Villetta stole a glance towards Lelouch. She had finished the report he had asked her to do but it had been a couple of minutes now since he started reading it and he has just been silent. She was still a bit bothered by how things ended last time because she had been caught eavesdropping. It hadn't been truly intentional. She didn't do things like that. She would certainly not try to listen in on other people's conversations, especially members of the Imperial Family. She could forfeit her life. She didn't think that Lelouch would go that far but she still worried over his silence on the matter.
The Eleventh Prince continued reading Villetta's report as he responded without even casting the woman a look. "Speak your mind, Villetta. Nothing will get solved if you just continue staring at me," he said calmly.
Villetta looked away for a moment, realizing she had been caught. She still steeled herself and then spoke. "About the incident earlier; I'm really sorry about it," she said. "I assure you; it won't happen again."
"I should hope so," Lelouch said before falling silent. He then lifted his head and glanced at Villetta before speaking once more. "Were you thinking that I asked you to do this report because I was punishing you? If I really wanted to punish you, I could have sent you to Jeremiah, alone and then have you take the front lines in the next battle."
Villetta blinked, those words came out smoothly you would fail to realize just how cold the intention was. That was just a way to kill her without doing it himself. It made her realize that he could do something like that if he really wanted someone dead and the same could be done to him if the military generals wanted him dead. She was thankful that Lelouch didn't look like the type of person who would do something so cruel. But then again, he just said it as if he was greeting her. You could never know with members of the Imperial family.
"I just thought perhaps you were displeased with my actions. And I wanted to correct it."
"How?" Lelouch asked with a stare. "You can't undo what has already happened. How would you try to correct it, Villetta?" The Prince asked with curiosity, his eyes leaving the woman before him.
Villetta swallowed hard. She hadn't thought that far. She had simply been thinking about trying to talk to him about it. She ended up saying something she shouldn't have said without much thought. "Anything you want me to do. As long as it ensures that you can trust me again."
Lelouch raised an eye brow. He would never say something like that to Milly. She would make him miserable and he would live everyday to regret ever uttering those words. "If I asked you to go lock that door strip for me, would you do it?" He asked with narrowed eyes, a cold smile on his lips.
This just reminded Villetta of the laughter she heard from him when the enemy had fallen into his trap. She felt a cold chill run down her spine.
Seeing her stiff posture, Lelouch put on an amused look on his face. "You shouldn't say such things without thinking deeply. You'll end up being forced to do things you don't want to do, things that make you think military isn't worth anything," he lectured. "I had you do the report because it has been my intention. I want you to get used to drafting them. Ordinarily and when I can, I will handle them but when I am not able to do any report, those duties will be left for you."
Villetta blinked once. She hadn't thought things would become like that. Lelouch did seem content to do all the planning himself.
"I chose you for this job and let Jeremiah do the other things because he cannot do it. Maybe he can, but Jeremiah isn't measured and relaxed as you are."
Villetta smiled. "Thank you, Your Highness," she said. "I will give my best."
"I expect nothing less," Lelouch said. "Your report is good. I just made a couple of tweaks there and then. I will mail you the draft I have sent to Schneizel." He faced the woman for a moment before staring back at his skin. "I want you to do something for me. You should return soon."
"You want me to go somewhere?" Villetta wasn't sure about leaving his side. They were far away from home and there was no telling what would happen if things became heated in her absence.
Lelouch nodded. "You will take two soldiers from the first Squad. I want you to go get the energy fillers of the mobile bases stationed for the 2nd and 3rd squads. The maintenance team has something bigger than this for this base."
"What do you want to with them?" Villetta asked curiously.
"The fillers are made of Sakuradite and the material is highly explosive," Lelouch said with a smile. "This is my first battle and I need to win it at all costs. If we have to sacrifice many facilities of this base, then so be it. If we end up taking down the enemy, then all is well. As long as we have communications, it shouldn't be a problem. That aside, I have already mapped out the place we are going to use as a battlefield."
Villetta stared at the Prince for a moment before shaking her head. "I will get to it," she said standing up.
Lelouch watched her leave before getting up. He walked towards the control center and stared at the screen for a long moment before putting on a expressionless mask. He made the call to Cornelia. She had sent him a message saying she needed to speak to him. The woman was not present. She had gone into battle but would return within two to three hours. He waited for three hours, and Cornelia called.
She was staring at him curiously. Lelouch figured she had yet to be told anything about his activities. He had only spoken to Schneizel only a couple of hours ago.
"I was worried when I called and Jeremiah said you had been away but still didn't come back to me," Cornelia said.
Lelouch realized, she was alone. He didn't really need this from her though. He has been fine on his own and he didn't need her to start mothering him like a woman possessed. He wasn't as naïve and delicate as Euphemia. Their younger sister did need to be protected but Cornelia still needed to allow her to grow. "There was no network range to contact you," he said.
He had been in battle. Well, he could still contact her if he wanted to do it. He just had to contact the control center and have them connect him to her. But in battle, it was not needed. Not unless there was an emergency and he was calling for backup.
