Chapter 5:- Folly of the once-mighty Lords ( part 1)
At the Government Secretariat
The atmosphere was electric. Sparks and thunderbolts were thrown around aplenty. The ministers were all blaming one another about the lapses that led to the blasts in the zone.
"What was the minister of internal security doing? Was he busy roosting around while the intell-"
"You take that back, as finance minister, you could have checked the finance transactions for your irregularities."
"How could I keep track of 100 million transactions that occur daily and decipher which one is irregular? Most of them wouldn`t be done over the counter you dimwit."
"What?! You dare insult me-"
"Gentlemen!? Calm down, have a cup of water and let us discuss the matter with cool minds." Commanded a rather irritated and fed up Ohgi. Power really made people forget about their morals, beliefs and priorities. Seriously, when would these people wake up and look beyond their noses?
There was a lull in the commotion due to their leader`s outburst, only to re- erupt more wildly than before. Just as Ohgi was about to become livid and lash out at them, the doors opened slid open, revealing Zero. As he walked in along with Tohdoh and Kallen the staccato footsteps broke the eerie calm which had settled down in the room. Indeed, it was the calm which heralded the massive typhoon which was to come and…. Wash them away. (Literally)
As Zero calmly made his way to the other end of the table along with his company, everyone stood up as a mark of respect for him and seated down themselves when he gestured them to. Tohdoh took his place on the table by Ohgi`s side. Kallen stood behind the black king.
"Gentleman" Zero said with an eerily calm voice "I will run down the events of today. At about 6.00 am today a delivery truck headed to the Ebisu- Jude society blew up just within the boundaries after security checks. While I agree that I am partly responsible for this negligence as the one responsible for security of the zone, I would like to ask what the cabinet was doing all this time?"
This was met by silence. At this Zero slammed his fist on the table bringing them back to the matter. "Is this what I supposed to expect? Nothing!? Ohgi has his hands full by going around strengthening our ties with our allies and at the same time working at the grassroots for a better economy. Tohdoh is standing by, waiting for Intel-which is supposed to be provided by you all-to be passed to him for action to be taken. I am busy monitoring the Britannian empire`s working, coordinating with the UFN. This leave you all to look after the other important matter and all we get are a bunch of overfed ducks?"
Every one of them flinched at this. Seeing this was leading to nowhere and himself taken aback at was he said, Zero calmed himself down a bit and continued
"Pardon me for the outburst, could you now tell me what went wrong?"
It was here that Ohgi spoke up "It`s alright Zero. Someone had to put this madhouse in order." at this he gave his compatriots a small glare. "We were just discussing the contents of the preliminary investigation report."
"What does it say?" Kallen asked
The minister of internal affairs spoke out while reading from the report summery. "As far as we know and according to Rakshata, the explosives composition is something new- or more of a next generation explosive- which has silicon oxide as its base, insulated in a ceramic core. The total size of this package would be 5cm*5cm and can be programmed to detonate for a given input. The input could be anything, such as a breathing pattern, specific humidity and what not."
"There is one more thing I forgot to mention, in the report." Came a voice in the doorway. All turned to see that the speaker was none other than Rakshata, who briskly made her way in. Her face was serious rather than her usual care-free self.
"Kallen, could you be kind enough to sync the systems here with the Izumo server? This is quite important. Also get the pointer."
"Yes ma`am" Kallen made her way to the server room just adjacent to the gathering. It took her 5 minutes to do the needful, in which time rumors started to spread among them.
"Is it really something bad?" Zero enquired.
"I wouldn`t be here otherwise. This can be a major break in our arsenal." She said in a voice soft enough for him to hear only.
"The systems are synced, ma`am. Is there anything else you need?"
"That will be all for now, dear." Then she turned on the projector which displayed the 3D model of the explosive.
"Gentlemen, as we have already seen, the bomb is indeed quite advanced in make and construction. Also, the composition built over the silicon base though bespoke can amazingly be made by a few items from a convenience store. Thus, this bomb can be made even by crude amateurs. Currently, my team are working on counter-measures and detection."
"However" and here she paused to let the suspense and worry increase "The explosive also can be programmed on the intensity of its explosion. In simple terms, it is like a hyper car capable of 380mph but is speed governed to only 155mph or less. In short, the explosion in the society was a firecracker to its true potential."
"What would be the damage if the blast was at its maximum?" Ohgi asked tentatively
"Three quarters of the society would be saying sayonara to the world. The bomb was limited to about 0.05% of its potential."
A stunned silence engulfed them all. Clearly, this was just a warning. If necessary, whoever was behind this could have literally leveled the society.
As the rest of the members digested this information, Tohdoh broke the silence. "Has any group claimed responsibility for this?"
"Apparently, from the police sources, there is an up and coming group called 'The League' who has a growing following in the suburbs. Chances are, they may be the ones behind this." The police chief replied.
"But would they have access to such tech? We are clearly dealing with something bigger than this." Kallen voiced out.
Zero stood up and declared to them "In any case, Ohgi I want you to calm and reassure the people and the UFN. The investigations will be taken over by the Black Knights and the culprits will be handed over to the government. The police can help with further investigations about this organization. Any questions?"
The temporary truce seemed to satisfy everyone, as Zero swept out of the room along with his entourage. As soon as he was out of the room he addressed Kallen and Tohdoh.
