And now we are off into the second chapter of the Black Knights/India invasion of the Chinese Federation! I'm growing increasingly pleased with my work as we go along, although I believe this chapter itself is nothing short of dreadful. It's poorly put together and it kind of bounces all over the place, but with how I have everything for the next few chapters planned I couldn't exactly change things around. That aside, I still believe that all of this brings testament to my belief that I write better when I'm writing about something I love. And I always have been a war fanatic. No, not the type who loves the violence of it all. But I'm the one you'd find on Wikipedia for hours, reading about various battles for no real reason.
We'll conveniently ignore that this chapter contradicts that entire theory.
Anyway, to those who are wondering, I'm expecting the Chinese Federation war to be over somewhere around chapter 17. As I said I have most details planned out, but dividing them into chapters isn't an endeavour I've yet attempted. And so if you're disliking how things are playing out right now, well, you have some idea of how much longer you're to suffer. That is, of course, unless you stop reading entirely. Heh. This is all I really have to say about the chapter itself, but there was something else I realized recently.
The entire timeline of the first season of Code Geass is less than a month and a half, with the battle in Shinjuku being on August 10th and the battle over the Tokyo Settlement taking place sometime in September. While reasonable as a whole, I found that timeline to be extremely short. As such, the Narita battle in my fic would be taking place at roughly the same time as the Tokyo Settlement battle (episodes 24+25, I mean), and as said in the beginning it started two weeks earlier than it did initially. It doesn't matter all that much, I admit, but it does give you some perspective on the timeline.
Last chapter was the last time I'll be putting in a disclaimer, by the way. If I get harassed for it after now I'll add it into the summary. But I won't include it here anymore, because it's just a waste of my time. Also, glad to see someone picked up on my (admittedly horrible) catchphrase joke. I just kind of realized that I'd been unintentionally adding that same thing at the end of my chapters for some time.
--
"Drop the 3rd Burai squad! Sutherland squads one and two, remain in position!" Lelouch ordered, safe and secure from his watchful position. As per usual Karen and Suzaku were behind him, this time in the Guren and the Lancelot respectively however. Down below was the city of Zhanjiang, lost in the conflict the Chinese Federation had brought upon themselves. Women and children could be seen every so often rushing from the city in order to escape the carnage, although their worries were unfounded. Lelouch had strict orders that civilian protection was to be high on their list of priorities while fighting.
The Burais that had been floating above the city were dropped, and screeching was heard almost immediately as they rushed to join the conflict. Even from their distance Lelouch could see the streets literally swarming the Gun-Ru, who seemed to have the upper hand despite the surprise nature to the Black Knights' assault. "Suzaku, Karen, charge! When they arrive, Sutherland squads one and two are to join them! Pincer their forces!"
The battle, like all before it when Zero was on the battlefield, played out exactly according to Lelouch's plans. Just three hours later the whole of the Chinese Federation forces at Zhanjiang had surrendered, retreated or been routed, and restoring peace in the city was well underway. People rejoiced as they saw the Gloucester all recognized to be Zero's personal frame entering the city, some going as far as to drop to their hands and knees before the Gloucester in respect. In the further parts of town the Frames were already being loaded onto the G-1 bases that had been - although with no small amount of effort - brought overseas with them.
Hours later, Lelouch sat in his quarters aboard his G-1 base once again, reading through casualty reports Diethard had filed for him. Damage to their own side had been within his predicted range, which was more than acceptable given their abundance of Frames. And with a straight supply line from India over the South China Sea, they had already received two additional shipments since docking at Haikou, with a third expected within the next few days.
C.C. had long since surrendered to exhaustion and had collapsed rather unceremoniously onto her bed as soon as they had arrived. She had only recently ceased her rather annoying mutterings of pizza, and nothing more than soft sighs of contentment came from her ever so slightly parted lips. It had been thought of as melodic by Lelouch when he'd first noticed it, but he had since reverted to a rather stubborn unawareness of it... with slightly reddened cheeks. He so very much wished he could banish his inexperience with female company to the fires of hell at that particular moment.
Next he brought up personal records he had been making of the fight waging on along the India border. They had been so kind as to grant him the full extent of their technological savvy in order to allow him to analyze the situation, and their savvy seemed to be more than enough. "Still at a standstill... their leaders must be well matched," he remarked scanning his eyes over the many images and files before him.
