen couldn't register what it was. Then the wall split in half down the middle, withdrew into the wall and then slid to either side, triggering lights that revealed a large blue, white and gold-trimmed Knightmare that almost anyone who was passingly familiar with the developmental history of the Knightmare Frame was certain to know about.
"I-Is that...?!" Kallen asked, blue eyes wide in shock.
"The YF6-X7K/E, Third Generation Master Prototype Experimental Knightmare Frame, the Ganymede." Lelouch smiled as he turned around, tucking the remote into his pocket as he did so. "The personal Knightmare Frame of Marianne 'the Flash' vi Britannia."
"How...why...?!" the redhead was lost for words.
"After the assassination of Empress Marianne and the Ashford's fall from grace almost immediately afterwards, Dean Ashford was able to negotiate three boons from the Emperor in exchange for a few favours that they were owed by the Crown. First, they were unilaterally granted the contract to build the entirety of the Britannian Tokyo Settlement, which would be the site of their exile." Lelouch said with a slight scowl. "Second, they were permitted to sell all of their land in the Britannian Homeland back to the Crown at above the estimated value of their lands, which provided much of the nest egg that was used to rebuild the Ashford Foundation. Third and finally, they were given custody of the Ganymede as a reminder of what they had once achieved and what had caused them to fall. It's disarmed of every weapon system, even Slash Harkens, but it's still a fully functioning Knightmare otherwise."
Kallen nodded, her eyes not leaving the massive machine in front of her. Six and a half meters tall, with inhumanly long arms, tall shoulders that were at least three feet tall apiece and no head to speak of, it was still something to be in awe of. This was the very first Knightmare Frame to be truly worthy of the name, the First and Second Generation Knightmares being gimmicky ejection pods by comparison. This was a piece of history standing before her.
"Want to get in the cockpit?" Lelouch asked her, making Kallen gape at him in astonishment.
"I-Is that alright?" she asked, not without reason. Even if the Ashford Family were given custody of the Ganymede, it was still officially the property of the Emperor, having belonged to one of his wives. If someone caught wind it was being used by someone and reporting it up the chain of command, there could be repercussions to the Ashfords that could be drastic, and she didn't want to have Milly's family get in trouble because of her.
"The Emperor hasn't shown any signs of caring since I started piloting it when I was fourteen." Lelouch scoffed, before explaining, "Milly has me pilot the Ganymede once a year for the school festival. She has various, frankly ludicrous, plans for it...I think this year, she wants to use it to make a giant pizza...thanks to Celesta."
Kallen's expression became total deadpan. "She wants. To use. The Ganymede. To make. PIZZA?!"
"Again, you should blame the pizza-obsessed Celesta for this." Lelouch grumbled, although there was a slightly fond tone to his voice that made jealousy rise up in Kallen, although she ruthlessly stamped down on it immediately. "She was the one who proposed this to Milly, who proceeded to jump on it as being 'perfect' for the festival."
"There is something wrong with those two." Kallen shook her head bemusedly.
"They're...unique, yes, but they're also distinctly them." the boy defended weakly. "And to be honest, you wouldn't want them any other way, would you?"
This Kallen was reluctantly forced to admit was true. If those two stopped being teasing, flirty she-devils then either the world was turned on its head or things were combat-level serious.
The next fifteen minutes or so passed pleasantly, as Lelouch showed her the cockpit and its controls. It baffled her when she recalled that the First and Second Generation Knightmares had been controlled by a wide array of buttons, switches and knobs, as well as a single steering yoke. Yes, Knightmares used the buttons, switches and knobs still, but for movements, the two control joysticks were far superior and better for the fast reaction times needed in Knightmare combat.
"Wait...did you say you know how to pilot a Knightmare?" she abruptly asked Lelouch, recalling he'd said something like that earlier.
"Most scions of noble families, as well as the children of the richer among the merchant class, now learn at least the basics of operating a Knightmare since the Glasgow became obsolescent and available for purchase outside of the military." Lelouch informed her with a small smile. "Aside from myself, Milly is actually a fairly good Knightmare pilot, as are a couple of others. Most at Ashford could at least operate the MR-1 without any difficulty."
Kallen wasn't that impressed; the MR-1 was a non-combat Knightmare Frame intended for civilian use. It had been what Ohgi had used to catch her, Zero and that ass Kururugi after they saved the ungrateful moron from his trip to the kangaroo court. Piloting that Fourth Gen piece of scrap was not an impressive feat; its controls were dumbed down thanks to its lack of weapon and targeting systems and the fact that its movements weren't designed for the near-human fluidity of combat models, and their Landspinners were severely downgraded to the point that even her old Glasgow could have run circles around it.
"And you?" she asked.
"Ah...now that, my dear Kallen, would be telling." Lelouch smirked infuriatingly at her before changing the subject. "There is another Knightmare that I think you may like to see, if you can bear to tear yourself away from this one."
Blushing at him calling her 'my dear' like that, Kallen hastily dismounted from the Ganymede and took one last glimpse at it before following Lelouch. It wasn't her Guren by any stretch of the imagination, but the cockpit had a very comfortable feel to it that her refurbished Glasgow and customised Sutherland hadn't had.
"This is something that very few people know about, so keep it on the quiet, OK?" Lelouch said sternly as he led her to another massive door set into the side of the Ganymede's hanger bay. Tapping another code into the pad by the door, he stepped back as the doors slid open, revealing...
