Author's Note: Yea. I'm still alive. Got posted to a combat support unit. I know it has been a long time since I updated his story, and I'm really sorry about that. I have to confess that I did lose some of my motivation to write ever since I got conscripted into the army. I hope to regain it now that basic military training is over, which means more free time to write.

This chapter is more action-based and deviates from all the drama and angst prevalent in the past few ones. Not a lot of lines or moments for the main characters either, because I wanted to try writing in the antagonist's point of view more. And a word of warning: it's going to get wordy since I'll be elaborating on Lelouch's plan once it's executed. Apologies if the flow seems rather clunky. I've been working on this on and off for short periods of time for the past four months or so... Nonetheless, I hope you guys enjoy the read.

Chapter 21
A Royal Execution

Carine was fuming. Tense and annoyed would definitely be an understatement of how she felt due to the lack of happenings recently. She was bored to the core. The fifth princess of Britannia hated that feeling. When she first joined the Sword of Akasha, and hereby pledging financial and military support to the terrorists, growing tired from the lack of activity was the last thing she expected. Especially when she held a key position among them, which was actually bestowed upon her due to her royal bloodline. The princess envisioned numerous bloody skirmishes with them standing triumphantly over the remains of their foes, not twiddling her thumbs in the luxurious but mundane confinements of her palace.

The only thing that even roused her attention slightly was her older sister, Third Princess Euphemia li Britannia, held a military operation involving several of her Knightmares and other armored units sweeping through the grounds around almost every royal's residences. The exercise was carried out a few days ago under the rationale of ensuring that there were no signs of terrorist activity close to any palace. It was rather unlike Euphemia to get involved in anything remotely military-related, but Carine guessed that the unrest within Britannia's highest echelons was enough to agitate even the highly pacifistic pink-haired princess. Odysseus's death had set many a noble and child of the Emperor fraught with panic.

A contingent of Knightmares had already passed by Carine's palace several times during the military drill, causing her advisors to fear that they've been suspected of conspiring with terrorists. The redhead royal was exasperated and reminded the worrywarts that they were not the only ones who had their residences checked, and soon after several days of zero happenings, everything relapsed back to quietude, much to the princess's annoyance. Her ennui grew so great that she almost hoped that Euphemia's forces stumbled upon something and she would be forced to annihilate them. She dismissed such thoughts with a snort. Euphemia was, as far as Carine knew, completely unschooled when it comes to military matters. The idea of her pink-haired sibling doing anything to endanger her was laughable.

Of course, it was not as though Carine was not treated to any action at all. The last activity she partook in was the assault on Valac Palace, the residence of her maddeningly-incapable and now thankfully dead eldest brother, Odysseus, was enjoyable to her, and she drew plenty of gratification from torturing the bitch with him. Amusing as it was to work her over, it was short-lived and that only ignited her craving for more. And without an outlet to satisfy her desires, her frustration only grew to the point that it became unbearable.

The fifth princess crossed into the dining hall for her supper, ignoring the two dutiful guards along the hallway, who saluted and greeted her formally. Her personal chef smiled at her politely and set a slice of blueberry pie and vanilla ice cream slathered in caramel syrup in front of her. It may not sound like a very befitting dish for royalty, many of whom preferred finer cuisine, but Carine didn't care. She always had a sweet tooth, and sugary meals were of course a comfort food to her. The last meal of the day had to be as sweet as possible. She let out a prolonged and grumpy groan, signaling her less-than-ideal mood to the cook, who wisely retreated from the hall.

Carine eyed what supposed to be her mouthwatering supper for a while before exhaling yet again and picking up her fork. She was about to dig in when the door slammed open with such incredible strength that its hinges nearly broke. A panting soldier, dressed in the colors of bright red and yellow, stumbled into the hall. The royal leaped to her feet, her eyes blazing with displeasure at the sudden intrusion. She opened her mouth to admonish the hapless guard when he knelt hastily and bowed his head, muttering a string of words in a rapid-fire fashion. "Apologies for disturbing you, Your Highness! However, General Bertram said that I should report this to you at once-"

"Spit it out!"

"Our lookouts have discerned movement from the Aries Villa!" The soldier visibly gulped before rattling off at once, cowed by his superior's clearly rising temper. "They claim that eleventh prince Lelouch is on the move, and he is only accompanied by Shirley Fenette and Margrave Jeremiah Gottwald!"

All annoyance at the soldier's interruption vanished when Carine heard those words. "Are you sure?" She asked eagerly, her supper lying forgotten on the dining table. "Wait- nevermind that, bring me to the command room at once!" Without a word, the princess's companion murmured assent and scampered off, with the redhead princess following closely behind.

Minutes later, Carine and her group of advisers and military officers were all gathered in the command room of her palace, surveying the various computer screens linked to their scouts and satellites. Every single individual was associated with the Sword of Akasha, willingly or otherwise. Carine coerced them to participate under the threat of death and promise of reward when she made the decision to join the terrorists a few months back.