"What are you muttering about?" C.C. asked with a yawn, sitting up in bed and stretching.
"The Chinese Federation are fighting better than I expected," he stated bluntly, leaning back and stifling a yawn. "We'll have to move faster."
"Where are we right now?" C.C. asked innocently, snickering in the back of her mind for how childlike she sounded.
Lelouch didn't answer, instead returning his focus to his work. It had been a ritual of sorts for them to talk over things to come in such a manner, not unlike their companionable talks safely within the confines of Lelouch's room back home. He smiled as he recalled it. It wasn't that long ago, perhaps, but he'd come a long way since then. The days of tactful attacks from nowhere had passed, and they'd graduated into an army - a small army, but that didn't matter - that now found itself crossing through foreign territory, fighting with a world superpower. To many, such a thing would sound like little more than a distant fairytale. But Lelouch had done it - he had turned a small terrorist force into an army capable of fighting the Chinese Federation.
Lelouch closed his laptop, ignoring C.C.'s raised eyebrow as he made for his bed, not changing out of his outfit and not removing his mask as he lay down, head propped up against the headboard. "Keep a watch," he said stoically, taking no notice of the irritated look C.C.'s arched eyebrow had been replaced with.
He awoke hours later to the sound of feet rushing to and fro in front of his door, panic clearly apparent. He stole a glance in C.C.'s direction who frowned and said nothing, taking her own form of revenge. He stood up, straightening out his slightly wrinkled outfit before making toward the hallway. He stopped the first person to run by, feeling the man begin to feel nervous in the sole presence of their masked leader, "Calm down. What's going on?" he asked in that fear inspiring commanding tone that made cold sweat form on the back of the necks of many.
"A-ah…" the man stumbled to get his words straightened under the scrutiny of Zero's stare. "The Chinese Federation have attacked! Sir Todo has ordered that everyone prepare to deploy!"
Lelouch growled almost inaudibly, nodding a wordless thanks before turning on his heel and back into his room. He sat and threw open his laptop harshly, starting it up. It blinked to life in mere seconds, and he immediately opened the comm. network they'd set up - despite no small amount of work - into his laptop with the rest of the mobile bases, and his view of his desktop was replaced moments later with Todo's face, scowling.
"What happened?" Lelouch asked, not wasting any time. Todo almost dared a smile at this revelation; he never was one for small talk.
"Seems the Eunuchs managed to gather together enough supplies to muster together another army. Sensors have picked up a large force just over the eastern hills," Todo explained quickly, immediately turning around to reinforce orders to people in the command center.
"They wouldn't send their forces out so far away from the Forbidden City, unless…"
"...They were completely confident that they would win. And that doesn't mean anything good for us," Todo finished. "Suzaku has taken command of the forces currently out there, and Karen is supporting our forces. But just the vanguard of this force alone has them struggling to keep up. Already we've had to pull back twice due to the amount of energy the unending conflict is wasting."
"Have my Gloucester ready to launch. We cannot afford to lose here," Lelouch ordered, shutting his laptop. "Come on, C.C.," he said impatiently, making toward the doorway. He turned back when she made no move to follow him, and raised an eyebrow. "They know you're my 'personal confidant'. There's no reason to hide out here," he remarked dryly.
"What do you want to come from all this bloodshed?" C.C. asked, ignoring his remark. Lelouch's eyes widened for a moment and his mouth opened slightly, teeth biting down harshly on his lower lip. The question was dismissed as quickly as it had been registered, however, and Lelouch smirked.
"I don't want to hear a question like that from someone like you," Lelouch shot back somewhat playfully, opening the door. "Now come on."
o--o
"Zero isn't an idiot!" Gao Hai scoffed, glaring. "Why are we attacking head on?! He's turned sure defeat into victory! He's defeated Princess Cornelia! He's not someone who can be underestimated, Xingke!"
"He also over thinks thing," Xingke replied immediately, scowling. "A simple strategy will keep him thinking he's got the upper hand, and then we turn the tables," he explained. It was a well formed plan, he thought. Zero took pride in being able to outsmart anyone he fought, it seemed. As such, he was bound to make mistakes once he found someone who could think on a level equal to his own. And Xingke was eager to test that theory.
