Chapter 6
Dark Prince
Helltanz's notes: Ah anyway this chapter six.
That said, so Cornelia is alive (In reference to the second season), that's going to be interesting.
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Disclaimer: I don't own Code Geass.
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Chapter begin
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Lelouch watched, the girls, who amongst them was Kallen, as expected of well bred young ladies made a fuss over a bee, how cliché he mused distastefully.
"I don't get it why's a bee after me," she murmured, "I wonder if there is a hive nearby?" she wondered after she swatted the insect out of the air. "God I hate this," she complained standing up, "I'm sick of acting like a freaking invalid." Kallen took a bite out of her lunch. She turned to see Lelouch who raised an amused eyebrow at her distinctly out of character tirade, 'Crap he saw me,'
'There's no question it's her' the prince mused, 'which does make this interesting'.
"Can I help you with something?" she asked
His Geass flared, the birdlike sigil forming in his eye "I want answers," Lelouch stated
Her voice became stronger, that of Karen the terrorist the voice of the Glasgow pilot, her eyes glowed red, "Of course," She responded standing straight.
"Were you the one piloting the Glasgow in Shinjuku?"
"Yes"
"Why terrorism?" he questioned genuinely curious as to what could possibly drive a girl to act like a blue blood princess during school yet maintain a terrorist identity outside of it.
"Because I'm Japanese, though technically I'm half Britannian." She stated
Lelouch looked surprised, "a Half blood?" he muttered in surprise, "But why go so far?" He murmured more to himself, half bloods weren't all that common especially with regards to the nobility being involved.
"Did you want something?" she asked in her meeker voice.
"No I got what I wanted here," he remarked, if bit coldly. He turned, "Just to be sure," He flared his Geass again, "Don't tell mention anything about Shinjuku," the prince ordered.
"What do you mean about Shinjuku?" she inquired, "Why would you say that?" Kallen inquired.
"Go back to class," he commanded irritably already feeling the slight fatigue of using his geass. It wasn't nearly as bad as the more extensive use at Shinjuku and afterwards, but it still stung.
"As soon as I get an answer to my question," she retorted.
'Its not working what's going on here,' he wondered, 'I had no problem... no I ordered them into my service, thats the common link. It didn't work' he thought, 'was that the reason.
"Hey Lulu, Kallen" Shirley waved excitedly from the window, before rushing down to the courtyard to join them, "I've been looking all over for you,"
'another thing I don't need right now,' the prince mused.
"I don't know what you did but there's a military officer her asking for you," Shirley announced.
"The man's name wouldn't be Jeremiah would it?" he asked,
"Yeah that's it, I hope you weren't gambling again Lulu," she replied, "You could get in real trouble,"
He pinched the bridge of his nose in irritation, "It has absolutely nothing to do with gambling Shirley Jeremiah is a friend of the family," He remarked, the prince ignored the quiet 'oh' from Shirley.
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The prince's meeting was by no means all that unusual, or at least on a first glance after all faction heads routinely had meetings with the military. No what made this meeting unique and hence mandated certain procedures.
Lelouch would abide by the mandatory safety procedures set in place. It was Harvey Cole and other members of the security detachment were here. The Black Knights weren't willing to take chances at this stage.
"Jeremiah you didn't happen to have told Clovis about this yet have you?" Lelouch questioned. It'd only be a matter of time until he did if he hadn't. To the right Johnson visibly stiffened as he waited beside the door.
The knight blinked, "Not yet prince Lelouch but why shouldn't we inform prince Clovis of your survival."
He frowned selecting the most expedient explanation for such. "My sister is still incapacitated from the wounds she sustained during the attack that claimed my mother's life."
The man hung his head in shame.
"The emperor claimed our deaths," Lelouch continued, "because it is less likely for any further attempts to be made if it is believed were dead." OF course that hadn't stopped some of the attempts after the fall of Japan but those attempts had died off as of the last few years.