"While I appreciate that you care for me, I wish you would stop treating me like a child, Cornelia. I'm not in the same bracket as Euphie. I have been playing the role of an adult for quite long. You need to understand that I have grown and can take care of myself. If I'm struggling, I will call you," Lelouch continued speaking in a very stern tone.
"Grown?" Cornelia stared at Lelouch with an expressionless look on her face. "Is this why there are even rumors of marriage? Is this why you were seen with that Ashford girl?"
Lelouch frowned thinking about that incident. He really didn't want to think about it because it would take him to that moment where Milly kissed him. He has been doing well ignoring it. It also helped that there were many things that were of priority within his mind. "You are talking about what happened in Area 11," he said in a thoughtful tone. "Well, I will have to think about it…"
"You're still a child Lelouch! What do you know about marriage and relationships?"
Lelouch smiled at this. He wanted to remind her that she was going to hit her thirties soon and she had yet to even start any romantic relationships, but he held himself. Cornelia was not the one to lecture him about such relationships since she had no success to speak of it. "Then, sister, are you going to teach me about it?"
Cornelia stared at Lelouch for a long minute, wondering if he was joking or not. When she couldn't tell, she spoke, drifting away from the subject because she had no response. "How are you doing in defending the borders?" She asked.
"So far, so good. I returned here because we managed to win our first engagement without suffering massive losses. The EU forces should take a couple of days to gather themselves and regroup before thinking of attacking again," Lelouch said in a calm tone.
Cornelia thought about it for a moment before asking. "Shouldn't you attack while they are still regrouping?"
"They will be most vigilant now," Lelouch said with a shake of his head. "Considering that their frames specialize in long range combat, if we are attacking them in their defensive formation, we will lose many frames. They are easier to take apart when they are attacking."
"If they get reinforcements?"
Lelouch shook his head. "Not more forces from France. The EU will not send many more forces when they know we are not actually trying to get into Spain and but only trying to defend Portugal. Besides, Schneizel is possibly holding dialogues with them as this continues. Reinforcements will come from the other unit headed towards South of the Portuguese border. But I am expecting this. Britannian reinforcements should also be arriving soon," Lelouch said. "How long till you are done?"
"We are still busy repelling our opponents out of Morocco. This war has caused many people to flee from the country. No one is crossing the sea because there is also war in Spain." Cornelia responded with a shake of her head. "But we should be done within a few days."
Lelouch nodded. "Then I wish you continued success, sister."
"You too, Lelouch. If there is anything, please let me know."
"Of course," he said before disconnecting the line.
Four Days Later
The past days had been nothing but considerable silent. Villetta was not complaining. She had even forgotten that she was at war. Jeremiah hadn't reported anything dangerous. Well, in the past days. But this day, Sergeant Michael had called. They had to move once more. It was going to be another hell of a battle for survival and this one would be more problematic than the last. Yet, they had to go. They had to face their next opponents and grace the battlefield with victory in thought. Lelouch had made it clear, defeat for him and their Platoon was not an option. Defeat meant death for her, for Lelouch, it meant being captured by the EU, if he was unlucky not to die.
Villetta had come to conclude that although to commoners' princes lived the high life of luxury and always looked good, it was really not as it looked. The life was a struggle. If Lelouch was captured, there was no way the Britannian military was going to stop war just to save his life. He was just one prince out of many. He could always be replaced. Britannia had already invaded Japan while he was still within the nation.
She shook her head, clearing the thoughts and continued to listen to Sergeant Michael.
"…coming from the southern side. I haven't been able to get close enough to know what is happening in the camp, but they received reinforcements from the second unit and are planning to move. They are removing things in the camp to occupy somewhere closer to the border," the Sergeant said.
"They already know our goal is to ensure that they don't get into Portugal. But we have already moved into the enemy territory far than we had to. Keeping them away from the borders gave us a chance to attack, with mobility and a room to retreat. But once they get into the border, our only way of retreating is back into Portugal and we cannot have that," Lelouch said in a thoughtful tone. "How many frames are we talking about?"
"From my count, not more than 105 panzer-hummels," Michael said.
Lelouch adopted a thought look on his face. They could expect a second wave of attack with this. "Stay on-guard Sergeant, I will contact you soon," he said before switching off the line.
Villetta turned towards Lelouch; he didn't look bothered that they were going to face more frames this time once more. Their numbers were about eighty, the enemy still outnumbered them. And they had no more frames to spare. It was still not going to be an easy battle. But they had done it before with a larger force, they could do it again. "You're also joining this one?"
"I'm thinking about it," he said in thought. "Well, I guess I don't have much of a choice. If this mobile base could move further ahead, then I would move. But I can only go south and north, further ahead, there is no way for it to move. I want to be closer to the battlefield."
Villetta nodded. This time around, she would have to be more vigilant in ensuring that she watched his back – it was going to be much more dangerous than last time around. "At least you should take a Gloucester; it will be for you own security," she suggested.