"Keep your eyes peeled on Fredric and Hugo. There may be some connection with them and this latest turn of events."
"We already have a team monitoring their movements and transactions. Do you want us to add to this?" Kallen asked
"Do what you must, I give you both a free hand in this matter."
As soon as he said this, he excused himself and made way to his car waiting for him. No sooner he entered it, he reclined his head in contemplation. It had only been 2 years and already signs of unrest were brewing. How could this underground activity have gone undetected? The Black Knights had the best intelligence network placed in Japan. This was leading to too many questions. All of this, though came down to one thing…
"I swear, Lelouch. I will protect this peace you laid down your life for. This is a promise by blood of Kururugi Suzaku."
Back in the cabinet conference hall
As soon as the meeting was over, one of the ministers spoke to his comrades "Don`t you think Zero has lost sight of his priorities…?"
Back at the mansion, Ebisu-Jude Society.
The day was nearly done and Fredric had just finished some 'mundane' paperwork and 'advised' the security to prevent any further attacks. Just as he was exiting his Phantom, he noticed that Hugo was there waiting for him
"Well, this is surprise. Did you decide to take the role of Jeeves today?"
A small smile formed on the scientist face and he silently led his lord indoors.
"I would like to complement that phase 2 of the plan is going along smoothly. Also, I see that the security is now concentrated on the outskirts of the society."
As was becoming a tradition, Fredric made way to the bar counter and poured himself some rum. He did his ritual of holding it against the light and then downing it in one gulp
"Yeah. I would say these numbers are dumber than I thought. They totally believe that the attack was externally motivated. They don`t even give a bit of a challenge to our intellect."
He refilled his cup and muttered
"Predictable as always."
He downed the second glass to in an instant and hissed when it started to seize his brain.
"What is the status of our militia?"
Hugo made himself a cocktail and was savoring it.
"We have around a 1000 loyalist standing at the ready. Supplies and packages are nearing completion. All in all, we can end phase 2 and start with phase 3 soon. Since security as pointed out earlier is focused on the boundary, we can get away with a fair bit of movement."
"Also, the fake information of a terrorist cell lurking in the suburbs of Tokyo was a masterstroke. The elevens will be waiting for the threat outside while this edifice of theirs will fall to ruin in the inside."
Meanwhile back at observation centre.
"What have we got anything today, George?"
Said boy turned to the Japanese senior and smiled
"Nothing much, sir. All they seem to talk about are some of the affairs of the society and share a drink. That`s all."
As the senior saw into the monitor, he saw that Hugo was not present in the room. Fredric was having his drink while reading a book on Greek mythology with a glass in hand.
"Hmm, it`s seems that they don`t socialize much too. Have you got all their conversations recorded?"
The boy opened a side folder "Here are 72 hours' worth of conversations, sir."
The senior turned around as he about to make his way to his office "Make sure to send them to Tohdoh- Sama. He has ordered them to be on his desk by tomorrow morning for an audio examination."
"As you wish" and the door closed
No sooner the door was shut, George whipped out his phone,
"Knight George here. Will need more of the prerecorded scenes here. Seems like our comrades here like a good movie."
At the Mansion
"Also, thanks to the successful infiltration of our knights, we won`t be detected. This is almost too easy." At that Fredric burst into a fit of laughter.
"Still, we should take care. As emperor, you are needed to lead from the front."
Fredric dismissed Hugo with a wave of his hand, which he graciously obliged. After he was dismissed, he made his way outdoors where he was to meet by Bob Cadillac 'unofficially'. The said person was already waiting for him and bowed down on hearing his approach.
"Rise Squire, I take it that the task was complete?"
"Yes, your highness. Also, I had to feed a bit of false information. Otherwise, they would catch them earlier."
Hugo rested his arm on the young man`s shoulder "It`s alright. Now tell me, what is are current strength?"
"Out of the 1000, we have 800 members."
"These are only are loyalist within the society, correct?"
Bob nodded his head in affirmation.
Hugo now had an evil smile on his face "Excellent, tell them to mobilize when Bismarck gives the signal."
"Yes, your highness."
"Good, you are now dismissed."
As Bob disappeared in the shadows, Hugo made his way back in. Indeed it was as Bismarck said, these former nobles were far too short sighted and unfortunately they were standing in the way of their goals. But…. Not for long.
3 months later, Japan
Zero was back in Japan along with the empress to report to the UFN council. He was listening to the progress report of the empire the empress was presenting when he received an emergency message from Tohdoh demanding his presence. Excusing himself, he made way to the defense blocks of the complex.
"Tohdoh, what do we have?" he said as he entered the control room.
Tohdoh turned to face zero and filled him on the situation
"The police investigation in the league has lead us to believe that the Black Knights take over the case as well. As suspected, they are an organized-highly organized- group whose objectives and goals are unknown. But we can be certain that they are may be up to some mischief."
"And is this 'mischief' dangerous?"
"90% yes. In fact, there is a security alert that they may try something-"
Suddenly, all the alarms went off within the control room and there was code red displayed all around.
"What`s the situation?" Zero barked
"A breach into the administrative complex by 2-4 knightmares sir with more at stand by outside the perimeter. Also there is confirmed information that the council members are being held hostage" Said the man at the head of the security computers. Suzaku became numb on hearing this. This meant Nunnally is in danger.