The elite knight mare frame pilot kneeled. "My lord I swear I will never allow any force to harm your highness or lady Nunnally ever again so long as I draw breadth." He swore solemnly.
Lelouch blinked, not what he expected… though he could work with it.
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"That went well boss," Harvey remarked, "The purist factions policies are not compatible with Black Knight Doctrine so this shift will complicate relations with those guys." He commented. "Personally we might want to deploy a Manchester platoon and take'em down now,"
Lelouch nodded, that was certainly one option. "Of the first I'm aware, but given things deteriorating in the Asiatic Sphere we're going to have to move up our timetable. At this time though military deployment is out."
"Open deployment isn't something the military forces have the numbers for within Japan," Another Black Knight stated. "if this was Europe or mainland Asia we could move a bit easier, but too many of our troops are tied up for security."
A grimace crossed the prince's face, "I know," Right now the Black Knights were busy training troops in anticipation for the coming conflict but they weren't near ready for open war with an expansionist China, or Russia going off on China. At the same time a number of already trained troops were deployed elsewhere, or provided security for Area 11 to prevent acts of terrorism.
Frankly he'd been hoping for some time until the Chinese tried it again, but given the value of sakuradite things were becoming complicated far too quickly. Russia's tensions were getting worse as well. Internal and external pressures.
"We could transfer troops from Russian holdings, or Area 10." Roland advised finally speaking up from his seat.
The two standing Black Knights turned towards the Puritan. "Area 10 is out of the question, moving Istavaanians from there weakens it, besides which we know our Istavaanian brothers they'd stir things up worse."
Lelouch nodded, "and we'll have to wait at least eight months before we could advisably transfer troops out of western Russia." In the event of Operation Cancer being enacted they'd those troops currently stationed in Area 10 to skirmish with Chinese forces.
"Eastern Russia remains viable though doesn't it, the Siberian research facility, or troops on the Penisula, or elsewhere."
The prince paused, "We could move troops from there a few months sooner without causing any real problems." Yes that could work, "November, we could have troops by November from holdings in Siberia or the Far Eastern parts of Russia."
"Will that cause trouble with Britannia though, so many Russian members?"
That would be a potential issue, "More than likely less." If they did bring in Russian Puritans then it was possible to annoy the provincial government, Clovis probably wouldn't understand. It was part of the reason they couldn't call on Istavaanians based in Nizhny Tagil, the one place they could conceivably be readily spared from. It was just the way politics worked.
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"Well now what shall we do?" Inquired Sayoko from beside Lelouch's younger sister, "He may be late again this evening,"
"I'll wait he said we'd have dinner tonight." Said the middle schooler.
"There now this one's finished," Lelouch made his return while Sayoko taught Nunnally how to make origami cranes. The maid held up a piece of paper folded into the proper shape..
"Uh a bird?" she questions examining the construct with her hands.
"Yes it's a crane," Sayoko responded.
"Amazing the Japanese are so skillful." The princess stated before going silent and facing the door.
Sayoko looked up, "Lady Nunnally,"
The door opened. "I'm sorry I am so late," He shrugged off his coat.
"Hi Lelouch Welcome home,"
"Yes welcome home my lord." Sayoko greeted.
Home was were the heart was after all. "There is no place like it Sayoko, right Nunnally?" Lelouch remarked, discreetly looking at the clock. Yeah he was late, it was an unfortunate reality of leading the Black Knights. Nunnally rarely called him on it, and Sayoko understood to some extent of the reality of his work.
Dinner was prepared, and his younger sister went on about her day, "Miss Sayoko was just teaching me about the art of origami." She said. "Fold a piece of paper the correct way you can make birds, boats, almost anything," the young princess sipped her soup.
The eleventh prince reached for a napkin, "Easy there you don't have to tell me about everything all at once you know." He said wiping away the spilled soup, "its not like I'm going anywhere"
"Yeah your right, thank you," Nunnally responded.