"But such a strategy…"
"My authority is granted by the Tianzi. I have no obligation to take orders from you, Gao Hai," Xingke growled, turning around. "Send in the second wave! Don't give them a chance to breathe! Send in the 1st Tact Squad! Attack them from the side!"
o--o
"Using sheer numbers to keep us fighting... how simplistic," Lelouch drawled, smirking as he took out three Gun-Ru effortlessly with his MVS, relishing in the simplicity of doing so as he pulled back, two Burai taking his place, holding the masses at bay. Lelouch carefully aimed in the gap between the two Burai, taking out one of the Gun-Ru with his rifle. "Todo, what's the situation further ahead?"
"Most of their forces are still camped over the hill. They've sent their second wave out, as well as what seems to be a tact force. They're trying to drive us back!"
"No," Lelouch deadpanned, retaking his place at the front and pushing his MVS through a Gun-Ru. He tugged the MVS to the side, swinging the now pilotless Frame to the side, knocking into two others. While they were regaining their senses he replaced his sword with his rifle and fired, taking them out before pulling back again. This time Suzaku took his place, charging forward and cleaving a line through the Gun-Ru before pulling back and forming a blockade again.
"No?" Todo questioned, genuinely confused.
Lelouch smirked, "The Chinese Federation does indeed have a decent commander."
"What are you talking about, Zero?"
"The moves are simplistic, but they're too perfectly executed. Their commander wants us to think he's incapable and lure us into a false sense of superiority, and then turn the tables. Keep a close eye on the tide of the battle, and we'll play his game for now."
o--o
"The second wave is taking heavy casualties!" one man reported, clearly distressed.
"It must be the Guren and the Lancelot! We can't compare with them!" several murmurs of agreement followed, and Gao Hai gritted his teeth at the show of complete hopelessness in the command center.
"Xingke! You had better fix this!" he cried, furious.
"I don't take orders from you, Gao Hai. Remember that," Xingke remarked through gritted teeth. "Keep up the assault. Have Squad 4 pull back and have Squad 7 take their place. Keep alternating as necessary. They're playing right into our hand," he ordered, smirking victoriously.
"More have launched! Four, five... no, ten signals detected! On screen reports are showing all Burai!"
"Those Seventh Generation Indian inventions…" Xingke sighed, rubbing his temples. "No matter. Experience won't save them this time."
The battle waged on just over the hill, with the Black Knights putting up every bit of defence Xingke had expected. But he still had them right where he wanted them, and wasn't about to let a few casualties stop him. He was a caring commander, to be sure, but the Chinese Federation forces were built around the ability to win through sheer numbers. And the Black Knights, vastly more experienced as they were, wouldn't overcome such a thing.
o--o
"They're trying to preserve fighting strength, hmm?" Lelouch remarked, finding an unexpected amount of enjoyment at fighting such a worthy foe. "Todo, deploy all remaining forces. Eliminate them before they can pull back!" Lelouch ordered, taking an equally unexpected move and boldly charging forward, sweeping at a Gun-Ru and hooking into it's side, and with a little extra effort pushed in further, forcing the pilot to eject, laughing somewhat manically all the while. He turned and pushed his MVS through another, joined immediately by his allies, pushing the mass of Gun-Ru back.
"Don't get carried away, Lelouch," C.C. said dryly from behind him, adjusting her legs in an unsuccessful attempt to escape the lack of leg space. Lelouch gave nothing more than a drawn out 'Hmm' in response, quickly pulling back when his clear inexperience in piloting got the better of him, muttering curses the whole way.
"Zero, there's too many! Power levels are starting to run low!" Todo reported through Lelouch's headset. Lelouch checked his own battery. pleased to know he wasn't suffering the same problem. But it was sure to become an issue soon.
Lelouch cursed rather loudly, but wasn't about to get ahead of himself. He had to admit, he was underestimating the Gun-Ru a little bit. Ineffective as they were, sheer number made them quite troublesome. Not troublesome enough to actually have his forces in any danger of an imminent defeat, but the drawn out conflict was taking it's tole on them. "Those in need of it, retreat and get a fresh battery. Those not in need of it, come with me! Drive a wedge into their forces!"
The Black Knights charged forward on his word, reforming into an arrowhead. They clashed fiercely into the center of the line of enemy forces. It took a lot of effort and shifting around, but they managed to break through, pushing through the center of the enemy lines. Before long they were completely divided, both sides taking heavy casualties as they fought to regroup.