"Is that ANOTHER Ganymede?!" Kallen blinked before shaking her head. "No...it's different...a sister unit?"
The Knightmare before her was greatly similar to the Ganymede, if a lot more streamlined and advanced. The vulnerable joints were protected by armour, the limbs were a lot more sturdy and robust, while the feet looked more normal, with the Landspinners positioned more like they were on Glasgows, Sutherlands and Gloucesters. The shoulder units were also slightly shorted and there was an actual head unit, with a handsome and noble face affixed to the front. While the colour scheme was the same, the double fleur-de-lis of the Ashford Family was missing from the front, replaced instead with a shield bearing a familiar device: a lion sejant erect (a lion sitting on its haunches with its forelegs raised up), a sword clasped in one paw and a lamp in the other.
"That's...the crest of the vi Britannia family...!" the redhead realised.
"Indeed it is." Lelouch smiled somewhat sadly up at the Knightmare. "This was something that Dean Ashford created two years after the invasion of Japan and the Ashford Family's subsequent exile here. It was a work ahead of its time and something of a possible future that never came to be. Allow me to introduce you to the YF7-X10K/P Fifth Generation Knightmare Frame, the Ganymede Aquarius."
"Two years...that was a year before the Sutherland was first developed!" Kallen said in shock.
"The generational leap between the Fourth and Fifth Generations was a fairly minor one, at least when compared to the jump between the Third and Fourth Generations." Lelouch waved a hand dismissively. "Remove some errors in the Slash Harken launch system, beef up the armour and servomotors, add armour to the joints, boost the output and efficiency of the Yggdrasil Drive and you can easily convert a Glasgow into a Sutherland. Once the Dean got his hands on the blueprints to the Glasgow, he easily designed this improved version of the Ganymede and had it manufactured, just in case the JLF ever tried to attack the Settlement and Prince Clovis showed his usual degree of competency...or lack thereof."
That little aside had Kallen choking in both laughter and disbelief. Most Britannians viewed the deceased prince with pity and a little irritation thanks to his habit of going for the cheapest option available when it came to things he wasn't interested in, which amounted to almost every single thing that a Viceroy was supposed to do, and funnelling the funds into his pet projects.
The less said about what the Japanese people thought of the fop, the better.
"You should be careful! What if someone hears you?!" she hissed once she got herself under control.
"Anyone who can bug this place is either a ghost or God." Lelouch stated bluntly. "I'd have a better chance of infiltrating the Viceroyal Palace wearing neon orange clothing and with a marching band following me than members of the OSI would have of infiltrating this area of the Academy."
Kallen eyed him at that declaration, and the flat, assured confidence with which it was spoken, with scepticism before shrugging. This did seem like somewhere that the Ashfords kept spy-free, so Lelouch undoubtedly had reason to be confident in the security here.
"So why keep it so well hidden?" she moved on. "I mean, it's just a 5th Gen machine..."
"A 5th Gen machine fully loaded for battle." the boy corrected her. He pointed at the shoulder pylons. "Those each have three racks of six dumbfire missiles loaded into them. It has a pair of Slash Harkens mounted in the palms, another pair on either side of the waist. Hidden inside the top of the arms are a pair of deployable tri-barrelled mini-gatling guns, and there's a customised Knightmare Sword and Battle Rifle mounted in racks on the walls. This thing could give a Gloucester a run for its money...something that no one outside of the military or arms developers are supposed to have, although that won't be a problem for much longer."
The last was said quietly, but not so quietly that Kallen couldn't hear it. Instead of remarking on it, she filed it away to report to Zero, and only to Zero. If that idiot Tamaki, for example, heard about it, the entire Settlement would know about it inside of two days.
"I see." she said instead.
Later, when Kallen had headed home for the day, Lelouch was busy in his room typing away at the computer before a pair of familiar arms wrapped around him.
"So lover boy, what was with telling Kallen about the Ganymede Aquarius, hmm?" C.C. asked in a throaty purr.
"There have been rumblings about why she's wasting her time at school, love." he replied. "Aside from gauging the mood of the higher-class Britannian teens, her time here is simply her 'wasting time and resources', at least according to Asahina."
"That man is simply looking to tear down any of your supporters as much as he can." the verdette growled. If that bespectacled rabble rouser didn't stop trying to undermine her lover, he'd find himself in hot water sooner rather than later.
"True, but technically he's right, and Ohgi's protests about her getting a proper education don't work on Asahina." Lelouch countered. "So I deliberately let slip two pieces of information in addition to the news of Milly's 'aborted assassination' that I told her about during the day. First, that Ashford has a Fifth Generation Knightmare Frame on campus. Second, that the Ashford Foundation is going to start producing arms and armour for the military at some point in the future. Those are two valuable pieces of information, which will make her time spent here be seen as more valuable than it has been, especially if she can, perhaps, discover some convoys going to out of the way Britannian bases and ammo dumps filled to the brim with new materiel. She won't, but a few bits of harmless intelligence won't go amiss."
"And you decided to do it this way because...?" C.C. pressed him.
"Because it looks suspicious if Zero is the only one bringing all of the intelligence in." the Exiled Prince explained. "Tōdō has made some pointed mutterings about it himself. Even using the 'Void Order' as an excuse isn't going to screen it for long, so I'm going to have to spread the wealth around a bit, so to speak."