Lelouch faced the woman for a moment before nodding. "We will leave in an hour… Schneizel said he would talk to the government of Portugal about watching our backs, so we can rest a little easy about an attack from behind," he said. "But he still hasn't said anything about the supplies I requested," he said.
"Once we use explosives in this road, we won't have anymore… and we are running out of energy fillers for the knightmare frames. The 80 frames are all we have. If we suffer heavy losses, we may have to think about retreat," Villetta said. "But we should be able to handle this battle without a problem and the next, but anywhere after that, I don't think we can survive. Food is still available; there are just a couple of things missing but nothing serious."
"If something happens to our supplies, we have a problem," Lelouch said with a slight shake of his head. "Go brief 1st Lt. Morris about the situation and then prepare for our departure. We will leave the maintenance squad with eight frames to protect the base if something comes," he said.
"Right away," Villetta said.
Lelouch did not move until Villetta was gone. Once she was out of the way, he picked up his cell; still no bars. The military handed out phones were the only ones registered to the networks they were using. He put away the cell leaned back to his sofa. He looked thoughtful for a couple of minutes before sitting up straight. He opened his laptop and video called Nina.
"Your H-highness," she greeted him with surprise. "I thought you are in war in Europe," she said.
"I am," Lelouch said calmly. "I wanted to see if you were able to receive everything you wanted."
Nina nodded slowly. "Yes," she said. "Milly's grandfather was also here. He didn't say much though. But I do have everything…"
"Good," Lelouch said. "When can I expect to see results?"
Nina blinked. She hadn't thought that he would be asking about results so soon. She did have a couple of theories she has been working on for a while, she just needed to run some tests. "A month," Nina said a bit slowly. "I can provide prototypes and experimental products. But I'll need to get them tested…"
Lelouch looked thoughtful for a moment. He knew what she meant by that. She needed a testing site. He could not afford to have things tested in Area 11 without people knowing. He shook his head; there were a couple of islands within the Area that didn't have people within them. "I will make arrangements for you to be taken to a testing site. You have to be careful though. The Area has terrorist groups; we wouldn't want them getting their hands on my toys."
"I understand," Nina said.
The Following Day
Confidence was a good thing; Lelouch didn't hate seeing the men smiling broadly upon his entrance to their camp once more. He gave them the confidence they would pull through. He had told them that they would make it and he would lead them to victory. So, he has done an excellent job. They could trust him. They would execute his orders, not just because they were ordered to do so but because they now believed that his methods would bring them victory, it would save their lives. It wasn't a bad thing to experience. He had been right, at the end of this; they would be chanting his name.
Lelouch smiled at the thought. He would have to thank Schneizel for making this come true. The Prime Minister may not have anticipated the larger than expected EU forces that they ended up fighting, but he had certainly pulled strings to get him to this battleground. Some vultures would have certainly agreed to it simply because they wanted to see Lelouch vi Britannia fail. But he would not fail. He would prove many people wrong and he would return to Pendragon with victory and a resounding chorus from his men.
The Eleventh prince looked around the camp for a moment; he had only arrived with Villetta but they had to move out. Sergeant Michael had sent him a coded message informing that the EU forces were on the move and that there were more likely on the way. It hadn't been a surprising story to him, Lelouch had expected for this. But the EU would not move all its forces because it didn't want to leave the Southern undefended even though it was now certain that Britannia had no interest in advancing into Spain.
Lelouch cleared his thoughts as his highest ranking subordinates surrounded him after he stepped out his frame. "There is not much time to spend looking around," he said to them. "As we speak, the EU forces are moving towards us," he said. "They grow closer to the borders and we don't want them here. Our offence has been the best form of defense, and since they are now attacking, we must counter attack."
"Their chosen place of battle is a problem," Albert said with a frown. "From what Sergeant Michael said, they are choosing a clear path that doesn't have trees to move. It will be difficult to get in behind them without them decorating our frames with holes."
Lelouch nodded to this. "They now realize that they can't do anywhere near the woods. Knightmare frames can't even move freely within the woods, but we have been able to move around because our frames are much more mobile. Even so, they now know that we seem to have this place locked up with traps, so they don't want to get caught up in another surprise."
Jeremiah frowned at this. It was going to be a really difficult battle. They could not get out of this one without losses. Well, this was war. Sometimes there was just no avoiding it. They had to face it and they could not just leave them be because they would go through the orders of Portugal. If they travelled and managed to go through Lisbon, or anywhere near, it was game over for Britannia. They would have to depart this nation and his lord would be blamed for the humiliation.
"We are really going to have a go at it this time around," the noble said. He still grinned though. It was going to be a true knightmare frame battle. He would not run from that. He did love a good battle and this time around, he was going to run riot. The men would not mock him anymore for having been forced to eject from his frame after it was heavily damaged. He would show them the real Jeremiah Gottwald.
"Yes," Lelouch agreed. "There is no way to avoid it. Bu this time, for us to win, you will have to pull your weight," he said. "Major Albert, I don't have to be saving you again, this time." He said.