'No, the entire council along with the Empress is in danger' came a voice of reason.
Getting a grip of his emotions and remembering he was Zero, who was to protect everyone, he started issuing orders left, right and centre.
"Secure the inner boundaries, have the anti-knightmare guns deployed."
"But sir, we need authorization of-"
Zero lifted the man of his chair by the collar and said with an eerie voice
"I said, arm the guns."
"…As…as you wish, Zero-sama."
The man freed himself from Zero`s grip and went on to do his assignment. The members of the Black Knights in the building were to try and infiltrate the administrative block and free the hostages. Armed with basic weapons, this would be the easier of the 2 operations.
"Tohdoh, get the Shikigami to ambush the knightmares stationed outside. Deploy Kallen first so that she can assess the situation first hand. You will take over command after that." Zero said as he sprinted towards the hanger. As he was about to open the hanger`s door, he turned around and addressed the man.
"Also, you are in charge of the guns."
Tohdoh understood his instructions and made way to Susanoo. As Suzaku unsealed the doors of his knightmare (which is transported along with him during his travels for emergencies.), he felt a wave of sadness come over him. He had sincerely wished that he would never have to use Shinkiro L in any situation. But the world did not run on his whims and fancies. Taking a deep breath, he boarded the great knightmare and started up the systems, which was tailored for single person to operate. Finally, after going through the activation stage. (Which lasts for about 25 seconds), Shinkiro L blasted out of the hanger at maximum thrust for the first time for a mission.
Suzaku steered towards the zone under attack and activated the druid scan system. There 4 knightmares in total which breached the boundaries all of which were scattered around. Analyzing the situation, he unsheathed his katanas.
"This is a warning to you all here. Stand down and surrender or face the consequences."
His declaration was met with laughter and the 4 frames came into view. From the looks of it, they were just the Vincent which had some upgrades. However, if there was something he had learned over his time at war it was
'Never judge the book by it`s cover.'
"So, it is the mighty Zero himself. It is indeed a privilege you decided to grace us with your presence." And the one of the Knightmares bowed in mock admiration.
"So you don`t intend to give up?" He asked one final time.
Removing his MVS longsword, the commander replied
"Wouldn`t even dream of it."
And then the duel of the commanders started and the other frames broke away. For all his bravado, he exhibited average swordsmanship. During the course of the duel, the he managed to create some distance between themselves. Taking advantage of this, he charged headfirst towards Zero, who dodged the foolish move rather easily. But, just when he thought he was clear, his opponent suddenly changed direction towards him and aimed his sword at the cockpit. Zero brought down the cape in time to take the impact.
"What sort of black magic is this?" Asked the horrified commander
"I told you that this fight is futile."
Suddenly, he felt his frame being overwhelmed and tipping over. On checking his auxiliary screens, he saw the two frames which had dispersed during his fight, were behind his current predicament. Cursing for his lapse in concentration, he tried to steady himself, but it was too late. Soon he toppled on to the ground and was securely held there by the said members. The third frame, came from it`s hiding spot and used it`s slash harken to wind down his legs.
"What were you saying, Zero? Resistance is futile?"
And walked his way rather than use his land spinners towards him. When he reached to where his captive was held, the commander lifted his sword vertically, the sharp end pointing to the cockpit ready to stab the black king.
"it`s a shame actually, I expected more of a fight. Oh well… just shows how weak you are."
Letting out a dark laugh, he brought down the sword with all his strength….
….Only for the druid system to build absolute defense shield. Miraculously, the sword broke on contact with it, giving a dramatic effect to the scene.
Suzaku mentally thanked his lucky stars and cursed himself once again for such lack in concentration. Clearly, 2 years of peace had made him tardy. He put on his most neutral voice while directing the core to work at maximum output. He had clearly underestimated them
"Like I said…"
The arms of the beast slowly lifted the frames which pinned him down while the boosted harkens took care of the other two stunned frames. Taking care of the first two, the remaining soldiers were swatted away by the boosted slash harkens. Then, using his katana, he cut through the wire binding him down and the black king stood up majestically.
"….resistance is futile."
At that moment the anti-knightmare guns fired, which was directed to destroy the 20 enemy knightmares guarding the breach. As they tried to get out of the trap set by the Shikigami, metal and sulpher rained down on them. Due to the precision shooting mechanism they were not killed. Their frames were heavily damaged though, and they were now being huddled away into custody.
"You monster!?"
Saying this all the frame charged towards him. Spreading his energy, Suzaku took to the sky. This left the helpless commander and his minions to randomly shoot their slash harkens and assault rifles to bring the black beast down. All their efforts were for naught, as their attacks were either dodged (95%) or blocked (5%). Their desperation was evident with their even more frantic aim which started to damage the civilian area.
"I told you before and tell you again, it is useless. If you don`t surrender now, I will be forced to cut you down." Zero declared from where prevailed over them
"Tch, not bad Zero. You are indeed as formidable as your reputation suggests." Said their commander. It was here that Zero noticed something peculiar. Three of the knightmares formed themselves in a triangular formation. From their shoulders came out a cannon each which fused themselves into what seemed like a 3-barrel hyper cannon. The whole process took less than a minute and Zero was still in a daze at it.
"However, how will you face against Uranus!?" he let out a crazed laugh as he aimed it directly at zero and fired.