"And it has nothing to do with the fact that you don't want Kallen to leave the school, does it?" the immortal teased him. Feeling the temperature on his face rise ever so slightly, C.C. giggled and pressed a kiss to his cheek. "Silly boy. She's Zero's Knight of Honour, after all. She couldn't get away from you if she tried."
"Shush, witch." he said loftily before dragging her into a kiss.
The Next Day
Viceroy's Office, Area 11 administration Building
"How many bases have been hit?" Cornelia's voice was grim and angry.
"Across the last two days, nine separate bases ranging across the outlying regions of both the Greater Tokyo area and the Gunma Prefecture have been stuck, Princess." Darlton replied seriously. The old Knight stood at attention in front of the desk his Princess sat behind.
"Nine...these scum are becoming too bold." the Viceroy growled, lip curling in anger. "What are the casualties?"
"Approximately a dozen Sutherlands are damaged beyond repair, with another six needing some serious repair work before they're good as anything but parts. At least three dozen suffered minor damage but are still combat capable if needed, but will require repairs to be at full operational." Gilford reported from beside Darlton. "We were lucky; only two Knights are reported as KIA with another that will likely pass away within the next day or so. None have been reported as MIA and the rest have minor wounds only; they'll need a few days to recuperate but should otherwise be fine. Unfortunately, the casualties among the footsoldiers is far higher, with over fifty being seriously wounded and fourteen confirmed dead."
"The Neo Shinsengumi..." Cornelia's expression turned thunderous. "I want them found, now! They have pushed my tolerance for the last time! Thanks to Zero, these dregs think they can run rampant as they please? We shall see about that...!"
The two men felt a flicker of pity for the idiots in blue and white. Their lady was in no mood to deal with further distractions while dealing with the threat of Zero and his Black Knights and the search for her younger siblings. When she was in such a mood her moniker as 'The Witch of Britannia,' the merciless and utterly ruthless strategist, proved to be well-earned.
"Is there any GOOD news today?" her spleen vented, the pink-haired royal leaned back in her chair with a tired sigh.
"Actually, yes." Darlton said with a smile. "I just got word that the boys will be along inside of the next week. Area 18 is, as of now, officially pacified."
"That is good news!" Cornelia smiled back. The adopted sons of Andreas Darlton, the Glaston Knights, were all former Numbers, now Honorary Britannians, that the man had adopted. All of them were proud, honourable, stalwart Knights who were unfailingly loyal to both their father and to her. It was only because they had volunteered to finish the job in the new Area 18 that she had come to Area 11 so quickly after Clovis was killed. "We need all the help we can get. Dorothea is acting like a spoiled brat in harrying the engineers to rebuild her Exeter."
The two Knights rolled their eyes in unison. The fact that all of her weapons had been destroyed was one thing, but the stress from the high-speed battle plus the damage dealt by the favoured close combat weapons of the Black Knights used, those chainsaw-swords, meant that all of the Exeter's limbs would have to be replaced as well. Which was basically impossible since the fool girl hadn't thought to bring any spare parts for the Custom 5th Generation machine. A stupid and arrogant thing to do, but that was very much in line with the way of thinking of Dorothea Ernst.
"Speaking of Knights of Round, where's Nonette gotten off to?" Cornelia looked around warily, almost as if expecting the woman to pop out and surprise her.
"Lady Enneagram was called to Camelot's lab, as Earl Asplund is beginning on the refurbishment of the Bedivere today and he claimed to require the pilot." Gilford informed her. "She was...most enthusiastic at the idea."
"Of course she is." Cornelia shook her head. "The Bedivere should have been modernised as soon as it was found that Nonette could move it, or at least as soon as she set foot in Area 11. It's a good thing she decided to dip into her personal wealth to get things done; otherwise she'd have to wait for the damn bureaucracy to catch up."
"Speaking of Camelot...there is a missive here for you from Prince Schneizel." Darlton said, handing over a letter bearing the Second Prince's personal emblem on the wax seal.
Cornelia took it with a nod before breaking the seal and opening it up. Skimming it, she grimaced at two particular items, one of which would not make Euphie happy.
"Two things that need attention." she sighed. "First, and least importantly, my brother is having a Command G-1 sent here to be given over to the control of the Camelot unit stationed here, under the command of Earl Asplund. It's to be retrofitted into an exclusive mobile repair/command station for the Lancelot."
"Has His Highness stated a reason for that? It is most unusual." Gilford said with a surprised blink. Command G-1s were expensive to build and maintain, one of the reasons they were mostly reserved for Royals and high-ranking Nobles. Having one issued to a group of scientists, the highest-ranking one being a mere Earl, was unusually in the extreme.
"Evidently, things here in Area 11 are becoming dangerous enough and the Lancelot important enough, to warrant the additional protection that a G-1 has over the current trailer that Camelot uses." the Princess scowled at that very subtle, very mild rebuke inherent in it from her older brother.
"And the second item?" Andreas prompted her.
"Secondly, Suzaku Kururugi is to be taken off of medical leave and returned to active duty, effective immediately." Cornelia sighed. "Evidently, Earl Asplund has lost his patience with the lack of results that therapy has been providing and has decided to kick up a fuss about the Lancelot missing opportunities to 'gain valuable field data' after it missed its chance to shine at Port Yokosuka because the only pilot is on forced medical leave."