"You're very welcome," Lelouch replied kindly.
"I'm so happy because last night you scared me a little." She said, to the eleventh prince's surprise.
"Did I, sorry" he looked down, "I've just had a lot on my mind is all."
"Hey, they say," She held up the crane "If you fold a thousand of these cranes, your wish will come true so if there is anything at all you've been wishing for?"
"No not really, what about you?" he asked. The prince didn't want to spoil his sister's faith in such things, "What about do you wish for anything?"
"Hmm," Nunnally paused, "I wish the world was gentler place,"
"When the day finally comes that you can finally see again I'm sure it will be," the eleventh prince stated, in truth though Lelouch remembered the doctor's prognosis Nunally in all likelihood would never regain her sight.
"Really?" she asked,
"I promise," he said, 'the truth is there are very few paths our futures can take the Ashford family are sheltering us for now, but how long can that last' the prince thought, 'but if our identities are exposed, the two of us will surely be drawn back into the court… just tools to politics or casualties to royal ambition,' He mused, "I have to secure a world where Nunnally can at least find happiness. So at the very least I need to kill Charles with the Geass I can secure a position within the court in time. Really though Odysseus doesn't even really need to die,'
The threat to them for now was minimal because they were sheltered by the Ashford, if discovered departing to another country could well serve their safety well.
She raised his hand with hers, interlocking the pinky. "Sayoko taught me this the other day," she said shaking his hand up and down. "Its called a Japanese promise. Cross my heart hope to die, eat a thousand needles if I lie," she recited in a sing song voice, "Pinky promise song,"
"Well that's scary I may have to eat a thousand needles someday," the eleventh prince of the empire joked,
"That right so I'd better not catch you telling lies, okay" his little sister said,
"Don't you worry I'll never lie," he assured 'to you anyway,' Lelouch thought.
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Lelouch had been experimenting with his Geass, testing its limits, and of course dealing with the stress that came from it. He'd ditched his afternoon classes.
The eleventh prince looked over the campus as he lounged about. If the terrorists required convincing it shouldn't be to hard considering the upcoming attack, after all it appeared the Geass did not bestow any severe changes to the subject.
Lelouch was aware having, useless as they had been against the Z 01, he needed to have some people with experience to work with on the terrorist front.
There was only so much you could do with mind controlled nobility and corporate businessmen… much less the riled up rabble he had set to attack certain installations.
He had been planning the Black Knights for a long time still moving so soon meant he didn't have the 'factions' at full strength, and that meant militarily he was no where near capable of fighting Britannia out in the open.
'Only a few more days,' He tossed the paper aside, "So Area eighteen, humph looks like they're putting up a fight," the teen sighed, "Cornelia will be sent its such an obvious move, or at least she will once the elevens start acting up, that mineral is to important" he commented to no one in particular, 'concerning Cornelia I wonder which will do better her Gloucester or the Edinburgh as far as upgraded Sutherland types,' the prince wondered a dark smirk crossing his features.
He glanced back across the area catching sight of Kallen, it was rude but hey his security was important. He turned up the 'radio'.
"So how's campus life treating you?"
"Stifling, I was stuck in history class yesterday," she complained to the person on the other end of the cell phone, "look maybe I should just head back,"
"The army's on a high alert right now," Ogi responded, "stay there let things cools off," He stated, after all Kallen was definitely safer at the academy.
"But what about that voice?" she asked, "on the radio, Zero."
The other voice remarked. "Can't go looking for a guy named Zero besides Naoto would be happy to see you back in school. Forget about Shinjuku for now. I'll be in touch."
'Shinjuku I guess he's right…' she freezes in place, a memory of Lelouch saying 'don't tell anyone about Shinjuku' she gasps, 'no it couldn't have been his voice,' the resistance fighter thought to herself.
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The day proceeded rather smoothly, with Kallen glancing at Lelouch, much to the consternation of Shirley, trying to identify if Lelouch was in fact the voice on the radio.