Currently, they were monitoring the progress of a matte black sedan. The vehicle's windows were tinted, obscuring its occupants as it continued to speed along a highway. "Can we get any confirmation that my half-brother and that wretch is inside that car, General Bertram?" Carine asked, her eyes gleaming with hungry enthusiasm. All vestiges of her listlessness during the past few weeks were gone. A vehicle moving out from the villa was a normal sight, but it was definitely the first time one was doing so with rumors of Lelouch on board.

"Our men reported that they have witnessed two individuals who greatly resemble them entering the vehicle before it moved, Your Highness," a bearded, brown-haired general in his forties answered in a matter-of-fact tone. He pointed at the large screen situated in the center of the room. A picture flashed on it, depicting a lanky dark-haired male ushering a slender girl with hair the color of flames into a car.

"What the hell are those two trying to do... where are they even going?" Carine frowned. Their actions were bewildering to her. "They're moving alone and abandoning the safety of their residence."

"We have predicted their intended route according to their movements so far, Your Highness," Bertram replied, gesturing at two other men seated in front of him, who were busy typing away on the computers. They quickly brought up a diagram, which flashed on the main screen of the room. It depicted the estimated path of the sedan. "As you can see... the path they're taking doesn't really lead to any notable areas. It's far away from the city. The only places of possible interest along that route are a weapons factory, a private airfield, and a golf course."

"A weapons factory...? A private airfield..." Carine mused for a couple of seconds, then her eyes widened as a realization hit her, and the teenager snapped her fingers loudly. "They're trying to escape!"

"Escape?" Several of her advisors echoed, sharing dubious looks.

"Think about it!" The princess insisted. "It's the only explanation for their peculiar behavior! If it's a military operation, they would have brought Knightmares and much larger numbers! Knighmares are unsuitable for long-distance travel due to power limitations. Plus, they're moving out at night and with so little guards - they must be trying to avoid attention! We have exerted some pressure on them before, and a private airfield is located nearby along their charted route. All of this could only add up to one thing - they're trying to make a run for it!"

"I doubt that eleventh prince Lelouch would attempt such a thing. It's unlike his personality. He has his pride after all-" The general started, but kept his mouth shut after Carine glared at him icily. "Well, there's always a possibility..." He coughed lamely, avoiding the intense gaze of his young superior. It would not do him good to contradict the fifth princess, especially after she was absolutely certain. She seemed to take such things personally, and all of her underlings knew her punishments were often unnecessarily severe.

"I'm so glad you think so, General Bertram," Carine said sarcastically. She glanced at the rest of her advisers, who merely stared at her with abated breath and apprehension-filled eyes. "Any other objections? No? Excellent. Now then, shall we proceed to exterminate them like the pests they are?"

"H-hold on a moment, Your Highness," a bespectacled male advisor stuttered as he raised his hand timidly. "Shouldn't we inform Infinity first and let him decide on a course of action? He's the master of the Sword of Akasha-"

"Screw that!" Carine snapped irritably. "That man keeps preaching about being cautious, but what have we really accomplished since he stepped out of nowhere and took control of us? Absolutely nothing at all! Zlich! If we notify him, he'll just tell us to back off again! It's obvious that my brother is trying to make a break for it, and we're not going to pass up a chance to eliminate him." A half-dreamy, half-insane expression crossed her face. "And maybe after we've shown that I am more capable than him... I can replace him as the leader of the Sword of Akasha. Once I'm in that position, becoming Empress would surely be more easily attainable as well..."

"B-but the past few times when someone tried to make a move on them against Infinity's orders, it ended in failure."

"It's going to be different this time! Ricardo's assault was thwarted because they were too well-protected. Right now they're exposed and defenseless. Guinevere could have succeeded if she made the mercenary kill them both on the spot instead of resorting to some stupid, overly elaborate tactics which fell flat on its face! It's definitely a landslide victory for us if we play the cards right!"

"W-w-with all d-due respe-"

"Silence! Enough with all this senseless bickering!" Carine snapped, a note of finality in her tone. She swept her hands around dramatically and her eyes flashed with wrath. In a blink of an eye, all intentions to protest or doubt Carine openly were snuffed out, and some of her underlings gulped in terror, recalling her previous tantrums. Her past fits were appalling, to say the least - they would be lucky to survive her outbursts without any form of physical harm. "I see absolutely no reason why we should hold back. Every second wasted here means a higher chance of them slipping through our grasp! Send out a squad of commandos to covertly assassinate them!"

"I know you believe that prince Lelouch is trying to escape, but there's also a possibility of him laying a trap for us," General Bertram spoke up calmly but firmly. "He may end up turning the tables on us, just like how he did to Guinevere's assassin. Besides, I find it odd that he would let himself get seen trying to escape. A man of his caliber should suspect that the Villa is under watch. If he truly wanted to make a run for it, he would have at least bothered to disguise himself. Therefore, I must insist that you must have some countermeasures in place. Better safe than sorry."

"Fine," Carine sighed, finally relenting to one of her advisers. "Two-thirds of our Knightmare forces shall surround the perimeter around the airfield. They shall be called upon if anything goes wrong. All it takes is a single Knightmare to blow up a plane that hasn't even taken off yet."