The Major managed a smile despite the situation. "That was a fatal blunder on my part… it will not happen again," he vowed. "I will be the one watching your back this time. Since it is going to be dangerous, we will have to do it," he said while clenching his right fist.
"Sergeant Michael says there are around 105 knightmare frames that we must face," Lelouch while taking out small map. He pointed at a marked place on the map. "The EU isn't just using this route to get away from us, they chose a battleground that is suitable for their frames and they know we can't avoid them. Our unit cannot even move ahead on its own."
"No doubt Madrid as hundreds of frames waiting in line," Villetta said. "If we make the mistake of allowing them to pass and move ahead, we will only become surrounded."
"So they are forcing us to come to them while holding out their weapons," Albert said. "I'm feeling a lot happier to crush them at their own game. They know if they see us from a distance, they will just enter into a defensive formation and shoot us," he said.
"And we still will crush them, Major," Lelouch said with a smirk. His eyes focused on the map. "Given their current trajectory, they are going to pass by here." He said pointing at a marked spot. "There is a river that stretches for a couple of kms… and the only way to the other side is through a bridge."
"Are we going to destroy it?"
Lelouch shook his head. "They won't be stupid to go through it without expecting something to happen. They will probably inspect it before crossing and if they find something curious, they are not going to cross. We can't afford to waste the little explosives we have. So, we will hide just after the bridge. The road after is surrounded by a large forest. We will be waiting for them there."
"But this is in Portugal," Jeremiah noted.
"Yes," Lelouch said. "On the other side of the bridge, it is a barren ground and if we attack there, we will get slaughtered. We have to let them enter to be able to handle them."
Albert stared at the map; this was just another risky move. Because they were letting an enemy that had more frames than them, they had no option than to win. If they lose, the EU forces would freely move deeper into Portugal. As far as he was concerned, there was no other bigger force that was waiting for enemies to reach. Britannia was still away. "The enemy still outnumbers us, I'm sure you have way to remedy this?"
"Of course," Lelouch said. "In total, we have 72 frames but we also have tanks. So far, we have not been using them. This time around, we are going to use them. Our attack us going to come from three directions: the front on both left and right sides. We only had 10 shields in our arsenal, so only 10 frames will take the frontal attack along with the 16 tanks we have,"
"But wouldn't they be expecting it?"
"Most probably," Lelouch said. "But it does not matter. They are not going to do anything especial. They know they have the numbers on their side and since they already know we are going, their weapons will be waiting for us," he said. "The one of the frames will be pulling a tank that will be carrying something that should wipe out at most 40 frames at once. When that happens, we have time to attack get closer to them."
"When closer, we have the advantage," Jeremiah smirked. "When do you think this will happen?"
"Afternoon, the day after tomorrow," Lelouch said in thought. "Britannian reinforcements should be a day away by then. They'll probably avoid flying them to avoid missiles," he said. "We should at least expect them to engage in battle within four to five days."
"Will we be done once we do this?"
"It will depend on how Schneizel is handling things with the EU," Lelouch said. "But we will probably be done."
"Then we go home big!" Major Albert said. "I haven't been home in quite some time."
Lelouch had forgotten that these people have been around here for about a year now. They were soldiers. They signed up for this. You did not become a soldier not knowing that you would be forced to be away from your family. "Then let us survive this with as many as we can, Major."
"We are not only going to survive, we will also crush the EU," Albert said with a determined look on his face.
"As long as you don't get lost in thought, Major," Jeremiah reminded the man.
"I don't need to hear that from you," Albert said to Jeremiah. "But if you are saying that; I hope this time around, you will be able to protect your frame, Lord Jeremiah."
Seeing this, Lelouch just shook his head and looked up into the sky. He hoped things worked well in Schneizel's side. He really didn't want any nasty surprises waiting for them. He was banking a lot on those supplies to come. But it didn't look like it would matter much anyway since reinforcements would be coming to join them in just a couple of days.
Two Days Later
The Panzer-Hummels were moving in a group of four, all groups tasked with guarding each side. All four sides were being watched. The damn Britannians attacked cowardly and were primed to ambush them. They had done it once and then led them into a trap. This time around, they would not fall for the tricks. They would be on guard and fill those damn Britannians with bullet holes. Pedro wanted nothing more kill some Britannians. They had been humiliated before. Their commander had been forced to beg for leniency from high command after the generals threatened to strip him of his rank for such careless manner of fighting and losing many frames in such a short time.
The pressure was on them. Pedro could admit though. The enemy had come up with a better way to handle the bigger force. The EU had known the Britannians would not send a bigger force. Information had come a little too late, but it had come and frames had been scrambled in order to protect Spain against an invasion. The damn autocrats didn't care about Portugal. They merely wanted to see Britannia leave the shores of Europe and would not be tolerating failure. They were going to be blamed if they got screwed once more.
Pedro was confident though, things would work out this time around. He was confident. This strategy worked to their advantage. The Brits had better frames than them, but they still held the advantage in the long range combat.