'All I did was simply mention Shinjuku but…'
'If he knows who I really am then' she thinks
'At the first opportunity' Lelouch frowned contemplating his options, damn it he disliked assassinations, especially ones made to look like terrorist attacks.
'I need to take care of him,' Kallen thought, considering killing him.
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"Hey Lulu you coming along?" Shirley asked after the class had ended.
He stood up, "Sorry maybe some other time" the prince replies walking over to Kallen and her group of friends.
Much to the surprise of the girls,
"You think that you could spare a minute I need to talk to you,"
The girls gasped.
"Sure," Kallen stood up, "I was wondering when you were going to ask," she remarked in response.
"Huh," exclaimed Shirley in shock, a sentiment that was shared by the other young ladies.
They headed off to the student council 'clubhouse'. "I didn't even know this room existed," she remarked,
Lelouch nodded, "It's the clubhouse for the student council." He commented, "they built it as a ballroom for various special occasions."
"And we won't be disturbed inside here?" Kallen asked,
"Yes," the prince replied, "that's correct," She has to have a knife then, not a gun most likely. It was still possible goodness knows how he carried a concealed pistol on him during school.
"Here it is," some one shouted from one of the upper level, "I found it found it look this is it " Shirley held up a memory card, "right?"
"What a relief you found our lab data," Nina whispered softly,
A boy groaned, "Good. My ass is killing me," Rivalz whined standing up
The door opened, "Where you able to find it?" Millie asked pushing a cart laden with food. "I finished up on my end, shall we dig in?"
"Oh wow," the blue haired teen exclaimed,
"Wait to go Millie," Shirley praised,
Millie chuckled, "You adore me I know," she stated setting the food on the table,
"Uhm what is all this?" Lelouch asked. It wouldn't be unlike Millie to throw something together on the spur of the moment.
"Lelouch don't you know, I thought that's why you brought her, we're inducting Kallen into the student council. It was my grandfather's idea actually,"
"The Principal's?" Lelouch inquired slightly surprised, what was Rueben doing he wondered. It was certainly true the Stadtfeld's were a noble and wealthy family but the rumor mill said Duke Stadtfeld was awfully close to Lelouch's older brother Schneziel.
"He thought it best with her poor health she might have a harder time with regular club activities." She turned, "Oh I'm Millie the president of the council it's a pleasure to meet you,"
"Oh," Kallen bowed slightly on reflex, "Thank you the pleasures all mine,"
The other three rushed down the winding spiral staircase, "I'm Rivalz the secretary," he said, "if there's anything you need help with I'm your man,"
"Hi I'm Shirley and I'm a member of the swim club. Welcome"
"Hi there my name's Nina," the third girl stammered.
"Nice to meet all of you,"
Nunnally entered, "Shirley I'm sorry but do you think you could set these on the table for me,"
"Oh sure," Shirley rushed over, "thanks Nana,"
"Nunnally what are you doing here?" the prince inquired,
Millie turned to Kallen "This is Lelouch's sister," She stated before turning back to Lelouch, "by the way Lelouch I thought you said you were going to avoid bringing your more of your work home with you."
"I'm still in the middle school group so I can't be on the council yet," Nunnally explained to Kallen as the majority of the student council stood around.
Lelouch grimaced, "Sorry but you know how things have been recently."
"That's alright," Rivalz assured, "you're an honorary member in our book,"
"Hello there it's a pleasure to meet you Kallen,"
Kallen tilted her head and smiled, "Thank you, you as well"
Rivalz set a bottle on the table, "right shall we kick this off with a toast," He announced proudly.
"Huh,"
The orange haired girl stared at the bottle. "Champagne," Shirley remarked, a hint of distaste.