"Thank you, Your Highness," the general bowed stiffly. If the middle-aged officer was still dubious of Carine, he did not display it. "I shall see to the preparation of the commandos then. I assume you'll be overseeing this operation yourself?"

"Of course. I wouldn't want to miss it," the fifth princess bared her teeth in a feral grin. "I would love to personally ensure that my half-brother's grisly demise." She watched as her advisers shuffled out of the room quietly to relay her orders. She could hardly wait for the beginning of the mission.

Major Neil Nolan made a face as he moved towards his target - a small plane with the color of ivory, in the airfield. The aircraft was still and showed no sign of taking off anytime soon. His team of seven other commandos was right behind him, and like the Major, they were all clad in bulky bomb disposal suits instead of their usual battle gear. Their assault rifles were all replaced with silenced pistols, and a couple of them had breaching devices. They were gathered at the private airfield under Carine's command, and they were tasked to carry out the assassination of Lelouch vi Britannia and any of his associates present at the scene.

"That's the plane with the targets, right, Major?" one of his men whispered behind him.

"Aye, it is, Lieutenant Bradman," the leader of the commandos replied softly. "Or at least that's what we're told." All of the plane's windows are closed, and the windscreen was tinted. There was no way they could possibly affirm that Lelouch was truly located inside the craft, but Bertram, probably conveying Carine's directions, insisted that he must be inside. Regardless of whether that was fact, Neil didn't like his mission one bit at all. and if he had a choice, he would not carry it out at all, as he had little desire to be a tool to settle the squabbles between the Emperor's children. Furthermore, it stank of immorality, and he felt like it would only disservice the Britannian royalty as a whole instead. Unfortunately, he was first and foremost a professional soldier, and secondly, he swore his allegiance to Carine, albeit not quite willingly.

The Major tilted his head slightly to the left to begin speaking with his men. "Alright, gentlemen. We all know that a Britannian royal is onboard... and we have to assassinate him. Because our commander says so." The other seven elite soldiers shifted uncomfortably. Neil paused, then resumed quietly. "And I'm aware that a lot of you are far from fond with our objective." The officer understood his men well enough to know that most of them were unhappy with their assignment. Trained killers they might be, but their mission was undeniably unscrupulous.

"However, I'm certain that all of you are conscious of the fact that we're soldiers who undertook an oath to serve the fifth princess. Like it or not, it is tantamount to treason if we turn back now. I prefer not to talk about the punishment for that." All eight battle-hardened men suppressed a shudder. "All of us still have families and loved ones to go back to. It's either kill them or get executed by her royal highness. Hence... let's just get this over with. Good luck." Neil finished his small speech amid a hushed chorus of ayes. He returned his sight to the aircraft and recalled their plan - or rather, Carine's, for entering the vehicle.

The plan was straightforward and simple, but also dangerously close to being an unbelievably stupid one in the eyes of the Major. They were to deceive their targets that they were a bomb disposal unit - thus the awkward equipment. Firstly, a bomb threat would be passed down to the eleventh prince by the airfield's operators, who were bribed and threatened by Carine. Following that, Neil's team are to seek permission from their targets to enter the plane to 'defuse' the bomb. Their excuse would sound quite suspicious under normal circumstances, but hopefully with the operators' added assurance, it would be a lot more convincing. Once they have obtained access, they would assassinate all personnel as silently as possible. Finally, he was tasked with piloting the aircraft - the bodies of their victims still onboard, and angle the trajectory so that it would eventually crash before bailing out of it mid-flight using their parachutes. On the off-chance that the enemies had prepared an elaborate trap of sorts, threescore of Gareths was hiding in the surrounding forests and could be called upon for a counterattack.

As easy to understand as the plan was, Neil could already see a gaping flaw in it. Too much of it hinged on their foes being deceived by them, and the military officer highly doubted that they would. After all, Guinevere's minion, Mao, had attempted a similar tactic and so had Ricardo, and both ended in ultimate failure, the latter more so than the former. He would be mind-blown if they somehow allowed his team on board.

Neil had tried to highlight his uncertainties to General Bertram, and the response he had obtained was "In case they deny you entry, force your way in and kill them. Your team is equipped with breaching equipment after all." The Major then pointed out that using such methods would definitely draw attention due to the noise required and might alert their adversaries, who could send a distress signal, which then increases the chance of Carine being implicated, depending on how thorough the Emperor's investigators were. The General dismissed his concerns and firmly told him to follow his orders, and leave the rest to the princess and her advisers to handle, leaving the Major vexed and resigned.

Neil pushed the recent memory of his frustrating interaction with his superior aside and glanced at his watch. The airfield operators should have alerted Lelouch about the supposed bomb threat a few minutes ago. It was now time for the next phase. He signaled his men to make their move, and they hastened to obey. Soon, they were sprinting towards the airplane, many of them mentally cursing the heavy and awkward bomb disposal suits, which made swift movement a chore. They halted a few feet from the side of the vehicle and Neil raised his communication device, which was already on the same channel as the one their targets were using on the plane. "Aircraft RB-1117, this is Major Neil Nolan of the third Britannian Explosive Ordinance Disposal Unit. RB-1117, do you copy?"