By the time Zero registered what was happening, the cannon had just fired. He had no time to dodge the impact. All he could do was take it head on…
… He survived the impact thanks to the onboard defense systems which still had power levels at 80% from the prior reading of 82%.
In short, Shinkiro L had just swatted a fly which was aimed at it. Suzaku was silently grateful for this impressive show of strength. If there one thing he learned from Lelouch, it was that theatrics always had a lasting impact. This performance however, was unintentional.
"How….how are you still standing?" the commander spoke with fear and horror evident in his voice.
Zero chose not to answer his question and took Shinkiro L to a higher altitude. As he was ascending, he made contact with the Shikigami.
"Tohdoh, have you dealt with the sentries?"
"Yes zero. We have managed to take 5 survivors. We are currently securing them."
"Once you are done, proceed to my location and form a perimeter around me."
"Very well." Came the short reply.
Having achieved the necessary height, he noticed, the cannon was being reloaded by the commander. Seeing his window open, Suzaku prepared the guided energy bullets.
"You fools! Load it up and shoot at 100% power output."
"But… Sir, that would lead to severe damage to u-"
"I don`t care! I want that blasted thing smoldering on the ground!" the commander screamed. The subordinates silently followed their orders.
"Now, Zero. Taste the strength of a knight commander." He said as he fired Uranus at full power. This lead to one knightmare exploding, killing it`s pilot.
At that moment energy bullets rained down on them, shattered and destroyed the shells of Uranus. The bullets proceeded to destroy all the limbs and land spinners of the remaining 3 frames. With this, the rebels had finally been neutralized.
As Shinkiro L descended on the ground, Kallen and Tohdoh herded the surviving pilots out of their frames. As Zero got out and proceeded towards them. As he was still some distance of, he met up with Kallen. They were about ti discuss the incident when loud, crazed laughter was heard from the commander which was interjected by a gibberish monologue.
"What is all this about, Kallen?"
"I don`t know what going on in his head. Tohdoh is trying to get anything useful from the commander, only to be met by that. The other 2 have been silent so far. But their face have an eerie calm to it."
As they reached where they held the rebels, Tohdoh twas still trying to force some information out of the man by holding him at gunpoint. But, it wasn`t leading to any results. On seeing Zero, he secured down the manic man and went on to brief him.
"He is a tough nut, Zero. If not quite deranged. Ever since he has surrendered, he has been acting like madman and talking utter nonsense."
Zero just nodded at that and moved to face his 'opponent'. Kallen and Tohdoh stayed close behind. As soon as he reached the commander, Tohdoh went behind the captured man and removed the gag covering his mouth. He gasped for breath before looking up with hate exuding from his expressions.
"My… my, the great Zero first honor's us with a battle royale. Now, he meets me in person. I`m indeed blessed today."
At this he spat at Zero`s feet. Immediately, Kallen forced him on the ground and had a gun trained on his head. Before she could go any further, she was stopped by her leader. He bent to his and directly addressed the man
"Who are you?"
"Knight Commander of 'The League' at your service, eleven"
The word which symbolized the rot and wither that tainted the bountiful Japanese landscape was spoken once more. It sent shivers down the spine of all present. In Kallen`s case, the gun was now just an hair length away from claiming it`s prize.
"The number system has been abolished, Brit. We are now equals. So cut the act."
"Oh! But you are so wrong." He sneered and turned ever so slightly to face her. "Currently, that pathetic empress has destroyed and deviated from the natural order of nature. You all are so below us. But no matter, as soon as we accomplish are goal of taking back the empire, everything will be to the way it is meant to be, Cretin." And he started laughing again like a mad man.
Only now his face met the tarmac and was being chocked down by Zero. This act from their normally calm and stoic leader, took everyone by surprise.
"Is that why you had this little display and took the leaders as hostages? To back stab your way up to power? I must say you all lost quite a bit of honour."
Through the attempt of laughing and gasping in air, he lifted his head a little and whispered
"Who ever said we took hostages?"
That sent the crowd into what seemed the tenth shock of the day. Zero was however, rudely awoken from it when he heard a beeping sound from the man. This in turn, made his 'live' command to flicker into activation. Seeing a compact notepad sized object in the pocket, he realized it was the certain device which the organization was famous for using.
"No matter what you do, we will come back for you. After all
….
…the weak perish by the wayside, while the strong devour on them and move on"
"EVERYONE FALL BACK" he roared and lead his knights as far away as their legs could carry them.
Around a 100 meters later, they were swept away by the aftershocks of the explosion. Everything, from the prisoners to the nearby hangers, to the knightmares all were destroyed in the explosion. Unfortunately, even some of the guards were caught in the blast as they tried to force their comrades away from danger.
All that Zero could see, when he got up from where he was thrown was fire, twisted steel bars, and devastation. This sight led to many incoherent questions and thoughts into his mind.
He was pulled out of his morbid musings when Kallen reported to him that the other 15 rebels, whom they had cornered and captured outside the UFN-who were all suicide bombers- had also detonated themselves. All the black knights guarding them were killed along with the destruction of the neighboring civilian areas. In short, the entire area around them resembled the war zone they no longer wished to return.
In all of this, Zero remembered about one important factor.
'Who said that there were hostages?'
"What about the empress?" he asked with a sense of urgency.
