Bad news after the other: he had just escaped death thanks to Villetta and Jeremiah, and now there was this. If there was a god, it was now safe to bet that this god was truly working against him. He had worried that such an event could occur. He had bothered sending Fredric to that side because he didn't want such things to occur. But the Major had been killed and the last surviving member was missing in action. And now this. He had trusted too much on Schneizel to work on the government to make things happen. He should have just solved things himself when he was informed that Fredric had been killed.

Because the enemy didn't have frames, he had thought that he could just move things safely. But these people without frames had nearly ended his miserable life. Things could not be any worse than this. He could not even contact the base to hear what was happening. As things stood, they were running blind. And he still needed to get Villetta medical attention because she did need it. It was an infuriating situation that should have never been allowed to happen.

He was careless and this was what had happened. But Lelouch would not let it happen again. No, this would never happen again. He would never expose his base of operations unless it was a strategy.

"My Lord," Jeremiah said over the radio to Lelouch in a calm yet strong tone. Lelouch had been silent since he gave the order for the men to move out. He had obviously been displeased about the situation. "Do you think the base still stands?" He asked cautiously.

It was likely that the base was still standing but the fact that they could not get any message through was troubling. Their supplies, everything was in that place. If they lost everything, they would have to ransack EU forces they have just defeated for their supplies because there would no way for them to survive. Schneizel had their general location, so obviously if he lost contact with them, he would try to send a military plane to look for them.

"We were informed that the enemy within this country did not have any knightmare frames. Major Fredric's group was able to confirm this and when I spoke to Schneizel, he assured me that things would be handled," Lelouch responded. "We left them operational knightmare frames. Hopefully, we don't find a disaster, Jeremiah."

It was hope now. Major Albert could not believe that this was happening. They won against an overwhelming force and this was what was happening. Bad news just could not stop coming. First, Lelouch was nearly killed and now their base was attacked. He just hoped they didn't arrive too little too late and that things were not as bad as everyone feared. Not all frames were still in good condition. Energy fillers were running low. Even frames in good condition would stop moving because they no longer have energy and there was still no word on the reinforcements.

"Let us hope that the situation isn't as bad as we all fear," Albert said as the frames raced through the terrain, heading towards the location of their base of operations.

"Have you been able to get to Michael?" Lelouch asked Albert. He still could not reach the Sergeant from the communications within his Sutherland.

"No," Albert said with a shake of his head. "There appears to be something wrong with the networks. It won't even connect. I don't know if it is because of the signal…"

"If our communication towers have been destroyed, we will have to think of a place we can get one," Lelouch said.

Albert frowned deeply. "That means heading back to Spain," he said. "But we would have no choice because we still don't know what awaits us in the towns. We at least know that we defeated the enemy. We can at least move freely without fear of being attacked."

"That is if they didn't send any more reinforcements," Jeremiah said bleakly.

Lelouch smiled. It was by no means a happy smile. "If that is the case, we are in trouble," he said. "But we must still be prepared for anything when we arrive there. If the enemy is there, we must be prepared to shoot. And show no mercy. But I want to at least have one we can question for information."

"Yes, my Lord!"

When the group finally did arrive at the base, they found a heavily damaged G-1 mobile base, there also appeared to have been a fire at the place. The working frames had formed a perimeter around the base for protection. The relief washed over the men learning that their base was still fine even though the commander's home was badly damaged.

The men quickly got out of their frames the wounded were taken to the medical camp for treatment. Lelouch did not hide his relief that things were not as he had feared. If he was not reserved, he would have jumped for joy. His men did not have the same reservations as him. They were certainly happy to be back to their base and to find almost all things operational.

"Well, something did happen," Major Albert said standing beside Lelouch, who was just standing beside his frame, watching everything happening around him.

"It does appear so," Lelouch said. "From the looks of things, they were probably after me because the mobile base was hit hard. Our network towers have also been destroyed. That explains why we could not get hold of them. No doubt it was people on foot. Almost the same as what happened in our battle. Without frames, it is easy to see why they were not detected quickly."

"So it was the same people who nearly killed you," Jeremiah said in anger. "I really hope that they were caught alive. I want to make one of them pay with my own hands. I cannot forgive anyone for targeting you, my Lord."

Major Albert just shook his head. Well, considering everything that they have been through, he too would not have been pleased to see something happen to the prince. But he was able to control his emotions far better than Jeremiah. "But why would they specifically target you? Your presence here was not made public was it?"

"No, but the EU managed to know about it," Lelouch said calmly as he walked towards the maintenance camp. "Once the EU knew about it, it became a problem and Schneizel revealed it to the public. Well, it doesn't do harm to kill the spawn of the man responsible for Britannia's expansion."

Being a member of the royal family had its troubles. It was not just all joys. It was troublesome for those in military. But surely, when you were as effective as Lelouch, you would have men throwing themselves in harm's way to protect you – Villetta had just done it.

First Lt. Morris welcomed them to the camp and prepared a place for them to relax. Albert was surprised to see that Michael was also around. But the Sergeant appeared to have been involved in a battle and was wounded. "I was worried about you," he said to the Sergeant who, had bandages on his upper body.

