The next morning, I'm in the briefing room with Ange and Tusk. As for Sylvia, she'll be staying put in the cafeteria with Vivian until we give them a signal to leave the Aurora.

As for the sitting arrangement, I'll be sitting next to Tusk so we can form this Plan B in case Ms. Refused-To-Ally-With-The-DRAGONs goes all crazy. Much to our surprise...

Jill suggested to fight alongside the DRAGONs. It's about time.

I guess that breaks the tie.

Even so, I have a bad feeling about what she will do about the alliance. She shows us the mission outline that the signal markers will lead us to their returning location: the Dawn of Pillar. If I'm not mistaken, that's where Aura is held. Anyway, Jill planned to reduce the enemy forces by having Ange ordering the DRAGONs to attack the Empire from the southwest and lure out the Ragna-mails. Once that is done, the Aurora will travel deep enough to avoid being detected and making a pincer attack on both forces. After the enemy forces are eliminated, all forces will storm the Dawn Pillar.

I have a bad feeling about her, and I'm right.

Judging by this, she doesn't agree with the alliance after all.

"I see..." Jasmine stated.

"But the DRAGONs will suffer heavy casualties," Tusk protested on the idea.

"That's how diversions work," Jill said firmly.

I showed my paper to Tusk with the writing, 'This is why I don't trust Jill. Her plan stinks.'

"What the hell was that?" she caught me giving a note to him.

"Nothing," I said with disdain.

"I think there's something you would like to share with us," she started to approach me, and it's a good thing I swap the paper I showed Tusk with another paper. When she looked at it...

"'Ange, meet me at my room at 9 AM'?"

"Lelouch!" Ange looked at me with embarrassment.

"What? I just need some diversion, that's all," I said slyly.

"Plans for a date, huh? Stupid kid!" Jill threw the paper at my head.

Oh, don't worry, Jill. You're the stupid one in this room.

"What about Salia and the others?" Ange said with a worry expression on her face. I never imagine how worried she is about them, despite the fact that she isn't in good terms with them, especially Salia.

"What about them?" Jill said with disdain.

"Aren't we going to save them?"

Don't worry about that, Ange. I already have the arrangements.

"We don't need tools that betray their users," the commander explained. As long as she is commander, we can't form an alliance with those people from another dimension.

"Tools?" Ange questioned her. "But it's Salia..."

"Everything is a tool for Libertus. The DRAGONs, you, even me."

"I knew it," I don't like this idea of hers.

Ange questioned her about what is her scheme, and that she won't follow her until she said the plan on what to do about the DRAGONs.

With Jill's crazy laugh, I knew I was right not to trust this bitch. Then, she switches her strategy: to have the DRAGONs fight the Ragna-mail while Ange will rush the Dawn Pillar with the Para-mail troops. There, she will kill Julio.

How low the commander could get?

Judging by her hatred of that guy, she had some bad history with this guy or something.

"So the DRAGONs are sacrifices?" Tusk stands up as he is not willing to tolerate this strategy.

"We can't risk the Villkiss. It's too important," Jill justified.

"Hell no!" Ange will not stand for this as well. "I won't cooperate with your wretched mission."

"What about you, Lelouch?" the crazy commander turned her attention me. "Will you cooperate with me? After all, making sacrifices is one of your MOs."

"Sad to say, I won't cooperate," I replied with scorn.

"Then I'll convince you to cooperate."

In fact, she pressed a button on the panel to reveal a screen showing Momoka being tied down.

"If I open the decompression chamber hatch, your maid will be crushed instantly by the water pressure."

And I'm hearing complaints from Jasmine and Maggie.

Guess that's two votes of disagreeing with this maniac. Don't forget about me, Ange, and Tusk.

That makes five votes. Nobody likes her idea.

To think she even has the guts to say that this is a precaution because Ange violates her orders. She used Momoka as a bargaining chip to get Ange to cooperate with the mission plan. To her, in Libertus, everything is a pawn and a tool like how Momoka is a tool to manipulate Ange, and that Ange is a tool to manipulate the Villkiss. In fact, that's the ultimate weapon that will kill Julio.