"They are here," a voice spoke through the radio.
Pedro looked at the monitors in front of him. They had just stepped out of the bridge. There was a large road ahead of them. This was once a border control place. But this border was hardly used. The border in the north regions was the one military occupied. "About time," he said with a grin.
The EU frames halted and the weapons were held out, ready to fire. Pedro was leading in the charge in the front line. The orders had been simple: don't break formation and regardless of what happens, don't look the other side – focus on your battle unless help on the flanks is requested. If not, ignore everything and they were not supposed to break formation.
"I'm surprised they'd attack us though," a man said.
"They don't have a choice," Pedro said calmly. "Our route forced them to move and they can't ignore us. They couldn't face us back then in a barren terrain; we would have destroyed them." He warily looked at the screen before speaking. "Be on guard, we don't know what they have on their sleeve."
"I call dibs on the Prince," another soldier spoke through the warrior. "How much is the reward for being the one to capture him?"
"None."
"Are you serious? I thought they'd at least give something for capturing a big fish. The Britannians would certainly be more willing to talk if we captured on of them."
"If he is here, we will capture him… if he is at their base, he will die," Pedro said. But of course, if it is the latter, they would not openly admit it. They would pretend that he was alive just to force Britannia's hands.
"Here they come!"
It was not frames that came out of the woods; it was tanks. Pedro counted them, they were fifteen of them and his radar could pick up signals of frames surrounding them. The damn Brits did have something planned for them. He closed his eyes for a moment; he ought not to worry about what was going to happen to the flanks – the others would deal with it.
With Lelouch
Vi Britannia looked through his screens for a moment. It was just as anticipated; the Europeans were indeed waiting for them. It would not have been bad if they had ended up not being prepared to face them. Lelouch would not have complained that his prediction had been wrong – it would have made things much simpler had things been different. But they were not and their opponents had their weapons loaded and ready to fire at will. It was indeed going to be a bruising battle. He would have to sacrifice up to 10 frames just to earn himself an opening that could wipe out many enemy frames.
"Jeremiah," Lelouch called the man who was leading the charge on the left flank.
"My Lord…"
"Are you in position?"
"Yes; we are ready to move when you command," Jeremiah said. "There isn't a big distance from here to them, so, we should be able to get them before they destroy our frames."
"You're not going to engage them in close-combat for now, Jeremiah," Lelouch repeated those words he had said moments ago. "You are just going to draw their attention and we make a move. Be ready to withdraw when I give the order and don't get too close. We don't want anything failing us at a critical moment."
"Understood," Jeremiah responded in a firm tone.
Lelouch turned away from his side and then turned to Villetta for a moment. She was going to lead the charge the moment things became heated up. He didn't need to say anything. She was more measured than Jeremiah. "Major Albert," He called the Major.
"Lt. Colonel," Albert responded.
"The enemy is waiting for you," Lelouch said. "Order your men to move with speed. Hurry it up. No slow movements or we fail this mission."
Albert didn't need to be told how that would affect the men's morale. If they failed the first part, which was critical, it was all over. Even if they end up winning, it would not be a victory that leaves then proud.
"Understood!"
Back with Pedro
The captain was curious as to why the tanks were not drawing weapons towards them. He could not just open fire just like that. But he was prepared. He readied his guns when the tanks moved into a formation – four lines – with enough space in between for frames to slip through. When Sutherlands holding shields slipped through those lines, Pedro made the call.
"Open fire!"
He realized, the enemy on the left flank also made a move. But he did not turn – it would be against orders. It would be against what he had been directed to do. The five frames in the front line were shooting, just not to break formation.
He cursed loudly when the tanks stopped moving and only started to fire their heavy weapons towards them. Out of anger, he turned his weapons towards a tank and shot multiple bullets towards it. But before he could turn it into flames, the Sutherlands moved in front of the tanks, their shields blocking their paths.
"Cheating bastards!" he roared furiously because the shields were holding firmly and gaining on them.
When one frame started to move out of formation, his eyes snapped towards it. "Stay in formation, soldier!" He shouted.
The Sutherlands with shields reached them within a minute but then they revealed something. One of them was pulling a tank. The frame then moved to the sides. Pedro pointed his guns towards the tank but he saw the metal shield flying towards him. He opened fire on it, tearing through it in anger.
"Withdraw!" Albert roared.
The shields were already worn out and as the Sutherlands retreated, they were showered with heavy fire. Two were forced to eject. One frame then stayed behind and the rammed the frame into the enemy frames before the pilot ejected from the frame.
Earlier
"We are not going to get out of this free, are we Lord Jeremiah?" A soldier asked the commander of the squad.
As if the soldier could see him, Jeremiah shook his head. But they still had to do this to be able to get an opening. Even if they manage to get close, their numbers would reduced and that would be dangerous considering that the EU forces were already more to what they had. "Yes, but when this works, we will gain a greater advantage and win this battle," he said confidently.
"Then let us win this!"
"Yes!"