Michael smiled. "My equipment was damaged on my way back and when I came here, I got caught up in things," he responded calmly before turning to face Lelouch, who was now sitting on a chair, hands resting on a table. "Your Highness, it is good to see you are alive."

"Just barely," Lelouch said. "I was almost killed, but that is a story for later. Tell me what happened here."

Morris responded. "Missiles hit us when didn't expect it. By the time we reacted, they had already hit the communication tower and the mobile base. Alex, who had been chasing after them since his group was murdered, stopped from leaving in their car. When Michael joined in, we were able to stop them."

It was at least good that the man who had gone missing in action was now back safely. He had lost a number of men though. But this was still a problem for him. "Any alive?"

Morris shook his head. "They didn't allow us to catch them. The moment we hit their car, and realized they would not be able to get away, they committed suicide," he said.

Lelouch frowned. It sounded like something trained people would do. Something the Japanese would do very well. But without their communication tower, they could not contact the island. They were sitting here blindly and their supplies had yet to arrive. "Any causalities?"

"Thankfully no," Morris said. "But your mobile base has been damaged. Given our current state, it isn't something we can repair because we don't have the tools. We were able to salvage your laptop… well, it's harddrive. The machine itself was badly damaged by the explosion."

The laptop of his carried some important documents. If he had lost them, it would have been homework for him because he would have to redo some of the plans he had drawn. But with the drive still intact, he would get his documents. Lelouch could at least smile at this. "What of the energy filler? Is it fine?"

"Yes," Morris said. "You want to use it for his mobile base?" He asked pointing at Albert.

"I'm afraid it doesn't have the same comfort as yours, but if it can make your life easier, you can have it," Albert said.

"It is no longer about comfort, Major. For now, we have to worry about staying alive until reinforcements touch down in land. Have the base retrieved and brought back here." Lelouch ordered. "Sergeant Michael, you look injured, but I will need you to get in a frame and take 10 men with you. Lt. Morris will tell you what is destroyed in our communication tower. We need to get it back online. You will head to one of the EU bases and retrieve what is missing. If you can take the whole tower, I won't complain."

"This is nothing, Your Highness," Michael said. He understood the importance of getting their communication lines online once more. They did need to communicate with the island.

"I expect you to be back by tomorrow night, Sergeant. We can go for these days without communication. But we need the tower back online," Lelouch said. "Is there anything on the airstrip?"

"Some old equipment, but it's only for cellular."

Lelouch looked thoughtful for a moment before nodding his head. "Sergeant, leave when you are ready. Albert, ensure that we are secure and no more surprises occur. By that I mean a full sweep of our surrounding. Major Morris, I want a full inventory of our current supplies."

"What about me, My Lord?" Jeremiah asked.

Lelouch took out his phone and handed it to Jeremiah. "Go find a signal and call Schneizel. Tell him we are a having a little trouble with our communications but I will contact him soon once we get things online. And ask about our damn supplies. He should have delivered them already."

Later

It was slightly dark when Jeremiah finally returned from his mission. Lelouch was happy that there were no activities in their camp. But he had rounded all his men around their base. It was for better protection and reaction time in case something ever happened. Albert had done a clean sweep and there were men checking around the place for anything moving. It would be like this until they do leave the place.

Lelouch was not concerned that the enemy knew their location. They could not afford to move far away from here. This was already their best location and moving would create a logistical problem. It would also drain their little resources and supplies.

He was already within the mobile base he had taken from Albert. The control center was small but it had the needed tools for communication and for the commanding job.

"Tell me you found a signal Jeremiah," Lelouch said to the Margrave.

Jeremiah was silent for a couple of moments before responding. "No, my Lord…" he said in a low tone, a shake of his head. "The tower was also destroyed. It looked like the people who came here started by destroying the tower there."

Lelouch frowned deeply. This was worrying. No doubt Schneizel would pick up that something was wrong. Yet, it did not change their situation. Things were bad. At any moment now, they would have to abandon this place. They didn't know what was coming for them or what was happening elsewhere. They were indeed blind as things stand. Schneizel was likely to be calm, but Cornelia would throw a fit. But then again, Schneizel was likely to lie to her to avoid any reckless moves. He would hold her to her place until he was able to contact them.

"We have to wait until Michael comes back. If it is all bad news, we will have to move to the location where reinforcements are supposed to arrive. Schneizel only knows our general location but if the EU learns that we are sitting duck, they might do something." Lelouch responded in a measured tone.

"Should I inform the men?"

"Let them remain ignorant of this one. They seem to be in a good mood tonight. Let us not ruin it," Lelouch said with a shake of his head. "Michael will return tomorrow."

"If he doesn't return?"

"We have no choice but to abandon this place," Lelouch said. "I will work out all possible scenarios and prepare our course of action. But for now, let us join everyone…" he said standing up from his seat.

The outside was lively. Lelouch had them restrict the fires to avoid being detected. It was night, a fire could easily be detected but compared to flares; this was safe. Perhaps it was paranoia, but Lelouch was not going to shoot up a flare. It might have been Britannians who even leaked his presence here to the EU. He was not a darling at home after all.