Lelouch smirked the whole way, the word 'Check' running constantly through his mind. He would bring out every bit of this commander's talent before his army's power ran out, and then crush this commander and break the spirit of the Chinese Federation.
o--o
"It's a wedge formation!"
"Massive casualties are being taken!"
"We can't continue to hold them back! They're too strong!"
"They're using a wedge formation…" Xingke sighed, watching the situation intently. "Zero is indeed a genius."
"What do you mean, Xingke?! We have him right where we want him, don't we?!" Gao Hai cried, enraged.
"Indeed," Xingke smirked. "Deploy the 2nd Tact Squad, and have all our forces pull back. Once they reach the base of the hill, we proceed with Phase 4."
That quickly proved itself to be a bad move. The Gun-Ru began pulling back as soon as the order was passed along, but it didn't have nearly the same effect Xingke had intended. As soon as half of their already divided force had reached and had begun ascending the hill, one of the signals - either the Lancelot or the Guren Nishiki, Xingke assumed - cut the other half off, dividing the army into three pieces. Before the Gun-Ru could try to breach, many others had joined the Lancelot, blocking the way.
"I see…" Xingke tapped a finger to his cheek, smirking. "Truly a foe worthy of his reputation. A hero of chaos indeed," he slumped into the seat behind him, his mind quickly working around this new development. "Our strategy is worthless now…" he commented to himself, inaudible to those around him. He felt Gao Hai's panicked glares on the back of his head, but he shrugged them off. "Prepare to launch it. I'm going out."
o--o
"That's…" Lelouch glowered at the blue Frame gliding elegantly across the ground. It was slightly smaller than the Guren Nishiki in size, and the general structure was vastly different, but there were key features that told him it was India that had created this one as well, most notably the moderately more humanoid structure rather than the more block like appearance that was commonplace in Britannia's frames. It had what seemed to be a factsphere embedded in it's center, as well as what most likely a slash harken, although the subtle difference piqued Lelouch's curiosity. Was it perhaps the unique slash harken Rakshata had spoke of?
"Stay alert," C.C. scolded coldly, breaking Lelouch free of his musings. He was able to swerve aside just in time to avoid having the slash harken flung through his Frame and the blue Frame kept going, forcing the Black Knights line before him to either part or be destroyed by the same slash harken now being spun at an inhuman speed in front of it.
"It broke through so easily... Suzaku, Karen, take it out!" Lelouch ordered, now determined to learn all he could about this new Frame. The Lancelot charged at it suddenly from within the mass of Gun-Ru, bringing the spinning slash harken to a stop with it's MVS before grabbing the other and swinging, but the blue Frame nearly effortlessly dodged that assault and manoeuvred it's way to the Lancelot's back, slowly wrapping it's slash harken around the MVS as it went until Suzaku was completely trapped. Suzaku grunted in displeasure as he pulled back, forcing the blue Frame with it, watching his radar all the while.
"Now," Suzaku said quietly. At that moment Karen emerged from the lines of the Black Knights nearby, grasping tightly onto the blue Frame's head with it's claw arm. Radiation began to surge forth from the hand, heating up the blue Frame visibly.
The 'factsphere' space on the blue Frame opened, and Lelouch raised an eyebrow. That is, however, until he realized it was charging something and that his previous assessment of it being a factsphere had been horribly wrong. Lelouch grimaced, "Karen! Move!" but she was rather immobile, clamped firmly onto the face of the Frame. Just before it could fire, however, a Jeremiah's Sutherland charged out, pushing the Guren out of the way, taking the brunt of the shot. The large surge of energy kept going, taking out a number of Burai as well as a great many Gun-Ru. Lelouch was dumbstruck for a moment, hands shaking as he took it all in.
"India created... something like this?" Lelouch spoke through gritted teeth. Jeremiah was a pillar for him. One of his strongholds in overcoming Geass' loneliness. But with just one blow, Jeremiah had been removed. Even if he was alive, it would take a miracle for him to survive. An idle tear coursed it's way down Lelouch's face without him realizing it, and he swiftly wiped it away. Attempting to hide all emotion, although he failed miserably, he said hoarsely, "We're retreating."
o--o
It was the first time I'd openly expressed feelings amongst the lesser members of the Order. Many had expressed mixtures of shock, disbelief and worry when they'd realized the damage done to Jeremiah had managed to strike a chord within me. But I didn't so much as address them, and nobody made any complaints when they saw C.C. and I retreat immediately to my quarters.