There was a pause, and Neil waited for a response with bated breath. "This is Margrave Jeremiah Gottwald. Major Neil Nolan confirmed to be part of the third Britannian EOD unit." He fought the urge to smile in relief. So they were checking whether he was really an EOD officer. Fortunately for him, Carine had modified the database of military personnel. "I assume you people are here because of the bomb threat?"

"Roger, Margrave Gottwald."

"I have already personally searched the interior of our aircraft since the threat was made. I could assure you that I was extremely conscientious about it since eleventh prince Lelouch vi Britannia is on board."

"I mean no disrespect to you, Margrave Gottwald, but we are the experts in this field," Neil replied, a tad too quickly. "And I would strongly advise you to allow us on board to confirm that there aren't any explosive devices. The presence of His Highness Lelouch is the precise reason why we wish to be absolutely certain since we can't take any chances." The Major crossed his fingers behind his back, hoping that he did not sound too pushy, as that might raise some suspicion.

Another short pause and the commando officer received an exasperated groan in response. "Very well, Major Nolan. I shall allow you entry into our aircraft. However, please make it quick. We have urgent business to attend to elsewhere, and it is imperative that we leave as soon as possible."

"Roger that, Margrave Gottwald. We'll be as fast as we could while ensuring the safety of your craft," Neil responded. Apprehension and anticipation flooded his mind as his team watched the side door open, and a set of stairs extending to the ground. A tall, dark-green haired man with broad shoulders stood at the doorway, staring at them with an exasperated expression. He could only be Jeremiah Gottwald.

"Well? Hurry up!" Jeremiah snapped, beckoning impatiently at the eight men assembled before him. "We're due to leave in six minutes, so I expect the lot of you to be done in less than five!" Wordlessly, they scurried inside the craft immediately. The first thing Neil registered was that there was only one aisle, and his men began moving in single file. They were already aware of how they are to execute the mission - all eight of them are to move slowly down the aisle to locate Lelouch and Shirley. Once they have found them, the first four of them are to draw their silenced pistols and eliminate them, while the other four at the rear are to turn behind to engage Jeremiah, who was the most combat-experienced of the three and therefore required the highest friendlies-to-foes ratio to take down effectively.

With every step the commandos took, the atmosphere grew more strained. The pure tension in the air was palpable and Neil could imagine Jeremiah scrutinizing each of them carefully and every action they took. The Major had to constantly mentally chide himself to concentrate. He merely wanted to get this over and done with before going home - but one wrong step would ensure that he would never be able to do so. Just less than half a dozen rows of seats left to check... surely the eleventh prince and his lover were nearby...

"There!" A voice in Neil's voice shouted as he crossed the second-last row of cushioned chairs. There was a couple of people seated near the windows, and though he could only obtain the side view of them, he immediately recognized several features. The figure closer to him had dark, slightly messy hair eyes, the color of a rich amethyst and a lanky physique, while the other had bright orange hair flowing past her slim shoulders. Such physical attributes caused his team to immediately identify them as their quarries. "Fire!" The leader of the commando team found himself roaring as they drew their silenced pistols. Without further ado, they unleashed a hail of rounds on their two targets, peppering their bodies with bullet holes, reddish liquid spilling all over the place. At that moment in time, Neil felt a rush of euphoria spreading through every fiber of his body. "We did it! The mission's a success!"

Once the jubilation has died down, Neil realized that something was amiss. Their foes did not flinch nor did they even try to avoid their fire, impossible as it may be. Hell, they did not react in the slightest. He could vaguely hear his rearmost four men shouting for backup as they engaged Jeremiah in combat, but he ignored them, his mind still dwelling on his supposedly dead targets. The Margrave was merely a secondary objective. It was imperative that Lelouch's demise was ensured. Neil took a couple of steps forward and knelt next to the cadavers to inspect taking a closer look, Neil's eyes widened in shock. The bodies were hard to the touch - they were simply mannequins filled with crimson fluid.

"We've been fooled!" Neil cried out in dismay. He spun around to address his team - or what little remained of them anyway. Most of them were already hacked into pieces, their remains almost unidentifiable, by the rampaging Jeremiah. Neil could not help but curse his superiors. They did warn him that the Margrave possessed superior capabilities and was a formidable foe, but they failed to inform him of the noble's nigh bullet-proof body. Nevertheless, he swiftly reloaded his pistol as Jeremiah cleaved the last of Neil's teammates into twain with his sword.

Neil knew that he had already lost, for no one would be able to best Jeremiah one on one based on what he just witnessed. However, he was determined not to go down without a fight, and he began squeezing the trigger of his pistol as fast as he could. The bullets pinged off Jeremiah uselessly, and the Margrave sighed in annoyance. In a blink of an eye, the larger man closed the distance and promptly severed the pistol's barrel in a quick stroke, then slammed a fist into his midsection, sending his victim flying several feet into the air before crumpling to the floor.

Jeremiah strode forward and tore the hapless commando out of his bomb disposal suit. Neil, heavily disorientated by the heavy strike he had received, could barely feel himself being lifted from the floor and getting lifted and pinned against the wall, his opponent's fingers closed around his throat. "Who's behind this?!" Jeremiah snarled in his ear.