Lelouch joined a group of around 20 soldiers. Major Albert was not amongst them but James was there. They stood up and saluted when they saw him. "At ease, soldiers," Lelouch said calmly before being given a seat. He settled down in the group and stared at the small fire for a long minute before speaking. "You don't have to be silent because I am here. There was quite the chatter before we came here…"

"You were very loud with me," Jeremiah said. He could recognize the faces of the soldiers he led into battle.

"How is Villetta?" James asked.

"Recovering but she should be up tomorrow," Lelouch said.

James nodded with a smile. It was some good news. Well, not all was lost. There were challenges but they were hanging there. They were surviving. And they would make it out of here alive. For now, it was time to celebrate their victory. The Prince had said no alcohol since they didn't know what surrounded them – a little disappointing but everyone understood. "Private Elizabeth," he started with a grin.

The Private froze knowing where the conversation was going to go. She had said what she said in the heat of the moment. She hadn't thought that things would come to this point. "Please let it go, James," she begged.

"I remember correctly we asked you if you were serious and you said you were," another soldier said with a smile. "You are not going to back down are you?"

"What is this about?" Jeremiah asked curiously.

"Don't you remember the promise the private made before we entered the final battle? The kiss she promised to give?" A soldier said in a suggestive tone while trying not to look at Lelouch.

Seeing that some men were looking at him, Lelouch finally spoke. "Why does it look like it involves me? And what about the promises of a kiss?"

"I was just joking!" Private Elizabeth said. She was more afraid of Lelouch getting angry at her.

"I don't think you were," Jeremiah said with a shake of his head. "I was there. You did say you were serious. And now we have come out alive. Promises must be kept, Private. I did warn you that you must not make such promises without thinking through."

It involved Lelouch but Jeremiah was fine with it because it was nothing harmful. Besides, it would do well for the men's morale – it must have been dented by the events that occurred. If Lelouch showed them he was human, then the men were likely to be for him. He could do it just this once. It was about selling himself. He needed to drum up support in military. Every tactic had to be used to make it.

"Private Elizabeth, what was it that you promised?"

Elizabeth was silent for a moment before speaking while glaring at James. "I said if we made it out alive I would kiss you, your Highness!"

Lelouch looked around. Everyone was looking forward to it. He smiled. "Well, you promised," he started. "Come here, Private."

Elizabeth stood up like a robot and marched toward Lelouch. He motioned for her to lean in and she did. He whispered something to her that seemed to make her grin. She knelt before the prince and took his hand. She kissed it and then stood up, smiling wildly.

"There, I did it!" she said proudly while going back to her place.

"What?!"

"That is cheating!"

Jeremiah just laughed. He should have expected Lelouch to play it like that. His Lord certainly had ways to get out of tricky situations. He had simply denied the request while actually doing it.

"That was not a kiss you promised!"

"Which kiss did I promise, Albert? Are you sure you are not just having some lewd thoughts?" Elizabeth said.

"The Private said she promised to kiss me. There was no specific part of my body that she stated. Kissing my hand is a kiss." Lelouch said with a small smile on his lips.

The Following Day

Villetta's eyes opened slowly. The ceiling was unfamiliar. But she was certain she was still alive. The last thing she remembered was moving into the path of a missile with a frame that had already been damaged from battle. She was sure she had saved Lelouch. She tried moving her hands and when she could, she breathed in relief – she was not in enemy territory. She was not captured. But the ceiling unfamiliar. She was not in the Eleventh Prince's mobile base. Perhaps she was somewhere within their base. Villetta smiled once when felt that she could feel her feet. Everything was still working. It would have been lost dreams if something had gone wrong.

"You are awake."

Villetta turned her eyes towards the woman who had spoken. She was in military uniform, Britannia's uniform. Her mind was fully at ease now. She tried to sit up and winced when she felt her chest hurt. She still forced herself to sit up though. "How long have I been out?"

"A full day."

Villetta nodded. She was fine. She wouldn't have been in this position had she stayed with the Purist Faction. But then again, the unit was likely dead by now. After Jeremiah left the unit, things turned bad. Kewell was unable to manage. It was not because he was stupid. Kewell was cold hearted and would do whatever needed to be done. But he had been angry. He had been too obsessed with Jeremiah's defection to think straight. For her own future, Villetta had decided to jump ship. She was now in a better position. She shook her head. Her desires should not get in the line of duty. She had not moved because she wanted something, she had just been trying to save the Prince.

Thinking of the black haired Prince, her eyes turned towards the woman standing beside her and asked. "Is His Highness alright?" She asked carefully.

"Yes, thanks to you," the woman responded with a smile. "Do you want to see him? If you are not moving too much, It should not be too bad for the stitches you have. Some movement will be good."

Villetta nodded her head but did not get out of the bed immediately. It was not because she was afraid to walk. What was she going to say to Lelouch? Should she just appear to him and say, 'Hey, I am awake.' She shook her head. Perhaps seeing him now wasn't the best option.

"You, know what, I think I will see him later."

"I will just go tell him you are awake. He has been coming to check up on you. But I do believe that he would be most relieved to see you walking on your own."

Villetta thought about it before deciding to get out of the bed. She was led into a small room. It was not as big and comfortable as Lelouch's old one. The Prince himself was lying on the couch, papers on his chest and some on the small table beside. She smiled. He was always overworking himself.

She settled down across him for a couple of minutes before he woke up.