It was bewildering, to wonder why the incident caused such pain in me. Jeremiah was a useful man, but he and I shared no bond beyond the desire to avenge my mother. Though that may have been it. The bond we shared in our shared desire to avenge Marianne Vi Britannia immediately made him one of my most important confidants. Moreover, he was one of the few that held a position within my inner circle, and that in itself warranted my mourning.
It wasn't long before rage overtook me, and it took all my common sense to dissuade me from immediately turning around and avenging Jeremiah's possible loss. That night was spent in a state not unlike a traumatized child, slouched in my seat muttering words Clovis had told me over and over. That revenge was never the right path, and that I should never resort to it. But it was hard, as the pang of pain grew thicker still in my heart.
The night ended being a restless one.
Suzaku had checked on me the following morning, asking if I was alright. He'd been thoroughly surprised when he'd seen my reaction to it all, but I suspected it added further securities to his heart. He still held some worry over who I was now, I knew, try as he might to hide it. I had confided in him, telling him of Jeremiah's connection to my mother's death, and how important a figure the former Purist Faction leader had turned out to be. Suzaku had been a good friend the whole way through, even offering to stay with me until I was 'capable of returning to my day to day duties' as he had put it.
But I couldn't have that. Be it Lelouch Vi Britannia, Lelouch Lamperouge or Zero, I was not weak. No matter what the pain I felt, I would not cower. I promised myself I would press on regardless of the sacrifice, and that I would beat all the odds set against me. And I had every intention to do so.
People were surprised to see their masked leader in front of them making a speech that day, fully admitting having underestimated the enemy and trying to raise morale once again. They'd been better than I thought, having previously been people following a seemingly indefeasible masked god of some sort. I suppose it was some sort of reassurance that I was, in fact, human.
And I was glad for that, because I needed their support now more than ever. I would not sit back and let this defeat go unavenged. In a war where I could only go forward, it was all I really could do, anyway. To that end, we retreated back to Zhanjiang to regroup and, hopefully, build up our forces. I'd been sceptical about the idea of enlisting Chinese civilians into the Black Knights, but Suzaku had reminded me that we weren't simply fighting for the Japanese, and I relented.
But at the same time, that sparked a small revelation within me. We were, in fact, no longer Japan's army. It had been hardly a month - just before the leaves started turning to the colors of Fall - since I had first referred to the Order of the Black Knights as Japan's personal army. In such a short time, we'd already become an army with responsibilities extending far beyond Area 11. It had always been my intent to go beyond Area 11 in my quest to topple Britannia's ideals, of course, but it was the first time I'd looked at it in such a perspective.
As we continued to bolster our forces, fortifying the city and preparing for a possible attack from the Chinese Federation, preparations were being made to turn this dire situation into a stunning victory. The Chinese Federation would be torn in two by our quest for power, and the Black Knights would be there to take all the power there was to be had in the strife we would cause.
It would be a victory that would set us well on our path toward the end of this war.
o--o
The outer wall of the Vermillion City palace was decorated with brilliant gold embroidery, revealing for all to see just how high the symbolic value of the palace ran. A short stone bridge connected it at the center to the roof of a small pavilion, the same carmine color of the stone that made the structure with the same golden embroidery lining the walls. It was a sight to behold for those not native to the country. Much of Britannia's concessions were just as beautiful, but the palace stood out in China as a diamond in the rough, with things going from moderate to simply dreadful in appearance the further they got from the palace.
The roof itself was no less regal in it's appearance. A flower bed of roses, lilies, and countless other flowers lay surrounding a stone tiled center, a table of a much deeper maroon situated in the center. The stone tiled area itself had a single stone pathway leading back to the bridge, with bright gold lights that shone day or night lining either side. Similar lights were placed between the rows of flowers that the bed was composed of. Looking at it from above or below, the pavilion was nothing short of stunning.
And there at that table sat the white haired Tianzi, dressed in her ceremonial gown. On either side of her and behind her were Huang Qian and Xia Wang of the High Eunuchs, with the rest of them save for Gao Hai behind her, all of them wearing broad grins. The reason for said grins sat in front of them; there sat Kaguya Sumeragi, dressed in an pure black dress with lines of ultramarine and burgundy extending down the sides, crossing and interlocking at different points that Lord Zero had so kindly given to her for the occasion.