"F-fuck you!" Neil gasped, his fingers scraping futilely at the ones crushing his throat.

"I don't think you understand the situation here. I just single-handedly slain all seven of your comrades without breaking a sweat," Jeremiah jerked the thumb of his free hand backward at the grisly scene behind him. He glowered at the Major, doing his best to appear as intimidating as possible. "There's no way you're going to get out of this situation alive unless you answer my question honestly. Now, I ask again. Who's behind this?!"

"Even if you spare me, there's nowhere I can go back to."

"Look at who you're talking to, simpleton. I can have His Highness easily arrange false identification papers and passports for you if I just asked. That way, you can lead a new life," Jeremiah waited for a moment. "Do you have a family, Major Nolan?"

"…." The half-strangled man opened his mouth feebly, then closed it and looked away with a distressed expression.

Jeremiah took the other man's silence as consent. "We can take care of their documents too. None of you would live under the fear of repercussions. You would be given a sum of money for new housing as well."

"…I… but I can't just…."

Jeremiah sensed that he just needed to push a little more to get Neil to cooperate. "Honestly, Major, do you think whoever you're trying to cover up for is worth your life? He or she wouldn't shed a tear if you died defending them. You're supposed to serve Britannia to the best of your ability, and instead, right now you're being coerced to sow discord among the royalty by the very people you're serving."

Neil stayed silent for a while as he contemplated his options. Truth be told, there was only one for him. "Carine. Carine Ne Britannia," he whispered softly. Jeremiah's words had hit home. He should be protecting her as a soldier, but he had nothing but repugnance for her as a human being. Neil stared hard into Jeremiah's fierce orange eyes. "Good luck, Margrave Gottwald."

A look of relief and satisfaction crossed Jeremiah's features before he narrowed his eyes. "Thanks, Major. You've done the Britannian Royalty a great service." Without another word, he raised his fist and struck Neil squarely on the head, causing him to conk out on the aisle.

The cyborg glanced around the blood-splattered interior of the craft before contacting Lelouch with his communication device. "Your Highness, everything has proceeded according to plan."

"Good to hear that, Margrave Gottwald," Lelouch replied, pleased at the competency of his aide. "So who is the culprit this time?"

"Fifth Princess Carine Ne Britannia."

"…Carine, huh? Not a surprise. She has always been a violent brat," Lelouch mused. "How long do you need to take before you can join us?"

"Two minutes, Your Highness."

"I'll give you three. Lelouch vi Britannia, over and out." The call ended abruptly, much to Jeremiah's bemusement. Three minutes was more than enough for him to accomplish what was required of him before the next phase began. He was definitely thankful that Lelouch was generous, even if it is needlessly so. The Margrave turned around and heaved the unconscious man onto his shoulders, fireman's lift style, and bolted out of the plane as fast as he could. The next phase was when things get interesting after all, and he did not want to miss it.

"Your Highness, there's an incoming video call from an unknown source," the words of one of Carine's assistants brought her relentless pacing around the command center to a halt. The fifth princess of Britannia grinned merrily, her eyes as wide as saucers.

"It must be Major Neil. Answer the call, quickly!" Carine excitedly demanded as she scuttled to the front of the gigantic computer screen in the middle of the room. She had specifically told the commandos to call only when their mission was completed after all. The fact that it was from an unknown source did not discourage her in the slightest, for Neil's team were ordered to use any equipment except their own to contact her, to reduce the risks of being traced if they were caught.

The screen fizzled as Carine's men hastily obeyed her, and the princess leaned forward in anticipation. However, her eager smile was wiped off her face instantly the moment she saw that it was not the Major on the screen. It was none other than Lelouch.

"Wha-?" Carine's jaw dropped, hardly believing her eyes. She blinked twice in shock and stared at the screen with horror. It was unmistakably the eleventh Prince, unharmed and whole, garbed in a dark top and jeans. It appeared that he was still in an aircraft, judging by his surroundings. She closed her mouth and told herself not to panic. "Best act as though nothing happened until I know what's going on," she thought. "Lelouch! I wasn't expecting you. How can I help you, brother?" Carine asked politely, trying her best to put on a composed front and smile, although, internally, she was utterly flabbergasted and frantically struggling to figure out what was going on.

"Carine…" Lelouch narrowed his amethyst orbs. "Yes, I do require your assistance. There was just an assassination attempt made on me. I believe they were from the Sword of Akasha."

"Oh?" Carine's heart plummeted. That meant Neil had failed, somehow, despite all the careful preparation and planning she and her advisors did. "That's horrible. Where are you right now? Do you need an escort or-"

"No need for that, Carine. They are already taken care of, and I will soon venture to a safe place. The thing that interests me is that before my would-be killers perished," Lelouch cut her sister off with a disapproving frown. "They told me you were the one who sent them."

There was a long awkward pause. Carine mentally cursed Neil and his group of incompetent, traitorous soldiers. "That's not true! Besides, how can you trust the words of those who tried to murder you? They're trying to frame me!"

