Disclaimer: I do not own Code Geass or Universal Century Gundam.
A/N: To clarify, Harmonia li Britannia is the middle sister of Cornelia and Euphemia in this story.
It is the year 2009 of the Imperial Calender. A ten year-old Lelouch vi Britannia, renounced his claim to throne of the Holy Empire of Britannia during an argument with his father, the Emperor. As a result, the Emperor banished his son and his crippled daughter Nunnally to Japan. Harmonia li Britannia, Lelouch's half-sister angrily confronted the Emperor on Lelouch's behalf, and was therefore banished to the recently conquered country of New Zealand, which was renamed Area 10 by it's Britannian conquerors. There, with little money and nothing but the clothes on her back, Harmonia is left to fend for herself in the oppressed Area.
Code Geass: Karn of the Oceanic Axis
Chapter One
Somewhere on the North Island of Area 10 (Formerly known as New Zealand), June 2009 A.T.B.
"Then you can share his fate. I hereby strip you of your right to the throne, and banish you from this land. As of now, you are no longer my daughter. You are no longer of any worth to me, even as a tool to be used."
Those words of her father's still resounded in her mind, even two weeks later. She was literally dumped by her military escorts somewhere on the Northern island of Area 10. She had known, that up until recently Area 10 had been known as New Zealand, an island nation near the continent of Australia.
Back in 2008, the country of New Zealand was invaded by the Holy Empire of Britannia, who sought to gain a foothold so as to possibly expand their territories in the region. The resulting conflict lasted a few months, with the defeat and absorption of New Zealand into the Empire.
Renamed Area 10, the conquered nation was stripped of its rights as a nation and became a colony of the Empire. Several Britannian settlements were created in the various major cities, such as Wellington and Christchurch. Several urban areas that were caught in the fighting were left untouched, becoming nothing more than ghettoes that housed the poor, the destitute and the unwanted, who were now known as 'Tens'. The native, dark-skinned Maori bearing the brunt of the Britannians' harsh discrimination.
She had never been one to embrace the rampant racism that polluted Britannian society. She mused that was probably because of Euphie, which brought about a tinge of sorrow from the realization that she'd never see her, Cornelia, Lelouch or Nunnally ever again. She banished the thought away, forcing herself to focus on how she was going to survive in this land…
Two days later…
Harmonia walked down the sidewalk, ignoring the looks several of the undesirables were giving her. She was sure it was the skirt, which she felt was a little too short for someone her size.
She had already exhausted the little money she was allowed to take, and she was thinking of ways to make more. She had tried to get a job, but no one was willing to hire her. Theft also crossed her mind, but the Britannian police were known for their brutal crackdowns on criminal activities.
That only left a few other options left to her, prostitution and gambling. There was no way she was willing to debase herself with selling her body for money, so that left gambling. The only thing was to find a place where she could do so.
Luckily for her, she had noticed a gambling hall down the street. She picked up her pace, and before too long she was at the door to the place. She opened the door and walked into the place. Her nose was immediately bombarded with the smell of tobacco smoke and alcohol.
She scanned the room, noticing the bar, various tables and booths that contained a number of occupants, and several scantily-clad waitresses. What caught her eye was a pair of men at in one of the booths in the back. They were playing a game of chess.
As she strode up to them, the one on the right had an obviously stressed out look on his face. She understood this immediately, for he was losing.
"And that is checkmate," the man on the left said smugly, confident in his abilities. "Now pay up."
Reluctantly, the man who lost forked over a large sum of money to him. He counted it as the other man got up from the booth and left. After he had finished, he turned to notice her standing a few feet from him.
"What do you want?" he asked her, then continued before she could answer. "Get lost, this is no place for a little girl."
From his accent, she gathered the man was Britannian. He was arrogant and prideful as well. She could definitely use that against him.
"What," she said with a smirk. "You afraid that this 'little girl' will beat you?"
"Fine then," he replied, angered because his pride was wounded. "What have you got to bet?"
"Nothing," she replied flatly. "Except myself. If you win, you can have your way with me. But if I win, you give me all the money you'd just won, and then some."
He eyed her for several seconds, and she could feel him undressing her with his eyes. The thought of that unsettled her, but she didn't show any reaction to it.
"Very well," he said with a feral grin, motioning her to take a seat opposite him. "This is going to be a timed game, thirty seconds per move."