To her left sat her ally in diplomacy slash underground informant, Diethard Reid. He was dressed comparatively simply, wearing the black outfit he'd gotten from Zero upon his inauguration into the Order of the Black Knights. A sly smirk lay firmly planted on his face, both as a display of his confidence and as an unintentional representation of his glee. There was more corruption than he thought possible in the Chinese Federation. And although he reported solely for Zero as of late, this corruption would be of much use to their cause.
"Zero has sent you now that he's realized the folly of this conflict, has he?" Huang Qian started, trying to sound as bitter as possible despite his inner glee. On the outside, he seemed to be wholly against the situation. On the inside, his mind was doing backflips of joy and working out numerous ways to use this situation to his advantage. 'Should we use them against India? No, that's not enough... use them against Britannia. They'll restore the faith those peons have in us, too,' his thoughts quickly degenerated from bad to worse as he thought about it, and a sly smirk replaced his grin bit by bit.
And Diethard saw right through him. He just didn't know it yet.
"Lord Zero has sent us to --" Kaguya chirped, before being completely cut off by Diethard.
"-- Zero has sent us here to negotiate a ceasefire," okay, so technically Zero had said no such thing and technically one could say Diethard was overstepping his bounds, if the quirked eyebrow from Kaguya was any indication. But Zero had said to do what was necessary to get into contact with Zhou Xianglin or Hong Gu, and so long as he had that intent, Diethard could rightfully claim immunity to any and all reprimands for such a claim.
The looks on the faces of the Eunuchs immediately soured, whereas the look on the Tianzi's face lit up considerably. 'That's certainly worth noting,' Diethard grinned inwardly, machinations within him working overtime figuring out just what chaos Zero could cause with all this new information. But before that came the mission Zero had rightfully left him with, which was sure to cause just as much chaos on it's own.
"A... ceasefire?" a small cog in his mind fell out of place as he stared up at the towering and slim figure of Xia Wang, a lopsided frown on his face. It was no surprise that the Eunuchs would be less than willing to allow there to be any sort of negotiations. But that sat just fine with Diethard. Clearly, they hadn't accounted for the fact that the Black Knights didn't dance to the beat of another's drum.
"A ceasefire," Diethard confirmed. His eyes twinkled with very well hidden glee as he reached into his pocket, flipping the switch on a recorder he'd brought with him. If negotiations went the way he suspected they may, this could very well be what the Order of the Black Knights needed to turn the war around. "Though we have been defeated, the Black Knights will soon be ready to act again. And without the element of surprise, your forces will once again crumble before our strength and Zero's tactics. A ceasefire would be in your best interest," he reasoned with himself that it was a believable feint of idiocy. He did in fact believe that Zero could pull through now that he knew what the enemy was capable of, however.
Huang Qian was beyond angry, though he didn't let it show. How dare Diethard come in, renouncing the strength of one of the world's three superpowers, claiming that nothing more than a large group of terrorists could crumble it?! But he decided to play along, firmly believing he could work this to his advantage. "And what would Zero have to gain from a ceasefire?" he asked, feigning genuine interest in the possibility of a ceasefire. 'As if we'd relent to those worms.'
"As has been the case since we arrived on Hainan Island, the people have played a large role in our occupation," Diethard took much enjoyment in the stunned expressions the faces of the Eunuchs gave off at his shameless discussion of having occupied their territory. As soon as the enjoyment had worn off, he continued, "That having been said, devoting time to their recovery is no small task for us. Furthermore, the divided attention we are providing continues to hinder your ability to fight India. Am I wrong?"
Quickly feeling the ground beneath them collapsing, not one Eunuch was spared from the nervous sweat that broke out from being put in such a position. They had no good way to answer, after all. Not only was Zero's administration of Hainan Island saintly compared to how the Eunuchs took care of the rest of the country, but they were being put on the spot by Diethard's claim of needing to take time for the sake of the people. And Huang Qian in particular had a rather strong feeling that Diethard was aware of that.
Lost in the negotiations, all Kaguya and the Tianzi could do was smile to each other meekly. Both were in similar positions, being forced to sit through something that they wouldn't be able to help too much - or at all - with. Kaguya had initially wondered why Lord Zero would consider her childish innocence a good thing for these negotiations, but she was slowly beginning to realize; the small bond that could only be formed between younger children such as the Tianzi and herself was not unwelcome in the realm of negotiations, no matter how much of a figurehead the Tianzi was. Especially with the true targets they had in mind.