"The truth will be known. I'll notify father about this once I'm done with this call. After all, he does detest the Sword of Akasha for murdering my mother, Empress Marianne. I believe that he'll carry out a full-scale investigation, and deal with the culprits… personally," Lelouch said dramatically, permitting himself smirk in a gloating manner after witnessing her half-sister in a fluster. "Shame I wouldn't be around to witness it. My flight is about to take off. I hope I'll still get to see you well and cleared of any charges once I return to Britannia after things are a little more stable. Farewell." With those last words, the prince terminated the call, and the screen faded to black.

The room was filled with a ringing silence. Carine's many advisors, military or otherwise, turned to stare blankly at their liege. "No… This can't be happening! The plan was perfect," Carine muttered lowly in a frenzied tone. She clenched her fists and tried not to picture herself getting prosecuted by her own father.

"Your Highness…?" A slender, bespectacled male seated next to a console raised his hand timidly.

"What?! Just say it!" The red-haired royal snapped, tired of how skitterish her lackeys were acting.

"I've managed to trace the eleventh Prince's call! It appears that he is still in the airfield, but on a different plane. My best guess is that the other aircraft was a trap."

"Still in that airfield…?" Carine was astonished, then let out a cackle. "Perfect!" The situation was still salvageable. She snatched up a communication device and furiously worked to establish a connection with her forces. Fortunately for her, she did think of a contingency plan and stationed two-thirds of her Knightmares surroundings the airfield. "Knighmares are to advance and destroy every single aircraft in there!"

"Every… Single one?" General Bertram echoed disbelievingly.

"Your Highness! The vehicle is accelerating!"

"Yes! Every single damn plane better be in cinders!" The redhead royal shrieked hysterically. "I'm not going to take any more chances, lest I'll be bamboozled again!" No one moved a muscle, stunned by Carine's sudden loss of composure. "I'll take all responsibility for it. Destroy them all! Now!"

"A-aye, Your Highness!" The Knightmare team responded, slightly surprised by the extremity of their orders. The main screen flickered back to life, this time displaying the overview of the airfield and her troops. Carine watched raptly with simmering impatience as they wasted no time in charging forward and spreading out before opening fire on every aircraft they can see.

In less than a minute, all of the planes were destroyed with the overwhelming firepower of thirty Knightmares. One aircraft nearly managed to take off, but it was quickly blasted into smithereens with a hadron cannon. "All targets eliminated, Your Highness," the Knightmare team reported.

Carine allowed herself to calm down but reminded herself to be absolutely sure. "Check all of the wreckage. I want confirmation of their deaths."

"Your Highness… Quite a number of us utilized our Hadron cannons. We might not even be able to identify their remains-"

"Shut the hell up! Just do it! I want to be nothing less than completely certain that my slippery brother and his bitch are dead! Bring me proof of their demise!"

"Yes, Your Highness!" Carine rolled her eyes in exasperation. Can't her soldiers just follow her orders? Didn't they swear to obey her in all things? She resumed watching the screen, ignoring the worried gazes of her companions. Out of a sudden, all of the dots on the screen, representing her Knightmare units, blinked and disappeared almost at the same time, only to be replaced by the flashing red words "Signal lost". Carine and her gaggle of advisors were agape at such an unexpected event. They merely gawked at the display, desperately hoping for a miracle which would dispel the notion that all of their thirty Knightmares were destroyed.

"Um..." The same male who notified the fifth princess of the source of Lelouch's contact raised his hand again. Everyone in the room turned to glare at him, and he cringed slightly. "I'm afraid there is more bad news. Apparently, two dozen Gareths just took off from Aries Villa just as our forces finished destroying the airfield, and they are headed here right now. They will be here in six minutes."

A deafening silence filled the command center for several long seconds. The adolescent princess was rooted to the floor in a mix of outrage for being absolutely outsmarted and fear for getting arrested. "How on earth could we have been outmaneuvered so badly?!" Carine thought, fighting back tears of frustration. All her hopes and dreams of attaining glory simply vanished due to a single mistake. So much for envisioning becoming the leader of the Sword of Akasha, let alone the Empress of Britannia.

"Princess Carine, we should leave now," General Bertram cleared his throat awkwardly, unused to seeing the princess's eyes brimming with tears. He would rather see her throwing a tantrum and screaming at them, which are far more common occurrences. "There's no way we can repel twenty-four Gareths with fifteen Vincent Wards." They had sent all their Gareths to the airfield due to their superior firepower and only had Vincent Wards left as defenders.

Carine turned to fix the General with a hard stare. He had been right all along. Lelouch had laid a trap for them and she had blindly stumbled into it - and she hated it. She hated the fact that her subordinate was correct, and she was wrong. The princess wanted nothing more than to have him vanish, but she was well-aware that he had further use. "No. I'm leaving right now, but you're not, Bertram."

"I beg your pardon?"

"We need to buy some time. Choose nine out of the fifteen pilots left and make them defend this place to the very end. And you'll be staying behind to command them."

"Your Highness!"

