Disclaimer: I do not own Code Geass or its characters.
Tuesday, April 13, 2027
-This is a BBC News World Report. Early this morning an Imperial force led by several members of the Knights of Round attacked several installations of the Andean rebels. According to Viceroy Villetta Nu, the attack is in retaliation to rebel attacks along the unofficial border. President Theseus Jurgenon has yet to make a statement regarding the situation.
Meanwhile in the South Pacific, tensions are mounting between the Empire and Australia. Viceroy Annabel pe Britannia claims that Australia is encroaching on Imperial territory. While the Emperor states that he desires peace, he also states that he will not hesitate to fight for the Empire's territorial claims. In particular the extent of each nation's economic zone over the ocean is being contested.
In news closer to home, the Orange Technological Company is expanding their Britannia City plant and plans on building new factories throughout the Empire. The Britannian Automobile Company states that preliminary reports indicate that sales are up during the first quarter. This leads many to speculate that this may lead to new factories.-
Buenos Aires, Republic of South America
President Theseus Jurgenon, as the former prince is being called now, wakes up to the sound of his assistants scurrying about outside his door. He figures that it must be something important since there is no other reason to be up this early in the morning. It is obviously not an attack on the capital since he does not hear any gunfire. It is not an Andean victory since the rebels have become increasing overextended. It will not be long before his forces can push the rebels back. His forces just need time and supplies from his allies.
"Your Excellency," one of Theseus' assistants calls out.
Theseus sits on his bed and sighs.
"What is going on? Certainly if you are just waking me, it is a matter that others can take care of."
"Britannia has invaded Andean territory."
"Shit."
Theseus is hoping that the EU can convince Lelouch to leave South America alone and concentrate on other matters. He supposes that it is possible for Britannia to concentrate on South America and other territories at the same time. Britannia certainly has the edge in population and technology.
"Have Lady Ravenguard and the rest of the military council convene here. We need to quickly create a strategy."
"Sir, Lady Ravenguard is with the militia in Brasilia. I will gather the rest of the council."
"Order Lady Ravenguard to return to the capital!" Theseus screams, "Fuck the rest of the council. They are nothing but a pack of fools. Gather what forces we have available and have them head for the coast." Theseus quickly looks at a map. "Have them head for Antofagasta. We must regain that portion of the coast."
"As you wish, Your Excellency."
Theseus stands to prepare for his day. He will have to make a detailed plan of attack. Once he can communicate with Salacia, the planning will be easier. If he can take advantage of the Britannian attack, then his various partners will have to respect him. He may even have the opportunity to get something else that he wants.
Quito, Area 2
Unfortunately Kallen cannot use her personal knightmare for this mission since it will draw too much attention. She decides to use a Karasu Tengu since it is technically Japanese. She moves southeast towards the Amazon. She sends the four KOR west along the Pacific with Villetta waiting to the north. Her opponents should not be too difficult to defeat as long as the Republic of South America stays out of the fight. It is not that Kallen cannot win the fight, but it will likely create a domino effect that Lelouch does not want at the moment.
Kallen is grateful that her knightmare is equipped with a radiation burst similar to her older knightmares.
"Commander Kozuki, we have encountered hostile forces and will investigate the situation."
Kallen looks over the information that she has. Since the enemy may intercept their signals, she cannot be recognized as an empress or Stadtfeld. She decides to use her mother's maiden name since it will be slightly more difficult to trace. It is not a name she has ever gone by although it is the root of her royal name. In addition her brother is not publicly known outside of Japan so using Kozuki is not that big of a deal.
"Proceed slowly, Major Wiggins. From our information there should not be any enemy units in the area."
Kallen's intent is to swing her force through the western end of Amazonas and through Rondonia. This puts her force to the north of the rebels in Bolivia. She does not expect to meet any sort of resistance this far north. She suspects that she is facing some sort of militia from the Republic of South America. If that is the case, then they will have to be dealt with.
Marika Soresi is pushing her force as far south as possible. She aims for the city of Antofagasta. It is the furthest extent of the Independent Andean Confederation. Without any real unity, the Andean rebels are being dissected by Kallen's force. For the most part Marika's force encounters little resistance as they land. She supposes that this is because they expecting an attack from the east or south not the west or north.
"Commander Soresi, we have landed all our knightmares. They naval forces will begin bombardment in ten minutes."
"Very well. The bombardment should last about fifteen minutes. We will move south in half an hour. Make sure that all knightmares have new energy fillers and refill all weapons. I want the support vehicles to leave in twenty minutes," Marika orders.
Twenty five minutes later Marika is pushing her force south. Unfortunately the bombardment does not take out many of the rebel knightmares. Marika's force with its superior knightmares (Titan Mk V) slams through the enemy knightmares (Glasgows/Ios). It only takes a few minutes to completely route the rebel forces, however another challenge presents itself. South American forces are spotted coming from the east. Marika's orders are to capture the city regardless of her opponent.
The South American forces are using Vincents making the fight a little tougher. Marika orders for the fleet to move closer to the shore and unload the rest of her vehicles. With blaze luminous tanks may be able to move close enough to destroy the enemy knightmares. At near point blank range tanks are quite deadly.