"Yeah but we're on the student council we shouldn't," Nina whispered
"Relax its sparkling cider." Stated the blue haired teen fiddling with the bottle,
"You swear. Let me see that bottle," demanded Shirley attempting to wrestle the bottle away from Rivalz
"What's going on?" asked Nunnally as Millie placed a glass of punch in her hand.
"Lelouch head's up," Rivalz shouted before tossing the bottle surprisingly a pass, which the prince made without any incident.
"Come on Lulu let me see that bottle," she whined, Shirley's attempts to grab the bottle caused the two to fall to the floor, a position that likely would have been made a spectacle of had the carbonation not proved to much, and the cork shot off, and drenched Kallen, no one but Lelouch noticed Kallen swatting the propelled cork away.
"What just happened?" Nunnally inquired
"Do we have clothes for her?" Inquired Rivalz,
Millie nodded, "Sayoko's on it,"
'This I why I hate Britannians,' Kallen mused as she showered off. Gods forbid if she had to go back to the Stadtfeld house smelling like alcohol, her bitch of a stepmother would have a fit.
There was a knock on the door, "its Lelouch I brought you a change of clothes" He remarked, holding part of his own wardrobe. "Look I'll just drop them off."
"You can come in I've drawn the curtain already" she responded from behind the door.
"Ah, sorry about all this.. The student council is energetic" he apologized looking away from the shower for a minute, as he stepped in and closing the door back. "I know they can be a little over the top at times."
"Its okay nothing wrong with cutting loose every once and a while, you know" Kallen responded honestly.
"These are some of my clothes if that's okay," he remarked depositing them in the basket beside the towel, "You can return them in a few days."
"Its cool. Don't worry about it," she replies, "that was fast. You went all the way to the boys' dorm?"
"Actually I live here," he replied leaning by the sink, "it'd pretty hard for my sister to live off in the dorms, the principal of the school lets us stay here as a favor. You're a Stadtfeld so your father's ties with Schneziel have probably been mentioned. Its a lot like that. The Ashfords, and us we're old friends."
"I see," Kallen replies somewhat morosely. She didn't even notice that Lelouch had the mistake of saying Schneziel instead of the second prince, or prince Schneziel.
"Anyway," Lelouch began to walk towards the door. "You can see what Millie wants when you're done, and take your time."
"Hey wait," the prince stopped, as she reaches through the curtain, "Could you hand me that pouch over there,"
'So she's going to make her move' he took a step over to the sink picking up the pink pouch, normally in this situation he would have taken steps but it was better to use a slightly different method, "Sure," he turned his head and stuck his hand into the shower, Kallen knocks the pouch onto the shower and grabbed his wrist, "You really are a live wire aren't you?" the prince commented with a devilish smirk his other hand holding the small Russian made pistol.
"Were you the one in Shinjuku?" she demanded
"What do you mean?"
"Don't play dumb" Kallen snaps, "you brought up Shinjuku the other day, WHY?" the terrorist demanded,
He smirked, "Do you know what happened at Shinjuku?
"Don't answer my question with a question," she growls. A knife blade snapped out of the pouch. "Yes or no that's all I want to here from you,"
"If I don't answer it some one will come," he remarked as the phone rings, she let his hand go, "Hello Ashford Academy student council… No this is… oh its for you," Lelouch handed the artsy phone through the curtain, "He says he knows you,"
She sets the pouch aside and accepts phone, "Hello?"
"Glad your still alive Q 1." Remarked Lelouch's voice on the other end, "As I said you may call me Zero."
She glanced at Lelouch, 'was I wrong? It sounds like him, but he's right here.'
"Sixteen hundred hours the day after tomorrow the observation deck at Tokyo tower come alone."
"Who are you?" she snaps, "How did you arrange that ceasefire order?" Kallen demanded pulling the curtain back, "Hey don't hang up?"