"I… no one seems to know. It seems the team we dispatched to secure them never reached their location." She replied.
Zero cursed behind his mask and ran down the tarmac towards the assembly hall where the meeting was in progress. Kallen was shouting something, but he did not care. All that mattered now was
Nunnally.
He stormed through the entrance, noticing the guards were all dead. Also, rescue team dispatched to secure the leaders were among the guards. They were all neatly lined up along the corridor in a morbid display of (mock) honour. Pulling out his pistol Zero broke the hall door down and prepared himself to face a barrage of bullets. He was however met with surprised and horrified faces of the leaders. He froze in his place, trying to understand what was happening. One thing was for sure, the knight commander well and truly toyed with them.
"Zero, is anything the matter?" Nunnally asked as she broke the damning silence surrounding them.
Back at the mansion, Ebisu-Jude society
Brisk footsteps were heard in the long corridors of the 'mausoleum of hope' which served as the administration centre of the society, as Hugo made his way to the now make shift throne room. He pushed open the doors leading to this mock setup at the centre of which was an elaborately large office table with Fredric citing behind it. On seeing his emperor, he went down on one knee rising only when he was commanded to.
"What is the status of the operation, Hugo?"
"Phase 3 and 4 have gone on smoothly. The UFN has been threatened and feel the need to take action. Meanwhile, the squires and knights have secured down the society with the help of the Vincent and other domestic knightmares. Unfortunately, a residential complex had to be brought down to make a point."
Fredric rested his face against his arm "Sacrifices are necessary, were there any Britannian casualties?"
"No, your majesty."
H then got up from his 'throne' with a smug expression on his face. "I think it is time we patch up with the empress."
UFN Headquarters
As the corpses were removed, the leaders and other dignitaries were ushered out to safety. Nunnally and Kaguya remained back and came to terms with the situation with the help of Zero, who narrated the events as they had unfolded. Their discussion ceased when one of the black knights came running in to inform them the League was trying to contact them. Kaguya instructed him to beam the video call over to the auditorium.
"Greetings to you, Empress." Came the smug voice
"Fredric." She said simply.
"My, no kind words for the man who I trying to help you in a kinder and gentler world?"
"Is this how you go about trying to belittle council`s and the empress`s ideals?" Kaguya asked in her typical confident front on approach. There was no time to beat around the bush.
"Now, now. You must learn to take a joke, lady Kaguya. Of course I want a peaceful world, but….."
He then pointed to her
"…..without the likes of your kind or other numbers."
"What are you trying to say, Fredric?" Nunnally asked, still maintaining her calm
"I mean to say that I reject your excuses called 'policies' as well as the so called 'reforms' you have introduced. In fact, there is only one word which describes you the best….
… WEAK."
"You dare insult the leader of your nation who only looks for your well-being?" Kaguya all but shouted.
Fredric now was literally sporting a smug face. "Yes. By the word 'dare' is wrong to use in this situation. 'Declared' or 'decreed' would be more like it. Why, even my fellow League members agree with me."
This statement was met with by stunned silence. So, all his actions and 'deeds' were just a façade of his intentions. Just how much more hollow could humans get?
"You were always part of the league, weren`t you?" Zero growled.
"Oui, Monsieur Zero. I am among the founding members, as well as their leader. In fact even my 'supervisor', Hugo is a part of it. I must say, it was indeed easy to fool you, Lord Zero. Seems like the years of peace have worn you down. Here, I thought I would have more of a fight to outsmart your keen insight. "
They all gaped at this while Zero stood tall and proud, unfazed by the personal jib. Inside however, Suzaku couldn`t agree more. Why was he given this job? He was not a strategist nor a prodigy.
Let self-pity not wash over thyself.
That`s right. He couldn`t afford to doubt himself. He was given a job. He needed to be strong to handle this crisis and curb it of as bloodlessly as possible. Besides, the world was relying on him.
"People are grateful for attaining this peace. Why are you trying to destroy it?" Nunnally finally yelled at him.
"Shh…. It is unbecoming of the Empress to behave like that I front of her equals. As for the peace. I must say, true Britanians will only find peace after all the inferior races are subjugated and shown their place."
"You monster. Remember, we the UFN can stop you by mobilizing our army. It isn`t like you have a military arsenal." Kaguya gritted.
"Mobilize all you want. But are you willing to sacrifice around a million people?" he asked with more than a hint of amusement in his voice. Then, the camera panned over to show the entire society surrounded by the modified Vincents. Later, it shifted view to show the terrified population threatened at gunpoint and tool point by various domestic knightmares.
"You…you took the entire society hostage!?" Nunnally screeched. Beside her, Kaguya looked horrified.
"That`s right. It is little wonder why you tried time and again to resurrect this futile exercise. Ever heard of once bitten twice shy? You should learn that certain things are never meant to be, Empress. You know, even those elevens whom you kept to 'watch' over me were disposed of like dust." The camera was then seen to focus on the corpses lying in the control centre.
"Cut the chase, Fredric. What are your demands? You certainly have a reason for all this, don`t you?" Zero asked, trying to get the matter under control. Fredric indeed was going too far. Intimidating the world leaders was one of the strong points of the old empire and he was excelling on it.
His face still had a crooked smile when he looked towards him. "Now we are talking….NOT" and then burst into a fit of laughter.