"I actually agree with Princess Euphemia about this." Andreas Darlton frowned. "Someone uncaring of their own life should not be the pilot of one of only two Seventh Generation machines that we possess, at least until his trauma has been mitigated enough to make him stable enough. We're risking a valuable resource on someone who doesn't care if he lives or dies."
It was a bit cold, but true. Someone with Kururugi's current mentality would take unnecessary risks on the battlefield, risks that could see the Lancelot damaged, destroyed, or even stolen.
"Regardless of our opinions, Warrant Officer Kururugi is officially a member of Camelot first and foremost, and my sister's order can and has been overturned by Schneizel." Cornelia said flatly. "He has sole authority over Camelot when he chooses to exercise it; even an Area Viceroy or the Chief General of the Imperial Army can't gainsay his authority over his own men. I do not understand why Father lets Schneizel run a division that is only answerable to someone outside of his control like this, but my hands are tied. Something that may mollify Euphie though is that my brother has agreed that Kururugi's therapy sessions must continue, even if they will now be reduced and scheduled around his duties to Camelot."
"That's...surprising." Gilford said carefully. Schneizel wasn't exactly the compassionate type.
"The Lancelot is an investment for Camelot, a hefty one at that, in terms of both money and prestige." the Viceroy stated simply, a slight frown on her face as she pondered the workings of her brother's mind. "Simply put, it's less expensive to simply keep the boy in therapy then it would be to either repair or even replace it if it was damaged because Kururugi couldn't care less if he lives or dies. Not to mention the prestige of having one his pet projects destroyed because of a pilot's suicidal stupidity."
"Ah." the bespectacled man nodded. That was more along the line of the Second Prince's character, pragmatic to a fault.
"Speaking of Port Yokosuka...Princess, we need to get more Seventh Generations." Darlton said with a frowned. "The AARs show that our Gloucesters, never mind the Sutherlands, were outmatched in almost every area by the ones piloted by Tōdō and his Four Holy Swords, and that doesn't take into account the other three that the Black Knights have deployed alongside them. That's eight Seventh Generations, with one of them, presumably the one piloted by this so-called 'Red Queen', able to match a Knight of Round in a fight."
Cornelia nodded grimly. Generational leaps in Knightmare technology always rendered the previous one obsolete, with only the Sixth Generation being the exception, earning it the nickname of the 'Missing Generation' as a result.
"As soon as Earl Asplund is finished with the Bedivere, I shall have the man build appropriate Knightmares for myself, the both of you and for the Glaston Knights." she said, somewhat sourly. Lloyd Asplund was a royal pain in the rear to deal with, and interacting with the man always gave her a headache.
"Should I start the arrangements for a large sum to be transferred from your Homeland Personal Account to one in Area 11, Princess?" Gilford asked.
"Please do, since I sincerely doubt that this endeavour will in any way be cheap." Cornelia scowled. "Nonette has also made me consider...having a Knightmare made for Euphie."
"I...ah...thought that Princess Euphemia was not enthused by battle, princess?" Andreas asked delicately.
"She isn't. She recognises that it is sometimes inevitable, but she does not like to fight in the way Britannia does for conquest, glory and honour." the eldest of the li Britannia sisters said with a slightly pained and concerned look in her eyes. If her sister's views were made widely known, it was more than likely that the Emperor would do something to ensure they spread no further, like using her as a hostage like he had done to Lelouch and Nunnally. "Still, she is a fairly good Knightmare pilot thanks to your tutoring, Andreas, so if nothing else a Seventh Generation Knightmare will allow her to defend herself and escape should the worst befall us."
Her Knights looked at her in shock, not believing that the proud and determined woman had said such a thing!
"Don't give me that look." Cornelia scowled at her two personal Knights. "If nothing, Zero has taught me that one should never depend on a plan surviving contact with the enemy, as well as having numerous plans in place to accommodate for the first failing in some way. This is merely preparing for a worst case scenario, nothing more."
The Viceroy of Area 11 sat back and sighed slightly. "If there's something to dislike about the advent of Knightmares, it would be that using them has dulled our strategic senses. Seven years ago proved that even as few as the sixty Glasgows of the first wave of production of the Fourth Generation could pose a serious threat to an army without them. Even a single Glasgow has the strength of an army, so strategy has fallen to the wayside. Well, no more. Zero has shown that the use of strategy combined with Knightmares can be a truly terrifying thing. I believe that I need to start a refresher course in strategy."
The hard, determined smile on Cornelia's face would have made lesser men tremble.
"Then we'll see how I stack up to Zero in battle."
The Next Day
Camelot Hanger Bay, Area 11 Administration Building
"Ah, welcome back, Warrant!" Lloyd Asplund said, his face an inch or so from a taken-aback Suzaku's own. "Did you enjoy your time off? Your little holiday?"
"I was having mandatory therapy sessions, Lloyd!" the Honorary Britannian protested. "It wasn't exactly a bundle of laughs for me, you know!"
"Yes, yes, I'm sure it was unpleasant, but now we have important work to do!" the batty scientist flapped one hand at the nearby simulator. "I'm afraid I have other duties to attend to, more's the pity, but I'm sure you and Cécile can muddle along without me. You've been away from Knightmares for quite some time, so you'll be doing a few simple simulations to get back in the swing of things, as well as rereading the Lancelot's manual afterwards. Be certain to read it from cover to cover, as I'll be personally quizzing you afterwards!"