"Obey me, Bertram!" Carine screamed, her eyes enlarged with agitation and desperation. The General instantly closed his mouth. She no longer looked like a regal princess. She seemed more like a panic-stricken girl with no idea what to do. "The other six are to follow me and the rest. We're making our way to the Sword of Akasha base!"

"But if they manage to track us, they'll find our main base of operations as well!"

"I don't give a shit! Let them follow us there for all I care! We have more troops there to defend us anyway! We can just leave again if they can't hold!" Carine raved, waving her hands about madly. "If Britannia won't have us anymore, there's always the EU or the Chinese Federation. Surely they would welcome us and our knowledge… surely… this can't be the end for us just yet… yes… that's right. " She sprinted towards the exit, with every member of the staff right at her heels, save General Bertram, who merely saluted with a fatalistic expression already painted on his aged visage. The middle-aged officer merely groaned the moment the door was shut and prepared himself for what most likely was his final battle.

"It's scary," Shirley murmured, staring at the real-time video of the ruined airfield. The mechanical wreckage of Carine's Knightmare squadron was strewn all over the place. Several minutes ago, all of them were intact and scurrying around, before a large number of hidden explosive charges were detonated, engulfing them and the entire airfield in an enormous fireball. None survived the blast.

"What is?" Lelouch inquired, seated in a simple brown chair in his bedroom. He stretched his arms upwards lazily and took a sip of coffee from a black mug. He had a smug smile playing on his lips as he observed Darlton leading the charge of twenty-four Knightmares towards Carine's palace through a series of computers on a table. Unlike the previous time he was in charge of a military operation, he decided to take command from his bedroom to minimize drawing attention from any of his staff. One may accuse him of being paranoid, but this was his best chance to finally capture a high-ranking member of the Sword of Akasha. Only he, Shirley, Jeremiah, Darlton and a small group of hand-picked knights were aware of this.

"How everything has gone just as how you planned, Lulu," Shirley answered, peeling her eyes away from the screen. Her gaze fell upon the prince. "I always knew that you were brilliant, but this is… amazing doesn't even begin to describe it!"

"You flatter me." Despite Lelouch's words, his lips quirked themselves into a self-satisfied smile. "I merely predicted their actions and acted accordingly, planning to meet their reactions in such a way to lead them to do what I exactly wanted." That was the truth. It was a trick all along.

To begin with, the reported sighting of the eleventh prince and Shirley boarding the car which traveled from the villa to the airport was not quite true - they were handpicked soldiers from Darlton's detail who were similar to the couple terms of height and build. In order for them to impersonate Lelouch and Shirley, they utilized both extensive disguise and a recently devised gadget, given to them in secret by Earl Lloyd Asplund. The device in question was a high-tech holographic mask, which enabled users to bear an appearance similar to anyone, provided that they had their faces scanned by said device. From a distance, the resemblance was nearly unquestionably flawless. Jeremiah then drove the sedan, already carrying the mannequins in the boot, to the airfield and onto the plane's cargo hold. Therefore, they laid out a trap, making it look as though they were intending to flee from Britannia, and counting on the more impulsive members of the Sword of Akasha to make their move, which would most likely be a covert assassination mission since the culprits would surely prefer not to draw any attention.

Lelouch knew that Jeremiah could handle the assassins easily, and hence tasked him with dealing with them and getting one of them to confess. After all, he was sure that quite a number of them would be distracted by the mannequins, which also donned the holographic masks so as to be remarkable splitting images of him and Shirley. Plus, if Jeremiah somehow had trouble with them, the two soldiers, who were hiding in the cargo bay, would lend him a hand. How the Margrave would get the assassins to talk was entirely up to him - the prince cared not about such a thing, he only wanted the results. Once done, Jeremiah was to broad the second airplane and set the system to automatically send a video call at a predetermined time to the culprit. Then, he was to escape from the airfield together with its staff and the two soldiers. Additionally, the operators were given a colossal sum of money to pretend to go along with any terrorist demands or bribes. After that, phase two began with the video call.

The video sent to Carine was pre-recorded, and the eleventh prince had prepared one such video for every single royal of the Britannian Imperial family, save Nunnally, Euphemia and himself. He knew that upon seeing it, Carine would fly into an incandescent rage, which would only serve to make her decision-making even more unstable, and attempt to destroy the second aircraft, believing that he is onboard. If she had Knightmares stationed around the area, they would be caught in a massive firestorm once they set off the explosives - prepared by his men covertly days ago, in the airfield. The instant they were terminated, Darlton and his knights would move out. If she did not have any secondary military forces in the area, she would dispatch her Knightmares to pursue it. They would be wasting time chasing after the empty plane, which was set to autopilot to simply fly as far away as possible from the culprit's residence. Immediately after they were twenty minutes of flight away from Carine's palace, Darlton's force would advance.

"They're moving," Shirley observed the myriad of computer screens before her. Sixteen dots, fifteen of which confirmed to be Vincent Wards, and the last one identified as a commander's model, began emerging from Carine's palace. Nine of the Knightmares went into a defensive formation near the palace while the rest started to speed away from it. The thought of them, who belong to the organization which murdered her father and caused her and her loved ones grief, successfully eluding capture made her shudder. She spun around in such haste that she nearly lost her balance and toppled over. "Lulu-!"