Lelouch slowly sat up before taking the papers he had been reading. He looked at Villetta for a long minute before placing the papers on the table. Once more he decided to lay down. He was honestly tired. He needed a laptop. He needed to get things worked on soon. It was really troubling without any internet connection or even cellphone reception. "It is good to see you up, Villetta." He finally spoke in a calm tone.

"Thank you, and it is also good to see you in good health," Villetta said with a small smile.

"I am in good health because of you," Lelouch said. "Had you not moved as quickly as you did, we wouldn't be here. I would be dead."

Nunnally would have lost a brother. It would have been heartbreaking for his younger sister. She still had a brother because Villetta did her job in protecting him. His enemies would have laughed at his funeral. The vultures would have circled around Nunnally with the intentions of making her follow her brother and mother. But it was not to be. He was still alive. This incident had taught him a lesson though. Death was possible. One could die any moment. He was at war, if he was reckless, he would die prematurely.

"I was just doing my job as your guard, your Highness."

Lelouch turned his head to look at Villetta. She sounded way too modest. Well, she had her dreams and everything. "Yes, you were. But I must still thank you for saving me…" he said. "Jeremiah did tell me that you have desires to become a noble one day."

Villetta nodded her head. "My father would rather have me marry someone but I want to work for it."

"Ah, we did have this conversation before," Lelouch said in thought. "It is good to have dreams, Villetta. But don't ever be too ambitious. Don't aim too high. Move a relative pace and you will eventually get there. When you are dead, you can achieve nothing. Your dreams die with you."

"Are you suggesting that I saved you because of my dreams?"

"If I thought that I would not thank you. I would have just retained your services because you know your job. Your job is to protect me. I don't need to thank you when you actually do it," Lelouch said in a cold one. "Regardless, I know your reason is not what you question I suggest. That is why I thank you and actually happy to see you back on your feet. I was truly worried for your safety. To be able to talk to you like this does fill me with pleasure."

"I am happy to have put your mind at ease, Your Highness."

Lelouch nodded. "What I said, Villetta. I'm not suggesting anything but take those words to heart. I have dreams as well. There is a place I want to reach. But this experience has taught me to be mindful of my pace." He said. "I'm sure you are already asking about our current environment."

Villetta nodded, "what happened to our base?"

"Badly damaged. While we were away, some people came here and destroyed it as well as our communication tower. We have not been able to contact the island. But Sergeant Michael should be on his way back with necessary tools to fix communication lines." Lelouch paused for a moment before adding. "There were no casualties. But our supplies have yet to arrive. I had some men go to the nearby town to purchase some essentials but for more battles? We would be at a major disadvantage should we face the same number forces we have faced since we arrived. That is the situation."

"It seems a lot happened while I was unconscious," Villetta said after a couple of moments. "Will we be fine though?"

"Of course," Lelouch said confidently. "I wouldn't be lying here like this if I didn't think we would be fine. We did well in our first mission, we can't end it miserably."

Villetta nodded in agreement. As long as they were able to make it out alive – that was the best she could hope for. In this situation, it was something anyone could hope for. They have faced a remarkable situation. The fact that they were still here and waiting for reinforcements was in itself a massive achievement for them.

"Will we be going home after this?" Villetta asked.

"Most probably," Lelouch said. He did need to stay away from battle a little and handle other things. He still needed to ensure that his project with Lloyd was working well and the development of the Liberator was started. Lloyd had the technology. Lelouch just needed the money to make things work. "Are you missing someone from home? A lover perhaps?"

Villetta shook her head. She had no one like that. She has been so focused on duties and her dreams that relationships never took priority. Besides, she hadn't met anyone she liked. "I have no one."

Lelouch turned to face her once more with a raised eye brow. "I understand with Jeremiah but with you? It can't be that you don't have any suitors. Some men even here have taken a liking for you. I do believe you may have frightened some of them with your showing in our last battle," he finished with a smile.

Villetta smiled. "There was a competition," she said. "It isn't that I haven't been asked out. I have just never had the time. When I was in Area 11, I was focused on the Purist Faction's politics and now, I must always have eyes on you, as your guard…"

"I see," Lelouch said before closing his eyes. "I also have Jeremiah with me. If you ever need that personal space, please ask for it. I want happy soldiers following me. Sad people are suicidal."

Villetta fell silent for a couple of moments, thinking. When she glanced towards Lelouch once more, she realized he was already asleep. He must have barely slept through the night, she mused. Villetta laid on the couch and decided to sleep as well. She did need more rest to help her body recover.

Island

"Is there something wrong, denka?"

Schneizel had a thoughtful look on his face. He was thinking deeply about something. He couldn't get hold of Lelouch. There was just no connection. It was either he was somewhere there was no connection; or the communications tower of his mobile base was no longer operational. But if the latter was the case, he would have sent him a message. But there was nothing. There was no message. Something must have happened.

"I can't get hold of Lelouch."

"He is not in the mobile base?"

Schneizel shook his head. "There is no connection at all. Network matters." He said.

"You don't think something happened? Do you?"

"Something happened," Schneizel said. "But I don't think Lelouch would get himself killed easily. The supplies I had sent to them were shot down. Something indeed happened to their base. But when in battle, Lelouch doesn't stay at the base. He goes to battle. If something had happened to him in battle, I would have been alerted."