Great.
Suzaku sighed as his probably-insane boss bustled off muttering about something called the Bedivere and various seemingly nonsensical technological terms regarding what he was going to do.
"Has he...gotten worse since I was away, or is that just me having not been around him for so long that I've forgotten what he's like?" the boy wondered in mild bewilderment.
"He...has gotten somewhat more...eccentric..." Cécile Croomy said with a strained smile as she walked up to him. "He's been in a bit of a mood since the Battle of Port Yokosuka, but it only got worse when he learned that there were other Seventh Generation Frames involved. Now he's furious that Rakshata has been confirmed to have at least eight frames to draw data from while we haven't been able to gather any from the Lancelot in over a month. I…I honestly think he might be a bit worried he's going to fall behind his rival."
Suzaku gaped at her. "Eight?! How could they have the resources to...?!"
The red and orange unit with the clawed silver arm was bad enough, but seven others in addition to it was a nightmare.
"We wonder that as well, but they exist, so..." the blue-haired woman shrugged. "Anyway, the two Knights of Round and Princess Cornelia held them at bay; Lady Ernst fought a version of the crimson and orange machine without the silver arm, Princess Cornelia fought what were obviously Limited Production versions of it piloted by Tōdō and his Four Holy Swords, while Lady Enneagram fought the unit you encountered at Narita."
As Ms. Cécile led him over to the simulator and filled him in on the actions taken by the Black Knights since he was away, as well as the founding of the stupidly named Neo Shinsengumi, rage bubbled in his mind.
'Zero, can't you see what you're doing?! You're spreading more chaos! Inciting more conflict!' he growled to himself. 'Just how far are you planning to push this? Until all of Area 11 is a crater-filled charnel house?!'
Filled with determination, the Honorary Britannian aced every single simulation that day, as well as getting an almost perfect score on Lloyd's written test. As he went through it all, the vision of a man wearing the black and gold outfit of Zero, that faceless mask somehow broadcasting a sense of superiority and smugness.
The therapist that he been going to (and was still going to see once a week, much to his aggravation) had been able to diagnose his Martyr Complex very easily, but therapy, unfortunately, only works if the subject wants to he helped. Suzaku had known that what he had done was so bad that nothing could absolve him of his sin. His own judgement was suspect, so allowing the system to judge for him was the logical course.
Japan was dead, leaving only Area 11 of the Holy Britannian Empire. Why...just why couldn't these people understand what they were doing was wrong!?
'Because unlike you, they cannot use the system.' a traitorous voice that sounded suspiciously like that of his father, Genbu, spoke up in his head. 'It has betrayed them and trampled upon them, their loved ones and their pride. And it has done so because of what you have wrought, you foolish whelp!'
'And what about those for whom the system is the only choice?!' he mentally replied angrily. 'What about them?!'
'This isn't about good and evil.' this time the voice was of his old sensei, Tōdō. 'This is about the nuances of right and wrong. This is about the shades of grey that you refuse to see, because it would mean you once more taking on the responsibility of choice and judgement that you have long since cast off, my naïve disciple.'
'I chose and judged what to do once before, and look how that turned out?!' the boy shivered as the image of his father bleeding out on the floor of his study reappeared in his mind. 'Never again. The system-!'
'Is broken, corrupt and venal. Above all else it is Britannian.' this time it was Lelouch who spoke, his voice seemingly mixing the younger heat-filled voice of when they'd first met and the calmer, sarcastic edge the teenage version possessed. 'I know Britannia better than you could ever hope to, and you haven't asked the real me if Britannia is worth saving. You don't, because you already know my answer...it isn't. The Area and Number Systems are cruel and degrading, the Honorary Britannian System a joke and a pale palliative compare to what they have lost. Those who rebel against it know this and fight hard to reclaim what was lost. If you can't see that...then you are truly lost.'
'L-Lelouch is jaded.' Suzaku fought to argue with this newest viewpoint. 'After everything that's happened he's too bitter to look at things impartially. I'm sure that if he could just take a step back…'
"-uzaku? Suzaku?" Cécile's voice drew him out of his spiralling thoughts.
"Oh...sorry, Ms. Cécile." Suzaku smiled uncomfortably. He and she were sitting at a table as she made adjustments to the Lancelot's system based on his recent simulation scores and data. "I was lost in thought."
"Deep thoughts, and not pleasant ones judging from the state of the table." the bluenette remarked, nodding at where his hands had been gripping the table. The boy blushed in embarrassment as he saw that he'd been gripping the table so hard that the wood was cracked.
"Just...the therapy brought up some uncomfortable thoughts that I'm not liking." he admitted as he got back to what he should have been doing and getting up to date with his schoolwork from Ashford that the Dean had kindly sent over for him to get done.
"I see." Cécile nodded. "Well, I don't know what it is that you talked about with the therapist, and I'm sure you've gotten tired of talking about it, but...if you do ever want to, I'm available to listen."
An honest smile came across Suzaku's face. Cécile Croomy may have questionable abilities when it came to 'womanly' skills like cooking, but as a scientist and as a person, she was better than almost anyone Suzaku had ever met. Only Nunnally had a more reassuring and soothing presence to Suzaku.