"Just as planned," Lelouch's grin widened. It was ridiculously easy for him to anticipate his opponent's moves. It was obvious that they would turn tail and run when they find themselves powerless. "Several of Euphie's troops are stationed near the path they're heading."

"I don't see them on the radar..."

"Because their Knightmares' systems are offline, except their comms. Once Carine's close enough, they will be notified by me," Lelouch replied, watching the progress of her traitorous half-sister, one hand tightly clenched around a communications device. "GC One-Nine, this is Lelouch vi Britannia. Target arriving at the ambush point. ETA forty seconds. Power up your machines now. I repeat, power up your machines now, over."

"Would it be enough?"

"Carine won't have much time to react. Besides... the Lancelot is coming to the scene too."

The Lancelot zipped through the sky at its maximum speed, its VARIS rifle already drawn and ready to be fired. Suzaku's face was one of utmost determination as he maneuvered the 9th Generation Knightmare towards where Carine and her group of guards were located at. Finally, they were able to secure a solid lead on the Sword of Akasha, and now it's up to him to capture the fifth princess alive. It was not just a mission of critical importance to him. He felt like it was personal - since its success would mean helping his best friend and many others around him, who suffered unjustly due to the terrorists' actions.

It only took less than five minutes for Suzaku to arrive at the scene of the battle, which was fairly obvious, given the explosions and tracers in the horizon. Four Vincent Wards, one of them a command model, was doing battle against half a dozen Gareths. As Suzaku watched, one of the Vincents was ganged up by the Gareths, repeated Hadron cannon blasts forcing it to veer wildly in the air until one such attack caught it dead center in the Knightmare's chest, blowing it into scrap.

The Honorary Britannian gritted his teeth and quickly took aim at his foes. He was already briefed by the other troops under Euphemia that the Vincent Wards were their targets. The Lancelot swooped into the battlefield and fired its VARIS rifle. The enormous green globe of destructive power flew straight at an unsuspecting enemy, incinerating his machine and its occupant.

The remaining Vincent Wards swiveled around, surprised and dismayed at the appearance of yet another enemy - this time a unique model at that. The three machines turned their backs on the Lancelot and instantly flew away, trying to get altitude. The message was clear - they abandoned all hopes of fighting the Lancelot and its allies.

"I won't let you escape!" Suzaku snarled, accelerating the Lancelot to pursue Carine and her bodyguards, opening fire with the VARIS again. The six Gareths joined him in his attempts, red and green beams of energy filling the sky. Had this been a more even battle, perhaps Carine's forces had a chance of fleeing successfully. Alas, they were outnumbered too severely and soon, two more Vincent Wards spiraled downwards in flames to join their fallen comrades below, leaving the command model by itself.

The Lancelot's superior speed easily enabled the white-and-gold Knightmare to catch up with Carine's machine. As it neared, the Vincent Ward twisted around and attempted to gun down the Lancelot with its assault rifle. Suzaku effortlessly dodged every shot without even using his shield deflectors - Carine's aim was erratic and mediocre at best. She was never a decent pilot in the first place, and her nerves clearly overwhelmed her. The ivory machine unsheathed its one of its Maser Vibrator Swords and held it with its right hand before charging in, slicing off both arms of his adversary's Knightmare swiftly.

Beyond terrified, Carine immediately activated her Knightmare's Ejection Propulsion System, praying that her enemies would never find her. Unfortunately for her, Suzaku already anticipated the move and moved close towards her side, such that when her cockpit was ejected, the Lancelot's free hand instantly shot out and seized it. "No..." Carine's shoulders sagged with disbelief before she turned frenzied once more. She slammed the consoles of her Knightmare forcefully and screamed at the top of her lungs. "Release me now! Unhand me, you cretin! I'm the fifth princess of Britannia and you best obey my orders!"

"Carine ne Britannia. You have been found guilty of conspiring with the Sword of Akasha, a terrorist organization working to undermine the Holy Britannian Empire. Your actions are tantamount to treason," Suzaku grimly informed the hysterical royal. He shook his head in incredulity. The very nerve of her to demand that he let her go after her wrongdoings are exposed. "We shall see whether you'll still be a princess after all this, Your Highness." He spoke the last two words not without contempt. The Lancelot shifted to face the Aries Villa, and without hesitation, it flew in that direction, its metallic hands still cradling the cockpit containing Carine, who could only tremble with dread as she awaited her judgment.

Author's Note: And that's the end of the chapter, which should be... the fifth last chapter or so for this fanfic? I suppose this sort of writing style is a little different from what I normally do - focusing more on the antagonists' point of view.

Anyway, the holographic mask used in this chapter was an idea given to me by Sabersonic, who reminded me that such a device was used in canon (Sayoko using it to impersonate Lelouch during R2). Do let me know what you guys think, especially about the writing style and plan. I have to say I tried my best to cover up any loopholes in Lelouch's plan, but I'd like to know if there are still any. Hope it doesn't seem too convoluted or anything. Cheers!