"If something happened after he had returned?"

"That would be a problem," Schneizel said. "But if it was the EU, they would have said something about it. I haven't heard chatter about anything except for Lelouch winning the last battle. It does lead me to believe that something happened to his mobile base. If that is so, and they have no means of communication, it could be a problem because he told me they were running out of supplies."

"Reinforcements are only a day away from arriving," Kanon said. "Should we send a message to look for them?"

"We don't have their precise location. And we really don't want to alert the EU that something has happened. Naturally, Cornelia doesn't have to know. We will wait. My brother is resourceful. But we cannot wait for too long. In the meantime, we keep observing EU movements. It will tell us if they have done something."

Back in Portugal

The security was tight. Even though the frames were of Britannia, their friends had pointed their weapons at them and told them to halt. It was not uncommon for enemy forces to get into friendly frames and use them for themselves to ambush their enemy. Had they done something wrong, it would have been friendly fire and that would have been demoralizing. Michael could understand why Lelouch would go this far though. They were far away from home and very close to their enemies. They had no way to call for help.

His journey had been longer than expected. But he had found working equipment within EU camps. It would have been disappointing if he came back with bad news after taking so long. Lelouch was called on his return and Prince seemed glad to see him.

"We were successful, My Lord," Sergeant Michael said. "We did meet some resistance from the forces that had remained, as you can see from the condition of our frames."

Lelouch was not bothered by that. He had just been focusing on the success part. If they succeeded, that was all that mattered for now at least. "I'm glad you were all able to return safely," he said with a smile. "Is everything going to work?"

"It should," Michael said.

Lelouch turned to Morris who had just walked towards them. "How long will it take for your team to get the tower working again?"

"A couple of hours," Lt. Morris said.

"Get to it. Let me know as soon as we are back online. And please don't leave our network channels open to the EU. We don't want them listening to our conversations."

"Of course, your Highness." Morris said.

"You may rest along with your team, Sergeant," Lelouch said before turning away from the group. He turned towards his mobile base. He was alone there. Villetta was sitting outside with Jeremiah. It would be getting dark soon. But he was not concerned about the darkness. Lelouch was concerned about the communications getting back on line.

He sat at the command center alone, just sitting on his chair without anyone coming in to say something. A couple of hours went by and finally, the screens started to blink. They could get the signal. It didn't take long for the men outside to get into a celebratory mood. They once again existed. Their presence had been robbed by the death of their equipment but now they were back online. Everything was back to the starting point.

A soldier came into the command center and informed him that all was done. They carried some tests before he ordered the man to send a message to the Island for Schneizel to contact him. The Prime Minister came back after a couple of minutes.

He had a smile on his lips as he spoke. "I was worried about you, brother. I had already prepared aircrafts to search for you along the borders."

There was much to lose for Schneizel in this anyway. He was the one who dragged him here and although Lelouch had won his battles, if something had happened to him because of an attack from behind, the Portuguese government would have been blamed and Britannia would have found a better excuse to invade the EU. Lelouch was not looking for the end of his life to be in that fashion. He would end once he has achieved his dream – at least that was the dream.

"We had an unfortunate incident that left us without any form of signal but we managed to work around the issue," Lelouch said without going into detail.

"Your surrounding is different. You are not in your mobile base, are you?" Although he asked, he could see it was not the case. His assumption had been right. Lelouch's mobile base was no longer operational.

Lelouch shook his head. "We were attacked by some soldiers coming in from the Towns. They took out the communication tower and my mobile base. I guess they wanted me dead thinking I was in there…"

"It would have certainly created a storm had something happened to you," Schneizel said. "Nevertheless, I am glad that nothing happened to you. The last time I heard of you was at the borders in the southern sides of Portugal. I couldn't even celebrate your victory because your fate remained unknown," Schneizel added, smiling. "But now I can celebrate."

"I have nothing to celebrate," Lelouch said with a stare.

"Ah, your supplies," Schneizel started in a measured tone. "There was a bit of an incident that occurred when I was trying to send them. Perhaps the root of the problem was the same people who attacked you."

"What incident?"

"The plane carrying your supplies was shot down before it could land. I didn't send anything more because I didn't want same thing to occur. When you disappeared, I turned my focus on finding you," Schneizel said. "But now there is not need to send them. The EU won't engage anymore. For now at least. Your men should join the reinforcements."

That made Lelouch sigh in relief. There would be no more battle. He could breathe now. You didn't take in too much of this at once. Besides, this was his first battle. It had gone well. He wanted to take this win and go home with it before something happens. It would be a pity if something were to take his win away from him.

"They have been for more than a year, are they going to be released? There have also been some casualties…"

"They will be released but their only path is through the reinforcements," Schneizel said. "Cornelia is almost done. I didn't tell her about your situation. She asked about it but I made something up. We will have to tell her because it will eventually come up," he said.

"I figured you wouldn't tell her," Lelouch said with a shake of his head. "Knowing her, she would have already flattened this country or directly attacked the EU accusing them of having taken her brother."

Schneizel smiled: that was without question and she would have done it without listening to orders. Even if orders came to search first, she would have ignored them. "That would have complicated things," he said.

"Indeed," Lelouch said. "How long?"