"What would Zero have to offer us in return for our generosity, then?"
o--o
"…I see. Very well," Lelouch sighed, leaning back as he hung up. Diethard was doing well, he had to admit, despite a few troublesome decisions. But nothing he couldn't work around, of course. These negotiations had the added effect of giving the Order of the Black Knights recognized control over Hainan Island, officially making it a place they could call their own. It wasn't anything worthy of making them a world superpower to be sure, but it was a start to the ever growing power that was the Order of the Black Knights.
Lelouch leaned forward, eyes narrowing as he read the screen in front of him. Ten new Burai were transported to Zhanjiang along with one more Gekka, and the gravy train of Knightmare Frame transports hadn't seemed to be impeded by the Black Knights' delay in lending their aid to India. But there was one other thing included in the latest transport that interested Lelouch, and he was more than eager to put it out on the battlefield.
The Hakumei.
He quickly closed the file again, shutting down the entire computer as he reclined into his seat. The bright white walls were a painful sight to look at for extended periods of time, and so he looked to his right where a large T.V. screen was showing a news report. "Still talking about the Lancelot's sudden defection… not surprising."
"What was that, Lelouch?" Lelouch's eyes continued, landing on the mop of blue hair that was otherwise known as his friend Rivalz. The rest of the Student Council - save for Suzaku who was unsurprisingly absent - were thoroughly engrossed in the news report, breaking free of the trance the T.V. had on them every so often to engage in some conversation regarding it. Shirley remained quiet, whereas Milly and Nina had begun to engage in a rather timid variation of an argument. Lelouch paid them no mind, focusing solely on Rivalz.
"Suzaku's sudden defection," he nodded toward the T.V. for emphasis. "It's become a big deal in Britannia rather quickly," he explained, standing up. Crossing the room, he took a seat between Rivalz and Shirley, giving the T.V. the whole of his attention.
"I still can't understand why…" Rivalz tried, falling short of anything remotely resembling a full sentence. Lelouch chuckled, watching the T.V. whilst glancing at his friend from the corner of his eye.
Lelouch's eyes slowly began to close as a bitter smile came to his lips. "It doesn't matter what they do. The world won't change," it was a belief that he'd once strongly believed in, but it was no less reasonable now than it was back before Zero took center stage. The only difference in Lelouch's mind was that, now, it acted as a reminder that he had an obligation to destroy his own belief. He had to change an unchangeable world.
He jumped with a start as his phone suddenly began vibrating. 'Todo,' he thought bemusedly, stepping out of the room without a word. He answered the phone, holding it to his ear and whispering, "Hold on," before he lowered it, continuing toward the roof, careful to make sure none of his friends had grown suspicious and had chosen to follow. As usual, however, they didn't. As soon as he was in his own little realm of privacy, he returned the phone to his ear, "What is it?" he asked.
"Everyone is beginning to get worried by the fact that Zero has said nothing in the past two days, Lelouch," judging by the fact that he was referring to him by his name, Lelouch suspected that he was alone, meaning Todo must have been getting the brunt of the insecurities as well. "C.C. is an acceptable double, but it's growing difficult to hide the truth," he explained. Lelouch groaned; this was one of the worries that came with a plan that didn't guarantee success, but his hand had been forced in the matter.
Lelouch gritted his teeth, muttering harshly, "I can't return yet! They're suspicious of Sayoko's actions as my double, and I need to take care of that! Nunnally is getting worried as well, and…" Lelouch's voice left him entirely, succumbing to the piling amount of worries he had.
"May I suggest revealing your identity, then?"
--
Next chapter, so long as it isn't nearly as horrible as this one was, will be an interest write on my part, and hopefully as interesting a read on your part. Especially scenes pertaining to Diethard and Kaguya, as I found them especially interesting to write in this chapter. The side of Diethard that isn't an obsessed lapdog is a manipulative one, after all.
Also, I believe a brief explanation is in order for one part in particular. Call it out of place if you will, but I simply couldn't resist the urge to associate Zero and the tern 'hero of chaos' in this chapter. If you're at all familiar with Chinese history, 'hero of chaos' was a nickname of sorts for Cao Cao, who was quite possibly the most accomplished military commander and strategist during the late first and early second century, also known as the Three Kingdoms era.