"Fine by me," she replied as he reset the board.
The game took less than ten minutes. The once confident man had been reduced to a defeated wreck, his pride torn asunder by a thirteen year-old girl. She played several more games with other individuals, winning each one in turn. She left with a sizable amount of money in her pockets, enough to live for several weeks, maybe months if she played her cards right.
The first thing on her list was to get herself something to eat, as she was starving. Next on her list after that was to get some new clothes. She found the ones she was wearing weren't all that comfortable.
A new haircut would be on the list as well. She couldn't have anyone recognize her as a Princess of Britannia, lest she wind up dead or used as a political tool, as was the fate of Lelouch and Nunnally. Throughout the last few days, they were always on her mind. She wondered if they were alright, being forced to live in Japan against their will.
As she went about her business, she heard rumors of a resistance group named Zeon. About how they were willing to recruit anybody willing to fight against the oppressiveness of Britannia.
She had asked around about the group, gaining bits of information here and there. Most importantly, she learned they were led by a mysterious yet charismatic young man named Char Aznable. Perhaps it might be time to consider joining them…
The hot water felt good as it sluiced down her naked body, washing away dead skin and dirt that had accumulated for the last few days. She took her time in the shower, as it was the first time since she'd arrived in Area 10 that she was able to partake of this particular luxury.
Finally finished, she turned off the jets of water and stepped out onto the tiled floor of the bathroom. Grabbing a towel, she promptly started to dry herself off.
With her newly acquired wealth, she had rented a motel room. She paid up front, and the owner didn't ask any questions, giving her the keycard to her room. She decided to stay here for a few days while she queried about the location of the Zeon resistance movement.
She wiped the fog off of the mirror, and saw her reflection stare back at her. Her blue-violet eyes stared back at her, as if to see into her soul. Memories of Marianne's bloody, broken body flashed into her mind, of Nunnally's horrified expression as she lay there in her dead mother's arms, her legs shattered by the bullets that tore into her. She remembered her father's anger, how he had banished Lelouch, and her for standing up for her younger half-brother.
She fought back tears, and forced herself to look away. Now was not the time.
She finished drying off her now short hair, then wrapped the towel around her body and walked out of the bathroom.
"I've been abandoned by my own country," she thought bitterly. "By my own father."
She then realized something. In abandoning her, they had made an enemy out of her. Aside from the ones she cared about, Cornelia, Euphie, Lelouch, Nunnally. She no longer considered herself Britannian. Harmonia li Britannia was dead, the Emperor of Britannia even said so.
She would join the resistance, to make a name for herself. She wasn't going to let the man who used to be her father decide her fate for her, she was going to determine her own destiny. For Lelouch. For Nunnally. But most importantly, for herself.
With renewed determination, she quickly got dressed and left, determined to find this Char Aznable and join Zeon.
It had taken her a few days, but she managed to find the headquarters of the Zeon resistance movement. It was an unassuming building in one of the many ghettoes, but she was sure that this was location.
She approached one front guards, who was dressed as civilian. What gave him away was the way he held himself. He used to be a soldier, that, and she caught a glimpse of the handgun in a shoulder holster underneath his jacket.
"Excuse me," she said as she approached. "Would this be where I can find Char Aznable?"
The guard tensed up, hand starting to move for his sidearm. She raised her hands to show she brought no hostile intentions.
"I don't who you're talking about," the man replied. "Now leave."
"I came here to join," she said sincerely. "All I want to do is talk to your leader, I want to fight against Britannia."
"I said leave."
"Hey, at ease" another man said to the guard as he approached. "That's no way to treat this young lady."
"Who are you?" she asked to the newcomer.
"I guess you could call me a recruiter of sorts," he replied. "I hear you'd like to join Zeon?"
"Yes," she replied curtly.
"I'll take you to see the leader," the man said, motioning her to follow him. "What's your name?"
Several names crossed her mind. Giving her real name was a bad idea. They'd gun her down right here and now. Harmony? Too obvious. Hannah, Harriett? Didn't suit her. She thought through several more possibilities before one came to mind that she liked. She quickly formulated a surname as well.
"Haman," she replied after several seconds of thought. "My name is Haman Karn."
There you have it, Chapter One. I apologize for this one being kind of short. Later chapters will definitely be longer. Let me know what you think. Read, review and enjoy!