"Don't get too excited," Jeremiah warned the soldiers. "Sergeant James, are you in position? Major Albert is in position to move. Once he does so, we have to move in as well. But remember, we must not be too close."
"Ready, sire," James responded.
"Lord Jeremiah," another soldier called the Margrave. "If we win this, I am going to kiss his Highness!"
Jeremiah had to laugh at this. It was a woman saying this. The atmosphere was something else in this place. Soldiers were the liveliest people. He was indeed in the right place. "Private Elizabeth, are you sure about that?"
"Positive!" the private responded firmly.
"We will hold you onto that!" the others joined in on this.
"Major Albert is moving," Jeremiah cut in before anything could be said by the private. "Move out men!"
Five Burais armed with assault riffles charged forward while the others remained in position. They were moving in a zig zag formation to avoid going in straight to receive fire.
Upon entrance, the Panzer-Hummels started shooting at them. But because they were not moving straight, it was harder to hit.
Back with Pedro
"Britannia scum!" Pedro shouted furiously after shooting the shield away from him. His guns pointed at the frame that had rammed the tank on them. The moment he opened fire, the pilot ejected.
"Shit!" He shouted furiously. "How many did we lose?"
"Just two, but we are running low on ammo. It is only the first line though," a soldier responded. "Umm, captain, why are they retreating?"
The question made Pedro halt. Why indeed. Why had someone been pulling tank to them? Obviously they hadn't even bothered trying to really attack with the frames. On other side, they were only dancing around while shooting at them. Last time, the Brits had played around with explosions. What was it this time? Wait explosions?
His eyes widened at the realization. Orders be damned. "We need to-!" A missile slammed into chest of his frame before he could finish speaking. The frame burst. The last thing the captain saw was the tank bursting into flames.
Boom!
The tank exploded into a loud boom that tore through it, raising a small shockwave. The blast engulfed the front unit, causing the frames to explode. Five more frames at the heart of the group were cut within the blast's radius.
Seeing the glorious explosion, Lelouch could not help but laugh. "It would have been better if it exploded at the heart," he said to no one in particular.
"Should we move?" Villetta asked in her Gloucester, her lance stabbed to the ground and machine gun safely stored. She was ready for action.
"Yes," Lelouch said. It would have been cool if he had given the order in a more dramatic way. He smiled at the thought, since when did he think like that? Perhaps it was just fitting this way.
"Move out!" Villetta ordered as the Gloucester moved towards the road. The enemy was disoriented, unorganized. The explosion had disturbed their formation. It had caught them off-guard and they had lost many frames.
Villetta was quick to engage. She did not show mercy as he lance was driven straight into the chest of the Panzer-Hummel in front of her. She then kicked it backwards. When she received fire from behind, she twisted around and then the lance flew straight towards the frame shooting her. The frame was unable to dodge it and the lance pierced through the frame's right shoulder.
She got hold of her machine gun and started shooting the frame while rushing towards it. She retrieved her lance before twisting her frame once more.
She released slash harkens from the Gloucester. They hit the next target before she started pulling. Her advanced frame pulled the frame towards her and before it could reach her, the lance was driven through the frame's head before being pinned to the ground. Villetta stomped on the frame's chest to make sure it stayed down.
The only Chaos Mines left now were the ones fitted on the Gloucester. After this, they would not have any more. Still, the enemy was still at large. Villetta moved back slightly and hurled the Mine towards the EU forces. It released its deadly beams quickly and Villetta added to this by holding her machine gun to shoot towards the enemy. She destroyed six frames in total.
With Jeremiah
The margrave cursed as a bullet him his frame on the shoulder. Fighting like this against frames who were no good at short distance combat had its advantage. He could do something like this: he released both slash harkens and caught a panzer-Hummel. He then pulled the threads with both hands and twisted around. This forced the frame to hit other frames as it moved around. It hit three frames, causing them to fall over. The margrave retrieved his harkens and then opened fire on the three downed frames.
Jeremiah moved towards another opponent and twisted around it before grabbing the right gun of the frame. He forcefully tore it off, before slamming it to the frame, causing it to fall down. He took his machine gun and started shooting, causing the frame to burst.
"Lord Jeremiah," James called his commanding officer.
"What?" Jeremiah said as he moved his frame. He got shot and was forced to hide behind an enemy frame. Friendly fire. It led to it with the man who had shot him, shooting holes through his colleague.
Jeremiah then grabbed the frame in front of by its shoulders before kicking it from behind. He then got hold of his machine gun and started firing at the back of the frame. He stopped shooting listen to James.
"Umm, you didn't tell me that Villetta was merciless and that good!" James said.
Jeremiah took his eyes towards Villetta. "Damnit!" he cursed. "She is taking out more frames than me!" He then lunged towards more frames.
James blinked at this. And then shook his head. He may as well count the scores as well. But damn, these Gloucesters were some fine toys. Their mobility was great and against Panzer-Hummels, it was not a fair fight. They were crushing them.