"Thanks, Ms. Cécile." he said with appreciation in his voice. "If I do ever need to talk to someone who isn't my therapist, I will definitely ask you."
Nodding, with a slight pink tinge to her cheeks, the older woman coughed. "Ahem. Well now...the Lancelot has been updated with the information from your simulations just now and your estimated Sync Ratio with the Lancelot is at 95%. Congratulations! Only a handful of Knights have ever achieved a 95% Sync Ratio with their Knightmares, and this is a Seventh Generation we're talking about here!"
Unsure how to respond, Suzaku bashfully scratched his chin for a moment before asking, "Is there no way to increase the Sync Ratio to a hundred percent?"
"Not without cybernetic implants, I'm afraid." Cécile replied at once. "Lloyd looked into it and the only way to fully synchronise with a Knightmare is to have a direct synaptic link between the pilot and machine. The EU have recently deployed machines that use something like that called the Brain Raid System, which essentially turns the brain of their pilot into a working part of the computer for the Knightmare. The downside is that there seems to be a flat 5% chance for the pilot to die each time the system is activated, probably because of the risks of Direct Brain Access."
"And the EU deploys Knightmares that have such a dangerous system in them?!" Suzaku gaped.
"It's why Britannian DBA Research has been set aside until technology advances to the point that we can remove that 5%." Cécile said with a shrug. "Anyway, the only likely way around using DBA has been hypothesised to have the Knightmare linked into the pilot's nervous system using an extensive series of cybernetic implants with artificially strengthened nerves to allow the pilot to control the Knightmare with nerve impulses rather than joysticks or buttons...for the most part, anyway. The amount of cybernetic implants would be very, very extensive though...as in something approaching 60% of your body at least."
"And so that research is probably on the back burner as well." Suzaku concluded.
"Yes." the scientist agreed. "Modern medical science still hasn't figured out how to prevent the human body rejecting even a single piece of equipment such as an artificial heart or pacemaker, so figuring out how to integrate so many implants at once...is frankly beyond Britannian science right now."
"I'd imagine it would also be pretty pricey." Suzaku mused.
"Millions of pounds for the implants, the surgery, the surgeons, the aftercare and the convalescence period afterwards." Cécile said vehemently. "And that's not including the cost of the Knightmare itself, as well as the specialized linkage equipment to provide the link. For the cost of one pilot, his implants and his Knightmare, you could equip an entire battalion of Gloucesters."
The brown-haired boy winced at that price tag. "So 'pricey' was a bit of an understatement." he muttered sheepishly.
Cécile giggled a bit at that. "Indeed. Which is why the research is shelved." Cécile shrugged again. "Not to mention that 'befouling their pure bodies' is an abhorrent idea to a lot of Nobles, who make up a sizeable percentage of the Knightmare pilots. If more commoners were a part of the Armoured Cavalry, it might be a different story, but as it is..."
A sour feeling came over Suzaku at that. So the only reason why this research wasn't being pursued wasn't because of any MORAL issues; it was simply that the Nobles didn't want it to be researched.
Dismissing his negative feelings that seemed to gloat at him about the wrongness of his choice, Suzaku mentally cracked his knuckles and tackled the bane of any high school student...calculus.
Same Time
Board Room, Japanese Government in Exile Consulate, Beijing, Chinese Federation
"What do you MEAN our timetable is going to be pushed back! This makes the fourth time this year!"
Atsushi Sawazaki sighed in irritation as the other members of the Japanese Government in Exile started grumbling. As the former Chief Cabinet Secretary of the Kururugi Administration, he was used to meetings breaking down into shouting, but he was just so damned fed up with it by this point.
"SILENCE!" he shouted, making the men around him shut up for a moment. "Good, now act your ages rather than your shoe sizes. We all know that the Chinese Federation has more cracks in it than we might like, and that they have frequent peasant uprisings because of that, so that the reclamation of Japan being delayed another month or so shouldn't come as a surprise."
"This is the fourth time! Fourth!" Hayato Tsuwabuki snapped. He had formerly been the Minister of Finance for the Kururugi Regime. "Daisuke, is this any kind of way to run a country?!"
Daisuke Arisugawa, the former Minister of Defence, raised an eyebrow at his companion. "It isn't my country, so I have no say in it, nor do I really care. The delay is irksome, I will grant you that, but so long as Japan is liberated from those Brit scumbags, I could care less about the price of peas in Peking."
"Grrr..." Tsuwabuki growled.
"Kubōin, can you give us any idea as to what the Six Houses are thinking at the moment?" Sawazaki asked the sole member of their group who had a link to the old oligarchs who had backed the Kururugi Regime.
Nobuyuki Kubōin slackly shrugged at his superior. He had been the Press Secretary of the Kururugi Regime so he was bit out of his element, but had adapted well enough. "I have no clue, sir. The current head of the Kubōin, old man Hidenobu, has basically ignored any of my calls since this Zero character showed up. In all likelihood, the Six Houses are aligned with him."
"Fah, that charlatan!" Tsuwabuki growled, his disdain obvious as he started another rant. "That cheap costumed freak! They back him over us?!"
"He has defeated Britannia a great many times, Tsuwabuki." Arisugawa pointed out calmly. As the only real military man among them, his opinion carried some weight in these matters. "Defeating Clovis would have been easy, but Cornelia? The Witch of Britannia? Three times? No matter what, Zero's skill as a general cannot be underestimated."