"There was some unexpected resistance but she said would deal with it within a week," Schneizel said. "But you are done. I will send a plane for you tomorrow. You will return to the Island. Your men will be transported back to Homeland within a week or so," the prime minister added.

No doubt Schneizel would not allow him to return to Pendragon that quickly. The fact that he was even returning to the Island just meant that there was still a game that he needed to play. He might have been put in military but it didn't mean that Schneizel could not use him. As long as he was royalty, the man could use him in his politics. It was no matter. It would give him an insight in the political world.

"I will wait upon that," he said.

"Anything else I should know," Schneizel asked curiously.

"Is there anything else you think I am not telling you?"

Schneizel just smiled. "I am not thinking of anything… I am just asking out of curiosity."

"There are a couple of things but we will talk in person. I do have to come to you tomorrow," Lelouch said with a shrug.

"Tomorrow it is then," Schneizel said before cutting off the line.

He would have told the Prime Minister of his near death experience but he decided against it. It was nothing to brag about. If he could hide it, Lelouch would do so. But he could not. Not when the man had filmed everything. The video was going to hit Britannian screens soon. And he would see how the nobles react to seeing his name being chanted.

It was ironic though. He who once proclaimed he would destroy Britannia was now fighting for Britannia. He was supporting its conquest, its superior complex. Yet, Lelouch did not feel like he was losing something. He had never cared for the world in general. But he still needed to make a perfect world for Nunnally. The environment has changed. The how has changed, but he would still do it.

The Following Day

Major Albert stared as Villetta and Jeremiah prepared things in the truck. They were leaving as they came, just the three of them. Well, they had not come simply to see them die. They had come to lead them through a difficult situation and they succeeded. It was not clean, but given the odds, it was impossible for a clean one. Besides, this was war. Casualties occurred. Major Frederic's death was one that would sting his men. The old man was stubborn but he had been one of them. He had been with them for some time.

He really hoped that this would not be the last time he fights alongside Lelouch. Britannia was always fighting somewhere. They would be called for another battle soon; he really did hope when they do get called, Prince Lelouch would be in charge. No matter the circumstances or environment, they would make it through. The Eleventh Prince always had a plan. And he was ready to follow it.

The men were already gathered, waiting for the final words from the prince. Just like last time. But this time, he stood atop of a Gloucester. It's lance raised in a sign victory. Once Villetta and Jeremiah were done, they stood beside him.

"You look lonely already, Major," Jeremiah said to Albert with a smile on his lips.

Albert would have normally denied this. But they were parting ways. "It is going to be lonely. Usually, I would be hearing some words from Fredric. But he is no more. You were here. The place was a little tense at first, but we managed to get along."

Jeremiah slammed the man on his right shoulder. "Whenever you are in Pendragon, come see us at Aries Villa. His Highness will probably be playing politics but he will soon return to battle, and we will reunite in battle."

"I hope that is soon," Albert said.

"Don't you have a family?" Villetta asked. "You should at least be happy that you are able to go home and be with them."

"Family is troublesome. My parents don't approve of my choice in career. So I prefer to be here than home," Albert said before turning on a charming smile. "But I do hope that next time you will join us in the outside instead of always being beside the Prince."

Villetta suppressed the urge to roll her eyes. But she was saved from responding when Lelouch started talking.

"Major Albert!" Lelouch called.

"Yes sire!"

"Come here along with those two," Lelouch said. When they arrived, he started speaking once more. "Now hopefully, there is no missile pointed at my back. I don't think my heart will take another of those shocks…" he stated with a smile, right hand over his heart.

"You need not worry your Highness, we did a clean sweep. There should be no problems but if it does appear, Villetta will not be the one to jump to your rescue," Albert said before turning to face the soldiers. "Right, men!?"

"Yes Major. This time, it will be us!" The soldiers said.

Lelouch smiled and held up his hand for silence. "A soldier is supposed to follow orders. When a teacher comes to class in time and teaches his students to the best of his abilities, the students don't have to say thank you. No, he was hired to teach. Every one of you follows orders from commanding officers. You should not be thanked for following them, because that is your duty.

"But I feel I must thank you. I had no experience. I was just a teenage boy and yet you trusted me. You gave me your trust when I asked you. None of you rebelled. None of you tried to sabotage our plans." He held out his right hand, palm open. "Your lives were in my hands. The enemy could have crushed them. They could have taken them," he snapped his fingers. "But they did not. We went into battle and came out with victory. We did lose a few good men. We shall remember them when we head back home. But for now, let me thank you for following my commands. You brought victory to Britannia. We did not shame the people at home. But we have made them proud. We have brought glory to Britannia. And to that, Jeremiah…."

Jeremiah didn't need an explanation. "All Hail Britannia!"

"All Hail Britannia!"

"All Hail Britannia!"

Lelouch watched with a smile. Ah, how sickening. But he was happy. This was the start of his journey: The journey to revenge. To creating the perfect world he wanted. He would hear this often. He would even start it at times. What was a Britannian victory without the trade mark closure?

After all that, Lelouch took Michael to the truck. He held the file of the man he had requested and placed it on his lap. "You have a history with Intelligence…"

"Yes sire."