Nunnally squeezed her fist on her armrest. Seeing the young Empress tense up, Suzaku put his hand on her shoulder comforting her. Kaguya did the same thing by taking her hand in her own.
When he recovered from his manic laughter, Fredric faced them once more. "Apologies…. It`s just that, you people have a sense of – humor."
"I must say your humor is sick, as we said nothing funny. So, you take the entire zone for no reason. Talk about headless chicken."
Fredric now rested his head against his arm "Oh, but you are so wrong, Chairwoman. I have actually come to make a declaration." He then stood up and whirled his cape in a dramatic air.
"I, Fredric Laurus. 1st emperor of the new Britannian Empire, reject Nunnally vi Britannia as my Empress…"
"Fredric stop right now." Zero gritted
"…further, I declare that this land I stand on will be the first of conquest in resurrection of the new world of strength."
"No, please… stop Fredric. I beg you." Nunnally cried. She couldn`t bear to see all the happiness, the hard work done, be destroyed so easily around her.
"….Lastly, as the leader of the League, I, my fellow knights and the squires declare war on the 100th Empress of the state of Britannia and the UFN. As a demonstration of my resolve…"
The camera was now broadcasting the video showing the largest residential complex of the society, with a capacity of 10,000.
"I shall begin my reign with the ethnic cleansing of this land."
No sooner he said this, the entire complex was razed down to the ground by a carpet bomb. There were no chances of survivors.
"No…"
"He… He really blew it of like…." Kaguya stammered.
"TOHDOH…"
As new orders were being issued, Nunnally couldn`t look away from the screen as tears welled in her eyes. Was her efforts and resolve really so weak that it manage to breed an enemy right under her nose?
Suzaku actually was crying underneath his mask as he gave orders. All the dreams, hopes and sacrifices dashed and destroyed by the selfish ambition of one man. The peace which was within grasp slipped between their fingers. Was it really that unattainable?
4 Hours later, border of the Ebisu-Jude Society.
The Black Knights had surrounded the perimeter of Society. The main route was blocked to prevent supplies from moving. Using the natural geography of the land, they hid themselves in strategic areas. Since all the knightmares were pulled into the zone, it was safe to assume that they were using the tower as a vantage point to view the perimeter from just behind the wall. However, they could not blow it up as the league held around 1000 people hostage in it.
As if that were not enough, the conversation between Fredric and the UFN was selectively leaked and morphed such that it appeared that the Empress was in connivance with the organization in question. This led to doubts on her credibility and calls to impose sanctions on Britannia. Luckily, Schnitzel was making inroads in this department, crushing doubts and explaining the situation in the best way he could.
On the field though, Zero and the Shikigami did not enjoy such good progress. Due to the above mentioned reasons, they could not have a frontal or sneak attack. The capabilities of the enemy were also unknown. Add to that the delicate method needed to handle the matter due to international pressure and the core team were at the end of their wits.
"Zero-sama, couldn`t you activate Shinkiro L`s druid system to pinpoint our targets behind the wall?" Kallen suddenly suggested during their strategic meeting.
Zero just shook his head "I have already tried doing that, but it did not work. On further investigation, Rakshata told me that there was some counter signal barrier field consisting of around some frequencies band width…"
"Umm… is there any counter measures to take this 'shield' down?" Chiba asked tentatively.
"She said she would contact us as soon as possible on that regard. Let`s put our heads together in this. Could any of you summarize all that we know?"
Tohdoh took over from there. "The Zone as we know, is of roughly 14 square miles. Since it is located in the plains, the prior attempts had led to the construction of some fortification, which the builders did not deem important enough to demolish. As of now, there is the outer walls 10 feet high around the perimeter where we suspect the enemy knightmare are guarding from the interior and the inner walls where the hostages and tower is located. We still don`t know the situation in the main city. Unfortunately, we cannot even analyze the current population distribution due to no census being taken."
Suddenly, a transmission from Izumo was flashed on to the main monitor on priority basis. Tuning in, the Black knights were met by the tobacco puffing scientist.
"Rakshata, what is the reason that for Shinkiro L not being able to detect the enemy?" Chiba asked urgently.
"Calm down Chiba. There is nothing you can do even if you know the reason." Taking a puff of her pipe (while ignoring the protest.) she continued "The enemy has created a broadcast shield around the society."
"Care to elaborate?" Zero asked
"They have created a signal generator which interferes with our friendly satellites. Due to this, these satellites are beam down a continuous spectrum of garbage data and random signals in no particular order. The total bandwidth of this spectrum is estimated to around 100Thz. Due to this, the signal produced by the druid system cannot penetrate through as something will eventually corrupt the signal. The only way we can gain information is destroying the signal generator or have someone sneak in and use radio waves to broadcast from within."
"…. Right. Thanks for your help, Rakshata."
With that the screen went blank, like the minds of the Shikigami right now.
"Kallen, estimating the supplies inside the society, how long can they survive isolation?" Zero asked with a smidge bit of hope.
She just slumped her shoulders "At least one year. That is, if they don't use the inhabitants as slaves to work in the fields and that the lake source miraculously dries up."
Silence once again descended over them. Whenever there seemed to be a door open, something would come and slam it shut in their faces.
"There is no other choice, Zero. We will have to send a scout to judge their strength." Tohdoh said finally.
"…sir, don`t you think it is risky and a tad… cliché?" Chiba quipped.