Liliana Vergamon is flying high above Lima. The rebel resistance is not strong as they expect it to be. After many decades under Britannian rule, many of the commoners do not know anything else. The rebels are nothing more than a small group of businessmen who want control. It makes Liliana wonder why they do not attack sooner. Along with Marika and Liliana's attacks to the north and south, Sanderson and Goodley attack rebel installations in between. Kallen is attacking the rebels from the east. By the end of the day, the majority of the rebels should be defeated. In few days the entire area should be under Imperial control.
Salacia Ravenguard is moving northwest. Technically she is supposed to be training local militia, but she manages to alter some paper work. Now she is working with a nice well trained force. She is hoping to push the rebels from the western Amazon. Hopefully her actions will confound Britannia and provide her the opportunity for an independent command.
"Lady Ravenguard, we are picking up signals near our destination."
Salacia looks at her monitors. She cannot see anything.
"Do you have any images?" Salacia asks.
"We are sending some camera drones ahead."
About twenty minutes later images appear on Salacia's monitors. Salacia looks at the different angles before the drones are destroyed. She does not recognize the knightmares.
"What are those knightmares? I do not recognize them, but they must be Britannian." Salacia remarks as she looks for information on his monitors, "What are Britannian forces doing this far south?"
"Lady Ravenguard, we are getting some jumbled transmissions from Brasilia. It appears that something is happening along the Pacific coast."
"Can we intercept any transmissions from this force to the north?"
"We will see if the camera drones were able to get anything."
Salacia quickly begins to plan for various possibilities. With attacks along the Pacific, it is possible that Villetta is coming south through the Amazon. It is also possible that either the coast attack or this inland one is being led by a Knight of the Round. Salacia would not mind facing off against her possible replacement.
"Lady Ravenguard, we have retrieved the intercepted transmissions. It appears that the commander is named Kozuki."
Salacia begins to think about the possibilities. She draws a blank for a few minutes, however suddenly a thought comes to her head.
"Lady Ravenguard, we are under attack."
"Damn, I thought we would get a few more minutes," Salacia comments, "Have everyone use Formation A. We are not backing down from this battle."
From the information Salacia gathers, her Eowyns are probably a match for her opponent's knightmares.
"Push them back to the sea," Salacia commands, "If we are facing who I think it is, then this will be interesting."
From the information that Lelouch gives her, Kallen expects to face some South American forces, but she certainly does not expect to encounter Eowyns. She knows that they are the best knightmares that their enemies have. Still Kallen should be able to defeat her enemy unless they have some elite pilots on the other side.
"Wiggins, what is happening out there?" Kallen asks.
"We were routing the enemy, but one pilot is kicking our asses out here."
"Andrew, you and your little buddies need to get it together."
Kallen begins to move her knightmare forward when an Eowyn lands in front of her.
"Hello your highness, I do not believe that we have been formally introduced," Salacia states, "My name is Salacia Ravenguard. I would like to challenge you."
Unlike Lelouch, Kallen does not immediately recognize the voice of the former Knight of Five. Kallen does wonder how her opponent knows who she is. Kallen responds to Salacia's challenge by withdrawing her MVS.
"Let's play," Kallen states as she rushes in to attack.
Salacia pulls back and withdraws her own MVS. Kallen's second attack is blocked by Salacia. Kallen activates her radiation burst causing Salacia to pull back again. Salacia fires from her wrist cannons. Kallen blocks the attacks with her MVS.
Salacia reassesses the battle. Normally knightmare battles in the field last for a few seconds because of various other issues. However a battle between two elite pilots is normally respected. Kallen continues to attack Salacia. Since the Karasu Tengu is quicker, Kallen has a slight advantage.
Kallen continues to push Salacia back. This forces the former KOR to act desperately. Salacia notices that her troops are being worn down. They will not last for much longer so she has to find a way to win the battle against the empress or at least gain a dominate position.
Salacia fires her slash harkens at Kallen. Salacia hopes to confuse her opponent by slamming her to the ground. Kallen has seen Lelouch perform this maneuver many times. To counteract it she decides to steal another of his favorite moves. Kallen fires her own slash harkens at Salacia and flips her knightmare through the air. Salacia is stunned by the action. She decides to cut the slash harkens with MVS. This slight lull in the action gives Kallen the opportunity to sneak up behind Salacia. Kallen places her radiant burst arm on Salacia's cockpit.
"Since you introduced yourself, then it is only polite that I do the same." Kallen states. "I am Kallen kou Britannia. You may be able to get away from my grasp this time, but it is only matter of time before I defeat you."
A collective audible cheer rises from the Britannia forces stunning Salacia. The cheering gets louder after Salacia sets her MVS down and opens her cockpit. The others in Salacia's force do the same. In between the yelling and screaming, Salacia hears chants of First and Knight of One.
Thirty minutes later, Kallen, Salacia, and their assistants are sitting around eating. The news of the Britannian forces routing the Andean rebels is spreading quickly. Salacia notices that Kallen's assistants are hardened soldiers not the sort of people one would normally see around an empress. They have a slight camaraderie. Some conversation back and forth leaves Salacia amused at Kallen's sense of humor.