"I was impressed with your work during this campaign and I would like to have you work for me on a personal level. Of course, it is to use your Intelligence skills. You should understand how things work within the upper class. Regardless, even if you do not understand, it should not matter." Lelouch said in a serious tone. "What do you think?"

"That is a lot to think about…"

"That is fine. Your services are not needed immediately. When I need you, we will speak again," Lelouch said. No, he just wanted to do a thorough background of the man. He would have to ask Schneizel to help him with it. He could not trust these people simply because they followed his orders. This was a process and he would measure them to see if they can truly be trusted.

"You may tell them that I am ready to leave," Lelouch said.

It didn't take long for Major Albert to get the truck moving. The journey was a little silent compared when they first came. Many words had already been said. Lelouch was engrossed in his thoughts to even entertain what was happening. The stage was moving. The environment was changing. Politics was a different game, but he could not say no when Schneizel was asking. The man hadn't said anything, but he knew that it was coming.

"Major Albert," Lelouch said after they stepped out of the truck. The military plane was already waiting for them, ready to depart. "We will talk soon. I have your contact details."

"I will be expecting the call," Albert said with a smile. "Villetta, I hope you will be available when I come to Pendragon, I am not really familiar with the city. Perhaps you would be willing to show me around."

"Maybe," Villetta said calmly.

Lelouch just smiled and turned away from Albert. He walked towards the plane with both his subordinates following him. It was apparent that the Major had taken a liking to Villetta. How was she going to respond? No, she had responded. Most probably she didn't have any interest.

"Your Highness," a soldier greeted them as they neared arrived at the plane.

"Soldier," Lelouch nodded his head before following the soldier into the plane. He chose the seat by the window to be able to see the outside world as the plane flies. "There are potential threats, yes? The last plane was shot down by terrorists, are we safe for flying?"

"His Highness, Prince Schneizel has said that the Portuguese government will be watching us until we are clear," the soldier said.

"He places too much faith on them," Lelouch said with a slight shake of his head. "Well, I don't want to question my brother's measures in this case," he said before staring outside through the window as the plane started to move.

There was silence as the plane took the air but the moment he settled on autopilot, Jeremiah spoke. "My Lord," he started in a curious tone. "What were you discussing with Sergeant Michael?"

Lelouch glanced at the man for a moment. He was obviously curious. Just couldn't help himself from saying something. Lelouch shook his head. "I was enquiring about his services. As our profile grows, we will need more man power. For now, it is just the two of you, but we will have to grow our hands to manage certain things that will head our away and we will need to do other things."

Jeremiah nodded. "Can he be trusted?"

Lelouch shook his head. "We don't know that. We will find out eventually. Given my status, it would be dangerous to put someone in our team we do not trust." He didn't even put it past Schneizel to plant someone in his camp to keep tabs on him. Hell, Lelouch did think that there was someone who was reporting to Schneizel about everything that was happening in the base and in battle. He couldn't prove it, but it would be just like Schneizel to keep an eye on him.

Island

Schneizel had a warm smile on his lips as Lelouch walked into his comfort area. His two guards were shown where they would be sleeping, he wanted to speak with his younger brother alone and play a game. A chess board was already prepared for them.

"You look worn out," Schneizel said as Lelouch sat on a chair just across him.

Lelouch glanced at the Prime Minister for a moment before staring at the board. He had missed a good round of chess. It was always something when playing with Schneizel. Victory was never assured. Not that he had ever won anyway. It was like he was playing for a draw. But Lelouch didn't want to enter into this game with that mindset. He wanted to win.

"I wasn't sleeping that often. There have been a couple of things to think about," Lelouch said before making his first move. He waited patiently for Schneizel to make his move before speaking once more. "Hopefully, I am able to rest while here."

"You have time to rest. I won't need you in the next couple of days," Schneizel said. "There are still certain things that we need to solve before we make our next move."

"So, I will be around here," Lelouch said calmly.

"Yes," Schneizel said. "How was your overall experience? Perhaps I should start by congratulating you on your performance. You did better than expected. I truly hope that in the next battle, we won't have such conditions. Regardless, I had always known that you would be a success."

Lelouch glanced at Schneizel for a moment before staring back at the play at hand. The man was still not easy. But he had come to understand something about Schneizel's nature. Lelouch really hoped that it would serve him well in the near future. For certain, they would end up in opposing sides in the near future. Their ideals truly differed. "I'm sure many people are disappointed back in Homeland."

"That is to be expected," Schneizel said. "Many people were throwing bets on your failure."

"You must have made a killing."

Schneizel stared at the board. Lelouch was playing cautiously today. The strategy was fundamentally still the same. While Lelouch played around with his king, perhaps he wanted to draw out his opponents into traps, today he was playing with his queen as if she was a pawn. "I wouldn't say that," Schneizel said after a couple of minutes of silence.

"The experience was good. Perhaps it was better that we came across such conditions. It prepares me for whatever happens when I am alone. No doubt there will be sabotage in the near future. Politics does get involved in military functions," Lelouch said in a measured tone. "I did nearly die…" he said before taking out his phone. He pressed a couple of buttons and handed it to Schneizel.

The Second Prince took the phone and watched the video. The last part was dramatic. He was amazed that Lelouch was very calm about the whole matter and hadn't even said anything before. He handed Lelouch his phone before making his move. "When you stay away and observe from afar, you guard against such incidents from happening."