So far so good. Lelouch was happy. He knew the moment they were able to get close, they would be dealing this much damage. The Gloucesters performed better when in short distance combat. The Panzer-Hummels were no match for them. He would have to thank Schneizel for putting these frames in their arsenal. It was possible that if it was not for him, he would not have been able to get his hands on them.
Even though he was satisfied with how things were going, he decided to enter the fray. He not want to lose more frames than he would like when he did not know what was going to happen tomorrow.
He tapped in the radio. "Just a few more to go. Don't lose ground. Continue as you are!" He said to his men before diving into the battlefield.
He was still on a Sutherland. It was better to have the experienced and more effective soldiers to handle it. He would get his own frame soon. But for now, he had to give away the best to the best. It was more of a test to his leadership qualities than his piloting skills.
Lelouch ensured the riffles were fully armed before standing in a distance. He would be offering cover to his soldiers.
With Villetta
Villetta was a little glad that Lelouch was keeping his distance. With him on the field, she would not be able to fight freely. She would have to focus on him as well. It would be disastrous if something happened to him and she was unable to do anything to avoid it.
Her thoughts were cut off when a frame rammed into her from behind. She nearly fell down off balance but she pulled up her lance from the ground and shoved it backwards, piercing the frame on the left knee.
"Don't get too caught up in thought," Jeremiah said before shooting the frame at the back. "That's 11 for me!"
"Just 11?" Villetta asked. "I have 14!"
"What?" Jeremiah cursed. He twisted around to hunt down more enemies once more but his frame came to an abrupt halt. "Dammit!" He was out of energy.
"That's what you get for fighting recklessly," Villetta said.
"How are you still able to move?"
"I'm almost out of energy as well… but I move less and use the lance more to avoid consuming more energy," Villetta explained lightly. "Let me help you. We are almost done anyway," she said in a relaxed tone.
It didn't take long for the last Panzer-Hummel to fall. When it did fall, Jeremiah was the first to get out of his frame. "We did it, my Lord!" he said with happiness.
They had indeed done it. They were still standing and the enemy was down. They had won and this time around, it had been a huge battle. They had won nonetheless. This was their victory.
"Indeed, Jeremiah," Lelouch said with a wide grin on his lips. He moved his frame towards Villetta. "That was a good battle, Villetta. We should get you a promotion for that showing..."
Villetta smiled at this. She had fought well and she knew it. Lelouch had acknowledged it. She was happy that he indeed did acknowledge her work. The work was done. They had won and she had played her part. She hadn't just been sitting in the sidelines. She had been part of it. The men had been part of it. All of them. It was indeed a victory to remember.
She had suffered some losses in frames, but they had won.
"Thank you, your Highness." Villetta said, standing on Lelouch's right side.
"Someone is blushing."
Villetta glared at the direction of the voice but didn't say anything. She was glad when Lelouch didn't comment on it either. He got out of his frame, and stood atop of it. "When we started, I told you we would win. I told you I would lead you to victory if you followed my orders. You indeed did follow my orders, and here we are. I have brought you the victory I assured you!"
Jeremiah stepped up. At end of saying something pleasant, the emperors always raises his fists, and say… "All Hail Britannia!" The margrave roared.
"All Hail Britannia!" The men raised the fists of their frames.
"All Hail Lelouch!" Jeremiah was at it once more.
"All Hail Lelouch!"
Who would have thought that he would end up being the one to lead this chorus? Lelouch had seethed so many times when he heard the emperor shouting all hail Britannia after one of his speeches. But here he was. Fighting for Britannia and leading them to victory. Because of his actions, Britannia was being hailed. Tyranny was being hailed. Lelouch did not feel sick. He just hated Charles more. But it would lead to the downfall of that bastard. He brought him back, and when he has achieved his dream, Charles would regret this. He would regret calling him.
With his thoughts, Lelouch grinned slightly. He realized, one of the soldiers was filming the scene. With the men chanting his name, the camera was directed at him. It would be wonderful if that feed made it the news. Yes, Lelouch would delight in it and he would laugh seeing his enemies react to this.
"Is this fine?" Villetta asked of the filming.
"There is no harm," Lelouch said with a careless shrug.
Villetta simply nodded. If Lelouch said it was fine, then it was fine. She opened her mouth to speak but the lights started blinking with danger. She twisted her frame around and saw a missile heading straight towards them in speed. No, it was heading towards Lelouch. He was exposed now that he was out of his frame. Villetta's hands moved on reflex before her Gloucester jumped in behind the Prince. The missile slammed into frame's chest before exploding.
Jeremiah had been out of his frame, jumped towards Lelouch. He was behind the Prince when Villetta's frame exploded. The explosion blasted both Prince and his guard away from the frames and they crashed into the ground, with Jeremiah protecting Lelouch from the fall.
James reacted quickly by pointing his machine gun where the missile came from. He charged while shooting madly in anger. There was only the sound of people screaming before more soldiers moved into the scene.
"Did you get them?" Albert demanded.
There were four men lying on the ground. At least what remained of them. The bullets made for knightmare frames had done justice. James was not disgusted by the sight before him. "Yes, but they are not soldiers." He said.