"Which is why we are lending aid to the 'Neo Shinsengumi' to distract him." Sawazaki stated confidently. He gestured at the map of Japan pinned to the far wall. "We can take Japan, we can fight the Witch and her forces, but we cannot fight the Witch and the so-called 'Man of Miracles' if he chooses to stand against us as well. That fanatic Kadzuki will suffice well enough as a distraction. By the time Zero manages to rid himself of that louse, we will have taken the majority of Japan back and even Zero will have to bow to the army the Chinese Federation is lending us for the attack."
"I sincerely hope that you know what you're doing, Sawazaki." Kubōin said in his usual lazy drawl. "The Chinese aren't any better than Britannia in reality. It could be we're just exchanging one overlord for another here."
"That's enough of that talk!" Sawazaki barked, ignoring the little voice that told him that the younger man might be right. "We've made our bed and now we have to lie in it. Is that understood?"
The silence in the room made it clear that his point was taken: no backing out.
"Dismissed." the old politician sighed and prayed to the gods that he was making the right decision.
The Next Day, Early Morning
Camelot Trailer, Greater Tokyo Area
"I can't believe these Neo Shinsengumi guys are being so bold!" Suzaku muttered as he flicked through the sparse report Ms. Cécile had given him. "No one's struck a base so close to the Settlement in years!"
"Which conversely makes it the perfect target, Kururugi." Lloyd replied absently, grinning as he worked on fine-tuning his Magnus Opus for the nth time. "Even with all of the raids these needlessly named nitwits have been conducting, they haven't struck this closely before...until now. So forces were removed from the closer bases in order to provide extra support for the more far-flung ones, leaving them vulnerable. Of course, this provide us with plenty of opportunity to finally start gathering battle data again!"
Suzaku and Cécile exchanged weary and exasperated looks at their superior's laser-point focus on his machine rather than the loss of men, machines and materiel that these raids resulted in. Camelot had been scrambled by order of the Knight of Nine, with the Authority of Princess Cornelia, to intercept the raiders.
"It says here that the raid was over two hours ago." Suzaku frowned as he returned his gaze to the report. "How are we going to find them? They could be many miles away by now."
"That's simple! There's a solid cordon of Knightmares, APC's and aerial surveillance drones from the bases further out in the Greater Tokyo Area, a cordon that is closing in and tightening its hold on the area." the bespectacled scientist said cheerfully. "We're heading to one place where they will have to pass in order to escape it, a deliberate hole in the blockade, so to speak. Rather like a fox hunt, don't you know."
The boy frowned. "Are we going to give them a chance to surrender?"
"You can if you like, but the ones at Port Yokosuka had rigged their cockpits to explode once their Knightmares were disabled, and they seemed to be very much a group of fanatics." Lloyd shrugged. "I'd say that your mercy would only hurt you, my boy. I think that it's a Chinese saying that 'Kindness to one's enemies is cruelty to one's self' right?"
"As inappropriately as he put it, Lloyd's right, Suzaku." Cécile chimed in after throwing a dirty look at her boss. "These people have literally died rather than surrender. The few seconds of hesitation that you might have after giving a surrender demand might be enough for them to get close enough to deal damage to the Lancelot and hurt you. If you do offer them a chance to surrender, hold yourself ready to fight at any moment."
"I'll do that, Ms. Cécile." Suzaku nodded at her with a smile.
Later
Intercept Point
"Z0-1 Lancelot, launching! Please clear the area!" Cécile's voice boomed over the loudspeakers. The numerous technicians retreated to the relative safety of the interior of the trailer, away from the white and gold Knightmare.
"All systems green here, Ms. Cécile." Suzaku reported as he finished the pre-launch procedures.
"Roger that, Lancelot." Cécile replied professionally. "The enemy is approximately one mile away and numbers approximately twelve Knightmares, most of them being the old Burai type, with half a dozen truck being escorted by them. Your mission is to eliminate the Knightmares and prevent the escape of the trucks so that friendly forces can recapture the contents of them."
"Received and understood." Suzaku nodded. "Requesting permission to launch."
"Permission granted. Good hunting, Lancelot." Cécile said formally.
"Roger that. Z0-1 Lancelot: Launching!" Suzaku sent the Lancelot hurling forward, speeding across the ground towards his targets. The area was mostly cleared land, with the occasional group of trees that he took care to avoid. The land had seen enough destruction thanks to Zero at Narita.
'Where are they...there!' the Lancelot Pilot though as he sighted his targets. Twelve Knightmares, bearing the blue and white colours of the 'Neo' Shinsengumi, were trundling along on either side of the road, escorting six standard Britannian trucks down the road.
Taking their fanaticism into account, Suzaku decided that he'd simply eliminate the regular Burai, of which there were nine, and try to take the ones in the more advanced Burai intact. They were likely the leaders of this little raid, and would doubtless possess intelligence on their terrorist organisation. Hopefully, they would also possess a bit more sense and intelligence than zeal and fanaticism. With a flick of a switch, the Lancelot drew and activated an MVS as he closed on the Neo Shinsengumi.
With the Neo Shinsengumi
Lieutenant Tsukasa Yoshiwara of the Neo Shinsengumi was in a very good mood. His raiding party had acquired three trucks worth of food and three trucks packed full of ammunition, grenades and other useful items from those decadent Britannian fools.