"Had I stayed, I would have been injured since my mobile base was also attacked. But I have seen the dangers of front lines. I will not be making the same mistakes again. When unnecessary, I will not enter battle," Lelouch said.

Schneizel smiled. "I'm glad you have come to that decision," he said. "You have selected your guards well. They reacted quickly to the danger. With them around you, even I will feel safe that my brother is in good hands," the prince said.

"Our sister will surely be giving a different reaction."

"Indeed," Schneizel nodded. "It was best that she was not told of this…" he paused and glanced at Lelouch for a moment. "Are you planning on having that video seen by the public?"

"Seems like a good advocate for my image," Lelouch said calmly. "Don't you think?"

"I wouldn't show the last part, but we are different. I don't see the harm nevertheless. If anything, it shows that you work with people who will not hesitate to protect you in a moment of danger. That is raw footage that you hardly see," Schneizel said. "Yet, it does expose you to some dangers."

"Anything can be pointed at the fact that it was my first battle," Lelouch said with a shrug. "When does our sister return?"

"I will know tomorrow," Schneizel said.

Lelouch nodded. "Are you going to tell me why I am staying behind? Obviously it has to do with your talks with the EU… but I really don't see how that involves me."

Schneizel smiled. He was disappointed to learn that Lelouch would not be playing politics with him. But now he had a found a way to make his brother play politics even though he will be serving in military. "It does have to do with the EU. We really don't want a full scale war with them. I really don't want to end up taking everything by force. It will just give us more problems as we have in other areas."

"You mean the threat of terrorism," Lelouch said. "But diplomatic talks sometimes do work best. People are more cooperative when they have made a choice themselves without a gun pointed at them. They become easier to rule when you have an agreement with them. But when it is all force, there is resistance. We see this in the areas Britannia controls and it will likely happen in the EU. In its current state, Portugal will perhaps be the most civilized area under Britannia."

"Hopefully," Schneizel said with a nod. "We will discuss more about this once I have held talks with the EU. Once Cornelia returns, we will clear out what must be done."

"What does High Command want?"

"You'll know what High Command wants when we meet them. If we go somewhere with the EU, we will meet High Command."

"In what role will I be playing to meet High Command?"

Schneizel just smiled.

Five days later

Raw coverage of what happened in the battlefield was always welcomed. But it was rarely ever broadcast. Britannia had a long history of reporting victories when they didn't happen. The tyrant nation would never tell its people that it had been soundly beaten and its forces had to turn back with tails between the legs. Even Charles would hang whoever makes such news. However, there have been some cases, with lines not controlled by the government that 'real news' was shown. If you wanted to really know what was happening, you didn't have to depend on Britannia reporters – they only reported what they wanted you to know and in the angle of their liking.

The raw material from his battle had done some rounds in the news already. Lelouch had watched several stations playing the clip. It had come from an anonymous source. Naturally, the source was him. While he was not the most loved person, it had to be shown and they had to praise it. It had been victory against the EU. It was not often that such a bruising defeat was dished out to the union.

All in all, Lelouch could return to Pendragon with a large smile on his lips because things were moving smoothly. It was only early days, but Lelouch was pleased with the progress he was seeing. He hadn't thought that his first military campaign would have such an outcome. He could thank Schneizel for this. But from now on, he didn't need to have the man hanging over his head. It would not take long for some hard heads to start twisting the story to say that the strategy was Schneizel's and he had only been following orders. Yes, this was going happen soon enough.

"You look pleased with yourself," Cornelia said as she walked into the room Lelouch occupied. The Prince was sitting on a chair, staring at a laptop, a chessboard placed on the right side with a content look on his face.

Lelouch glanced at his elder sister for a moment before closing the window he had been viewing. "Sister, you have returned," he said.

"With victory, of course," Cornelia said before sitting across Lelouch.

"As is expected from Britannia's Witch," Lelouch said with a smile. "I also returned with what a result I did not expect. Victory was an outcome I had to come out with but I didn't expect to be in the way it played out. So, yes, I am very pleased with myself."

"You almost died," Cornelia said with a stare.

"Indeed, sister," Lelouch said with a nod. "I almost met my end there. But we are soldiers; it would be naïve for us to think that we cannot face such circumstances when in battle. I have no plans of losing my life any time soon, but we have to expect that we will be in trouble one day. The important thing is preparedness to survive when it does occur," the eleventh prince said in a firm tone.

Cornelia stared at Lelouch for a long minute before sighing tiredly. If she hadn't already spoken to Schneizel about what had happened, she would have been lashing out at him. "I really don't want to lose you again, Lelouch. Euphy is very happy to know that the brother she loves is alive and she gets to be with him. Just don't do anything reckless."

Lelouch smiled. He was going to be doing more reckless stunts in the future, but he wasn't going to tell Cornelia that. "I wouldn't want to sadden our dear sister like that," he said. Not only that, but what would become of Nunnally if he died? What would that cruel bastard to do his crippled sister?

He could not afford to die while zi Britannia still lives.

End of chapter

I have been told I need a beta. So, I'll ask: anyone willing to work on chapters for this story for me? If you are there, hopefully, please PM me.

The Omnipresent Sage