"There is no other way to infiltrate without endangering the people in there. Also, they will at least use heavy firepower to intimidate us. That way, we can try and work a strategy around the use of their firepower." Tohdoh addressed the members with a tone of finality.
He then turned to Zero. "Zero, I know it is risky and may even backfire. But we must at least try something."
After a long while "….very well. Since we are at a deadlock, we might as well use do it. But tell me, who will pilot the scouts Shinshi?"
Kallen turned towards him with a small smile "There is no need for anyone to go. During its development, Rakshata had made two drone prototypes for experimental purposes. It could be controlled from the barracks on a simulator console. From what I know, we already have them in our engineering squad."
Zero stood up a bit to eagerly at this. "How long will it take to get them up and running?"
"20 minutes."
"Get the drone ready and inform me. Choose two trusted pilots for the operation or you and Todhoh take over. I will try and assess the situation on the ground." He then swept out of the room.
30 minutes later, Black Knight base.
Zero made his way to the engineering squad where he had just got news that the Shinshi were ready for deployment. As soon as he entered, he saw Kallen and Todhoh in their pilot suits making final corrections with the squad members. Seeing him enter, everyone stopped what they were doing and bowed down to greet him.
'Must they always do this?'
"Are we on schedule?" zero asked his pilots.
"Yes sir, there are a few adjustments to be made. It will be done in a couple of minutes." Kallen replied.
"Excellent. For this mission, Tohdoh will be in charge. Am I clear?"
"Yes Zero-sama." Came the unified response.
At this, the pilots made their way to the modified simulators and prepped themselves for the starting sequence. Zero and the rest of the crew would monitor their progress using the holographic map and screens to view the footage picked up by the fact spheres.
"Energy levels of the core are normal."
"Communication systems in place…"
"Establishing the sync sequence in 20 seconds."
"Yggdrasil drive performing within expected limits."
"Pilots, you are ready to launch."
As soon as this was said, the 2 pilotless Shinshi left the base and made their way towards the society. Turning on their fact spheres, they started out their mission by circling the perimeter, to check for any counter measure systems or hidden traps.
"Tohdoh- san, there seems to be nothing here."
"Never let your guard down, it may be staring at this in the face and we just cannot see it."
Suddenly, the sweep system in the base had detected a potential threat and relayed it to the pilots.
"20-30 missiles are descending on us from the stratosphere and are locked on are position. No confirmation from where they launched"
"Just try and survive what is to come." Todhoh ordered
Immediately, they were met by a hailstorm which not only targeted them but even managed to predict their next position they would take. "This… This is quite intense." Kallen said, trembling in excitement as she weaved her way in the storm of missiles continued to attack their position. This continued for around ten minutes when there was a sudden ceasefire. The pilots ran through their status checks. The knightmares health was at 50% while had power for a only one hour
No sooner the bombardment was over, a droning sound could be heard over from the other side. Before they knew what was going on, 3 drones flew out from within and soared in to the sky to attain some altitude.
"Is this part of the welcome committee?" Kallen spat.
"I don`t feel very welcome." Tohdoh completed for her.
The fact sphere caught a visual of something diving down at them. Not long after that, the drones were in sight and started firing at them, resuming their dance of survival. The plumes of dust, thrown in the air which is viscously pushed down by the enemy added to the demented drama.
"Take cover in the forest." Tohdoh ordered. The forest undergrowth was thick and quite tricky to navigate through. This would allow them to buy time for a strategy. The knightmares had to return so that the damage could be examined.
But it was to no avail, even within the confined space, they were still being followed as the drones dodged each and every obstacle in their way. The pilots however, braving all the odds managed to take cover at the cliff. The drones, unable to follow them any further, circled around them and regularly fired at random spots.
"What is your status, Kallen?"
"Enough power for 15-20 minutes, but my shields may not last that long."
"Okay, do as I tell you…"
As the drones kept circling the target area, they picked up a solitary frame making haste through the foliage. As they followed it, they failed to pick up another one trailing from behind by a good distance and branched off later. They were firing incessantly while Kallen dodged most of them with speed and grace. She was still taking some minor damage though.
"Is that all you got, tin cans?" she shouted over the comm. Not that the poor automations could understand the insult.
She led them back into the open grounds where she continued to dodge their attacks which switched to air-to-land missiles. As they started to close on her, a pair of slash harkens from their right, shot out and destroyed two of the drone. On turning back, Kallen saw Tohdoh had caught up with them and was in the air with the katana in his hand. Thanks to his flawless timing, he landed right on it and the image of a horse and its rider suddenly entered her mind. He made his way to the AI head and destroyed it with his katana. The poor bird made its descent to terra ferma with its vanquisher riding on it` s back and came to a screeching halt in front of Kallen, the last registered enemy in it`s destroyed AI system
"And they say I`m reckless."
Tohdoh did not say anything as he dismounted from his ride.
"I think that is enough, let us pilot these things back." He said simply.
As they turned back however, they failed to notice a cannon ready to fire up. When it fired, it destroyed everything in its path, be it knightmare or forest. Nothing was sparred. On its deactivation, all that was left was a massive trench as a proof of its power.