"Bullshit!" Ange pointed her gun at Jill. "Release Momoka. Now!"

"You don't have to tell her that, Princess Angelise," we turned to the door in the room to see Momoka is there, and she is ready to fight. "I'm never a hostage."

"Momoka..." Jasmine looks astonished.

"That's impossible. I captured you!" Jill is surprised at this moment.

"Better look at the screen again," the maid pointed at the screen.

As we looked, the 'Momoka' that was captured is replaced by a log.

"What the...?" the commander is surprised.

"This is a technique known as Substitution. With this, I can replace my body with an object, and this is an example. This creates an optical illusion, making you think you captured me. From this, I can use the lapse in your attention to escape."

"Nice one..." I give Momoka credit.

"Thank you," she smiled at me before turning to Jill. "In fact, Lelouch here told me about your plan, and I don't like it."

"Lelouch..." the latter turned to me with anger. "That's it!"

She makes her attack on us.

"That's insubordination, you two," she grabs Ange by her throat while she steps on my back.

Not even Tusk could stop her. Just how crazy the commander, whose real name is Alektra, could get, just to get the ex-princess to cooperate with her?

Next, I saw Tusk pressing a button from the small device. Now our plan is in fruition. Before Alektra could hurt Ange even more just to make her understand, she started to feel dizzy from the gas, and it's good thing I have my gas mask on. Tusk, who has one already, gave one to Ange.

Looks like we'll be taking our leave.

After we left the briefing room, Tusk surfaces the Aurora from below the ocean. Next, I get a text from my spy, and it said 'we get a reading the ship is rising from above'.

I replied...

'Exactly as I planned'.

Anyway, we run to the hangar to leave the place. Since the gas wore off, we don't need the gas masks anymore.

"We'll escape in the Para-mails as soon as we're in the surface," Ange stated. "Be ready."

"Roger!" Vivian quickly agreed.

"Exactly my thought," I agreed.

"But how can we escape?" Sylvia asked.

"And that's the surprise I'll show you."

I removed the large white cloth from two machines as I revealed the surprise. Two Para-mails that are designed by me.

"Anyway, Sylvia, the black one is yours, while the purple one is mine," I explained. "I designed them, so they're prototypes. In other words, we gotta be careful."

"Oh..."

"Deserting again?" we heard Jill coming this way.

"How is this possible?" Sylvia asked me. "Isn't she just knocked down in the briefing room?"

"I guess this shows looks can be deceiving," I stated calmly.

On the top of that, we saw Jill has a wound on her right leg. I'm even impressed what Ange told her that she is acting like what the humans do to Norma, and I agree. Also, 'lowest of the low'...

Real nice, Ange.

I can only hope my spy gets here in time for this part of my plan.

Ange proposed a fight with Jill using knives; if the latter wins, the former will do exactly as she said. I can already decide the outcome.

"Princess Angelise!" Momoka protested on the idea.

"Sister!" Sylvia did the same.

"Tusk, back off with Momoka," Ange instructed us. "Lelouch, back off with Sylvia."

"Be careful, Ange," her knight agreed.

"Godspeed, Princess Angelise!" her maid added.

"Don't worry, you two. I can tell she can tell she will win," I said smugly. "The wound on Jill's leg is the weakness."

"Hey, I heard that!" Alektra is not liking what I said.

Anyway, the fight between the two women is about to begin as they exchange blows and argue with their different ideas. For example, Ange will not tolerate her plan that involves sacrificing anyone. Also, Alektra telling her that they're similar because both of them were once royalty until they were cast out after being exposed as Normas.

Oh, the irony.

After they lose the knives, Alektra attempted to punch her, but Ange hit her in the head with a kick. And I guess I was right to determine who is the winner.

"Why?" the commander is having a breakdown. "Why don't you understand?"

"Because if we do it your way, I can't have Cafe Ange," was the winner's reply.

"That's enough, Jill," Jasmine agreed with our way with Maggie carrying her.

Guess the votes are settled.

It's time for takeoff.

We left the Aurora with our flying machines, but it looks like our escape will have to cut short because the three defected Norma has arrived.

So far, exactly as planned.