Albert frowned upon learning this. "Check our surrounding and ensure there are no more enemies!" he ordered before turning towards Lelouch.
Lelouch felt a little disoriented, his head hurt a bit. Jeremiah was below him, holding his left shoulder, expression pained. He had been saved. He would have died there. That missile would have turned him into a shower of blood. Right in that moment of glory. It would have been a pathetic end of his existence. Lelouch cursed.
He managed to get on his feet. Major Albert was upon him. He looked relieved. "Are you okay, your Highness?" He asked.
Lelouch nodded his head. "Villetta: Make sure she lives…" he ordered.
"But your highness, you are bleeding," Major Albert said with a frown. The Prince was bleeding from the left side of his forehead. It was a major worry.
"Lelouch vi Britannia orders you, Major Albert, to ensure that Villetta is safe!"
Albert had no resistance. "Yes, your Highness!"
He quickly turned away from the prince and walked towards Villetta's badly damaged frame. His heart started beating quickly, seeing that the frame was badly damaged. He feared for her life. His eyes moved towards the cockpit. But he didn't make the move. He was a little afraid of what would happen if she was dead. Lelouch was going to murder someone. He had seen that look on the face. The Prince was not a happy commander.
The soldiers sped past Albert and went through Villetta's frame. They found her, eyes closed, a bit of a mess with blood covering her. It was not much blood. It could have been from the trauma. One of the soldiers checked her pulse. "She is alive!" he announced with happiness.
The relief washed all over the men.
"But she needs medical attention…"
The relief disappeared once more.
The soldiers gently pulled her out of the cockpit. And placed her on the ground. First aid arrived within a second and started treating her. Lelouch walked up to her and then asked the soldiers who made way for him. "How bad is it?"
"She will live. Her injuries are not bad. But she does have a few broken bones. We will have to get her to the base to ensure that she is safe."
Lelouch managed a small smile at this. "Good," he said. "We leave in 10 minutes. We are done here," he said. And then went back to Jeremiah. "Broken?"
"Dislocated," Jeremiah said with a small shake of his head. "But I will be fine. I just need to get it positioned and some pain killers."
"And a doctor," Lelouch said with a stare. "Unfortunately, we don't have pain killers with us. You'll have to soldier on, Jeremiah."
"I can assist with your shoulder, Lord Jeremiah," Albert said with a smile on his lips.
Jeremiah had an nervy feeling just seeing the smile on Albert's face. The man was surely going to take joy in seeing him suffer. That damned sadist. "I can go back to base with this."
"Oh, Lord Jeremiah is afraid of a little pain," Albert said with an amused look on his face.
"I'm not!"
"Then let me help you."
Lelouch shook his head seeing this. A moment ago, things would have taken a different turn. He would have been in a dangerous situation. He would have been dead. There was no protection. A missile would have ended him, right in the moment of glory. He was still alive though. This was truly going to make quite the story. And he had to thank Villetta for saving him. She had to live past this day. She had to. She had done him great service.
The Prince stumbled a bit but before he could hit the ground, someone caught him. "I'm fine," he said.
"You're still bleeding, Your Highness. You must have hit the ground with your head," a soldier with first aid said as he looked over to the gash on his head.
"I don't feel anything."
"Adrenaline, perhaps…" He did not add that the Prince almost died a moment ago. "Let me stitch this for you to stop the bleeding. But we do need to have this washed and bandaged properly."
Lelouch settled down and turned his eyes towards Jeremiah and shook his head. The man had reacted faster. He was his guard alright. But so was Villetta. Perhaps he could reward her by officially knighting her. Even Cornelia would agree with this. Of course, she was not going to be told about the incident until they were back in the island. She would leave her duties and come here or order him to leave his post.
"Celebrations almost turned into tears," Lelouch said to no one in particular.
"The timing of that was unpleasant," James said. "But we are all happy that you are alive, your Highness. We have achieved something tremendous because of you."
Albert nodded in agreement. "This has been quite an experience and I hope to serve with you again."
"Hopefully," Lelouch said. "You have also done me well by following my orders. But of course orders mean nothing if there are no skills to carry them out. The strategy may be good, but if those who carry it out are not good enough, there will be no results. You have done me proud as well. This was my first assignment but it has been enjoyable… well except for the last part," he said with a smile.
"Indeed," Albert said. "That would have ruined everything… but who are those people?"
"Most probably the same who took out Major Fredric. We will know more when we get back to base." Lelouch said standing up. "Contact Michael and tell him his mission is over. He can return along with us."
Albert stepped inside his knightmare frame and switched on everything. He tapped on the radio to try to contact Michael but there was another message that had him dreading for the worst.
"Your Highness," Major Albert started in a hollow tone. "Our base was attacked…"
End of chapter
I will start by thanking everyone who reviewed in the last chapter. Umm, I'm going to trying to post a chapter or two every month if possible. Have been in the mood to write, hopefully, I'll do a couple of chapters.
The Omnipresent Sage