The impact registered by the frames were so violent that the on board sync equipment sent out a large signal which triggered the simulators to catch fire due to amplification overload. Chaos descended as various technicians ran around to douse the flame and remove the pilots to safety. Fortunately, they were only knocked unconscious when rescued and were immediately transported to the medical bay for treatment. Zero went about trying to bring order in the area. One thought ran through his mind
How were they going to bring down this monster?
Around the same time, within the walls.
A young blonde man seemingly 'oblivious' to the situation was walking down the street with a back-pack slung on his shoulders. He was whistling contently to himself until he ran into a squadron of 3 knights. Due to this little encounter he now found himself pushed unto a wall and held there of a non-descriptive building.
"Hey man, what you do that for? I mean no trouble." He said with a bit of panic in his voice.
"Hmm… it's the fact that you are walking down the street when orders were given to remain in."
"Oh man! I knew I should have listened to the boss. Look, I mean no trouble. Are you what the league?" his showed fear.
"Damn right kid. Since you love to disobey orders, maybe we can take care of that." Sneered his captor as he placed a gun on his forehead.
"Look sir. I am a full Britannian who loves your ideals. I mean… come on, who those other people think they are. We are the superior people. I sympathize with your cause. I was supposed be recruited today. You can even check my papers at the local academy where I am going." He blurted out quickly.
"Hmm…. Leave the kid, Josh. We don`t want to scare potential squires." Said the supposed commander of the squadron as he bought the reason.
The man obliged and released the blonde before directing a death glare towards him. Not that he paid any attention to it.
"Jeez… are you all so stuffed up and serious? I may reconsider my decision." He said blandly.
The knight commander merely chuckled at that "No, young man. It is just he is dedicated to our goals. He lost his name during the 'resurrection' period ans wants to avenge the humiliation he went through."
The boy looked sympathetically "Geez… Sorry about that. I didn`t mean any bad."
"Forget about such trivial cases." The captor brushed of "You were saying you were going for recruitment. Could you show us this place?"
"Why do you want to go there, Josh?" the Knight Commander asked.
"We can just inspect the place. I have never seen these academies. Give them a moral boost you know" Then he looked at the blonde "Plus, we can teach them something about the rules."
"Okay…okay. I will abide by the rules. Sheesh…. Give me a break already." He said and gestured them to follow him. He kept them 'occupied' by rambling about what he wanted to do. As he was about to tell his 10th plan of action, the sound of three jets flying over them brought them to a welcomed halt.
"Gaahh! What a loud noise. Ain`t there rules on flying jets over cities?" The blonde screamed and cowered in a dramatic fashion.
"Hush, you girl. Looks like there some trouble at the border." The knight said.
"It may be the black knights. Too bad, they will be pulp in around 3 minutes." Josh sneered.
The others the stopped in their tracks and started laughing at that. This was followed by a small session of racist joke exchange.
"No to be rude… but didn`t you all want to go somewhere?" the man interrupted.
"Ha…ha…Not… ha… at all." The commander said as he caught his breath. When he compose himself, he just gave an awkward cough to diffuse the sudden uneasiness. "Sorry about that…. Unprofessional display."
The man just shrugged his shoulders and continued on his rambling, much to the squad`s dismay.
"Do you think he will make a good recruit?" the knight asked Josh.
"He would, if he kept his mouth shut." And they snickered. They then carried out in silence for another 3 minutes.
"We're here." The man said cheerfully and gestured them to a small alley. He stepped aside so as to allow his 'superiors' to go in first
"Here? This is looks like some dingy alley, squire." Josh exclaimed as they walked in.
"What do you expect for dirt like you?" came a cold voice from behind.
"What did you-" the knight commander roared along with his comrades, only to truly see the face of the man as he removed his cap. Even though he had cut his trademark three braids, his face was unmistakable.
Before they could register what was happening he rammed the 2 knights into the wall, leaving them unconscious. This left the commander- who was mortally frightened of his adversary and the little display- alone as he crawled, stood, ran and fell frantically to get away. He however got himself deeper in the said place and was halted as the man overtook him and held him at gunpoint, earning a rather undignified scream.
"Shut your mouth if you want to live." He growled.
"Wha… what do you want me to do?"
The man tossed him comm. Headset "Tell the rest of your squadron that this sector is clear and to move on to the next. Keep it calm and no funny business."
The knight commander just nodded and did what he was told. After that he folded his hand and begged for his life. All that he felt was the butt of a gun on his head as he collapsed like a sack of potatoes.
The blonde picked up the headset and changed the frequency to that of a friendly.
"Anya." He said in a rather cheerful voice "Gino here. My sector is clear. Have the people been evacuated?" he waited for the reply. "Good. Tell Jeremiah I am proceeding to his sector to help him. Also, inform everyone the Black Knights have surrounded the perimeter. Got the info from one of the guys. Anyway, we should be done in 2 hours and then proceed to destroy the generator. Over."
As he put away his headset and picked his bag, he turned around once more.
"You people are not worthy to be alive. Nunnally however, wouldn`t condone me to do such a thing." He said flatly. He spun around and proceeded to his next location, not before dusting of his boots.
Hey there everyone. I still hope you are enjoying this story. I know it was going slow, but I intend to pick up the pace. Sorry if the fight scene isn`t too great, I am not a great expert in combat.
Hip, hip Hurray! We are getting a season 3. I hope it does justice to the franchise.
Please read and review, constructive criticism is always welcome.
Enjoy!