His lip curled as he quickly scanned the area using his Factsphere. The idiots hadn't even set a proper watch. Really, his own drill sergeant from basic training would have had them marching till doomsday for that little bit of idiocy.
"Katana-3 to Katana-Lead, there's an incoming enemy from nine o'clock!" one of his men spoke up.
Frowning, Yoshiwara turned his Burai Kai around and activated his Factsphere sensor again. Just as Katana-Three had reported, there was one, single unit approaching them at rapid speed.
"Katana-Lead to Katana-Three, good catch soldier." he radioed. "Katana-Lead to all Katana Units. Prepare for combat! Katana-Lead to Saya Units, there's an enemy unit on approach. Burn some rubber and get out while we deal with it."
"Saya-Lead to Katana-Lead, roger that. Give those Brit bastards some more payback for us!" the leader of the trucks replied. "For the Honour of the Neo Shinsengumi!"
"For the Honour of the Neo Shinsengumi!" Yoshiwara replied before returning his attention to the matter at hand. "Move out!"
In almost perfect unison, the trucks accelerated to close to their top speed, while the Knightmares peeled off and moved into an offensive formation; each spread out just far enough that one falling wouldn't clip any of their fellows, but still within range to aid them in close combat.
"But who would be stupid enough to face twelve Knightmares with only a single unit...?" the leader of the detachment muttered as he activated his Factsphere Sensor again and zoomed in on the approaching unit...at which point he blanched. He hadn't been one of the initial members of the Neo Shinsengumi that Major Kadzuki had brought with him after Narita; he'd been stationed on a remote watchtower and had witnessed the entire Battle of Narita from start to finish, and something that had stuck in his mind had been the battle between what he'd recognised as the Guren Nishiki and a white and gold Knightmare...the same one bearing down on them right this instant.
To give the man credit, he only gaped in horrified realisation for an instant before scrambling for his radio. "Katana-Lead to all units! That's a Seventh Generation Knightmare, at least equal to the Guren Nishiki, approaching! Do not engage it in close combat! Katana-One, you and your wing flank the bastard from the left, my wing with flank them from the right! Once we have him pinned, Katana-Twelve and Katana-Three will toss a couple of Chaos Mines in to finish the bastard off!"
Again, to give Yoshiwara credit, that would probably have worked with almost any other Knightmare, but this was the Lancelot, piloted by Suzaku Kururugi. Even as the twelve Knightmares split to perform their flanking manoeuvre, the white and gold Knightmare was upon them, using a Slash Harken from its wrist to propel itself along in the air and roundhouse kicking the lead Burai right in the head, breaking through the thin armour over the Factsphere Sensor and immobilising the entire unit.
Yoshiwara gaped at that display of agility from a Knightmare and opened fire at once, swiftly followed by the rest of the men under his command. It was to no avail, however, as another display of inhuman agility from the Lancelot had every single bullet miss their target, even as the red blade in its hand lashed out, slicing limbs and guns apart, making more and more of the Burai fall to the ground, immobile.
Soon, there were only the three Burai Kai piloted by Yoshiwara and his two NCO's left standing. The Lancelot stood surrounded by the dismantled remains of most of Yoshiwara's squad and the man was gripping the controls of his Knightmare tightly as he sweated.
"...monster...!" he whispered.
"Your men are defeated and you are outmatched." the pilot of the Lancelot announced over his speakers. "Surrender now and be smart."
For just the hair of an instant, he considered it, before his pride revolted. Death before dishonour it was then.
With a few whispered words on the radio to his downed teammates, Yoshiwara threw aside his Battle Rifle and drew the Kaiten Yaibatō that all Burai Kai came equipped with. Seconds later, all of the Burai around the Lancelot engaged their self-destruct and exploded, engulfing the white Knightmare in fire and smoke. That was the cue for the Burai Kai to charge, swords drawn back and roaring as they slashed out to shred the Knightmare into pieces.
Unfortunately, all they cut through was smoke. Keyed up from the battle, and forewarned about the zealous do or die tactics of the Neo Shinsengumi, Suzaku had made the Lancelot jump as soon as the first Burai, one a fair distance from his position, had blown up and he now descended from the sky, both MVS blades drawn.
With six mighty and ungodly fast slashes, two per Burai Kai, the last remaining Burai Kai collapsed.
"Surrender. Now." the voice of the Lancelot pilot sounded as if he were begging them, almost, Yoshiwara mused as blood leaked from a cut on his head. Taking a deep breath and idly fingering a button on the left of his control console, the man spoke his last words.
"For...the Honour...of the Neo...Shinsengumi!" Tsukasa Yoshiwara shouted before mashing his self-destruct.
Then his world was consumed by fire.
With Suzaku
A dead expression on his face after leaping away from the three advanced Burai blew up, Suzaku Kururugi contacted Ms. Cécile and said in a monotone. "Lancelot here. All Knightmares down, and they self-destructed. No survivors. Should I pursue the trucks?"
"...no, they've been caught. Well done, Suzaku." Cécile said softly. "Return to the trailer and stand down."
"Roger that." he said and cut the connection. Then he slammed his fist into the side of the cockpit.
"Dammit...!" he whispered. "Was dying worth it? You all died for nothing! No gains whatsoever! Why...why can't anyone wake up and see the truth...!"
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Next Chapter: Hierarchy of Black Knights
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