Lelouch stepped back, "Well your friend seems like the fun time,"
"Oh um," She stammers, "that was,"
"Don't worry about it," he shrugged. The prince commented briskly examining his wrist, "when I told not to bring up Shinjuku before, seriously some guys will attempt to show you footage of what happened that day, and its pretty damn grim. I remember the war, and area 10 before that. Father thought it built character to see what things were like." He remarked distastefully, "By the way you know I can see you right?"
She looked down, blushed and crouched down drawing the curtain,
"I won't tell anyone, later" Lelouch left the bath room re buttoning his blazer and concealing the pistol he was carrying. Johnson nodded as he stepped beside him, and the prince nodded, "all is well,"
"I was wrong," Kallen sighed, 'what an embarrassing mess."
The man stepped into step with the prince. "and?"
"Lets proceed Colonel," Lelouch remarked, "How are the preparations going?"
"Very well sir, the Ardenite unit will be ready on schedule."
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Lelouch sighed removing his shades. A luminescent display slowly counted down directly in front of him and a number of Black Knights. Heavy handed missions like this were distasteful, but occasionally necessary. Certain elements had to be destroyed in all encompassing blazes of destruction.
Killing Charles would require a rather lengthy campaign, of course it was one Lelouch was prepared for, Odysseus on the other hand was ineffectual. The emperor would hardly care if Odysseus took a bullet, he'd just use the opportunity to speak on Britannians policy on advancement, and Darwinism. There was always the chance Odysseus might just step aside anyway.
The first prince was the so called nobility's hope to succeed Charles, he represented the traditional approach after all. So naturally killing Odysseus would allow a certain level of… disorder, not that it was needed. But this of course was all much further ahead, so far the daily propaganda was trickling in concerning the to be Area eighteen.
Frankly the eleventh Prince was looking forward to humiliating the famous Gloucester unit, before using the power of the king to get the information.
As for that plan well the Zero persona just needed to be revealed publicly, and said planned provided the solution for acquiring combat data.
After all the eleventh prince doubted if Schneizel had only one project for advancing the state of technology, after all even Clovis was capable of running a project he had kept secret from Charles. That alone warranted letting Clovis live, if the third prince was willing to risk such a program under Charles's nose it was something that could be exploited by the Black Knights.
It seemed that he wasn't the only one, the only one with programs to advance their forces after all Cornelia had commissioned the Gloucesters to be designed for her unit.
The Gloucester the most advanced and highly modified variant of the the RPI 13 Sutherland in service with Britannia in any number. Cornelia had commissioned the design, and it wasn't simply her unit the factory which produced them was safely back in her own territory. A territory which was protected by Cloucesters.
Charles's ascension had marked the end of the Emblem of Blood. That period's conclusion meant that the emperor could redistribute the land of his deceased rivals to his own children.
"Lets begin then."
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Chapter conclusion
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Helltanz's notes: Maybe I just have a dirty mind but I can see where the Britannian girls are coming from impression wise, especially considering the two lines after that, any one want to write a one shot, by chance?
Anyway the Knightmare frame mentioned in this chapter, the Edinburgh, is an upgraded Sutherland unit, kind of like what the Gloucester is.
The unit is neither the prototype or the final production model seventh generation Knightmare frame in development but it is, or rather will be a potent tool for the eleventh prince, among its improvements are the Blonde Knives replacing the Rocket Anchors for example, and other information taken from the seventh generation project run by the Special Corp.
Think Cecile's Sutherland during the Black Rebellion, though admittedly less specialized, this is a pseudo massed produced weapon, i.e. only carrying one shield, instead of the two on Cecile's Sutherland, though it does carry missiles like the Gloucester.
Another difference is the lack of 'Stun Tonfa' on the unit instead featuring a similar MVS weapon.
Obviously there painted black, and that concludes this chapter, kudos if you can guess the name of the Knightmare Lelouch will end up piloting, it will be revealed next chapter.
By the way should I end up giving Kallen or Jeremiah the prototype, after the final unit is ready, or maybe CC, that would still leave the Gawain, and the Nemo as well though, damn?
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