"You are quite comical, your highness," Salacia comments.
"Yes, that is why Lelouch married me," Kallen replies.
"I always that it was because of your sweet ass," Wiggins states.
"I was a little girl when I met him, Andrew."
"So was I, and I had a magnificent ass."
"How old were when he took your virginity?" Kallen asks.
"She got you there, Wiggins," Carter yells out with a chuckle.
Kallen shrugs her shoulders. "I do have a great ass though, and my breasts aren't too bad either."
"Yes, but the Second's are better."
Kallen grunts at the thought that Milly has a better body.
"I do not mean to interrupt your banter," Salacia remarks, "but what will happen to my troops?"
"They can return to your base. They may take their knightmares if they are still operable."
"What if some of the troops do not want to return?" one of Salacia's assistants asks.
"They can return with us to the processing center in Quito. It will be easier if they earnestly wish to defect. We do not take kindly to spies."
"I will make sure that our people understand this."
Salacia's assistants exit the tent. Except for Wiggins and Carter, Kallen's assistants do the same.
"I suppose it is a risk to be alone with me," Salacia remarks.
"No," Kallen replies.
"Then why are your bodyguards here?" Salacia inquires.
"We are not her highness' bodyguards," Carter replies.
"We only obey orders from the Emperor. No one not even the Empress or the First may command us," Wiggins states.
"The First?" Salacia questions.
"First wife," Carter responds gesturing towards Kallen.
"Actually you are now the prisoner of these gentlemen," Kallen says, "I am just here trying to figure out why Lelouch hates you people so much."
"What people?" Salacia asks.
"The former Knights of the Round," Kallen replies, "Luciano and Gino are lucky that Lelouch knew them before their appointments. The others are not so lucky. They are always being watched. I will leave the rest to the lackeys." Kallen stands and exits the tents.
"What if I want to defect as well?" Salacia asks.
"I suppose you will need to return for your daughters," Wiggins comments.
Salacia smirks, "I have already arranged for that contingency."
Wiggins and Carter are a little stunned.
"You could not have planned to be captured by Imperial forces," Carter remarks.
Salacia's smile gets bigger.
"No, I did not expect that, but as you can see I did plan on moving independently of Theseus. I was hoping that a victory would allow me to continue to move independently. I certainly did not expect the rebels to fall apart so easily."
"I see then you will need to follow us," Wiggins states. "We will take care of the arrangements."
"I doubt that any of my troops will leave their knightmare's operating systems operable even if they defect."
"Like I said, we will take care of the arrangements. Just act like you are returning. We will handle the rest."
"Can I ask another question?"
Wiggins nods.
"I understand the First and Second thing. However why were your troops chanting Knight of One?"
"The First's son is the future Knight of One."
"How can you be so sure?" Salacia questions.
"With those kickass genes how can he go wrong?"
"I suppose so. I wonder how it will feel being back in Britannia."
Carter shrugs and states, "My dear Lady Ravenguard, we are all just pawns in this great game. Pawns under the control of a king who can move like a queen."
New Aries Villa at Imperial Palace
Lelouch moves a pawn and stares across a chess board at James. The young prince ponders the move. Even though they are only half a dozen moves into the game it is obvious that Lelouch is going to win. James decides to make a few bold moves to try to catch his father off guard; however Lelouch is expecting such an event. Instead of dragging out the game, Lelouch decides to end the game quickly.
As James begins to reset the board, Lelouch asks, "You realize when you lost, don't you?"
James nods, "Yes father."
"Remember to not be impatient. Chess along with other games and simulations provide opportunities to evaluate and assess mental and physical skills. There is nothing wrong with a calculated retreat when facing a tough opponent."
"I understand, father."
Lelouch realizes that James a lot of his mother's attitude.
"What if we changed the rules of the game?" Lelouch questions. "Let's say that if I do not win in ten minutes, then I shall forfeit the game. How would you play then?"
"I would play conservative, but that is not how chess is played," James answers.
"It may not be how chess is played, but a battle may turn out like that. Even though chess may just be a game, it shows how patient one may be. Never allow impatience to defeat you. Your greatest enemy is not the opponent in the battlefield, but the person you see in the mirror."
James nods and stands allowing one of his younger siblings to take his place. Abigail comes over to console him.
"Well I think you did well," Abigail comments. "Do you want to go dare Benjamin to eat some bugs?"
James shrugs his shoulders and follows his cousin.
"Hey James, where is your little ninja?" Abigail asks.
James gestures towards the door where Kagome is securing the area.
"Let's go. I want to see if Benjamin is dumb enough to let the little ninja put him in a choke hold again. His face almost looked purple last time," James remarks.
Charlotte takes a seat across from her father. Charles Lelouch is waiting for his turn. Sitting beside the Third Prince is Eurydice Weinberg who being a Weinberg is always cheerful about being around someone named Lelouch. Out of all Lelouch's children, Charlotte is the only one that can challenge him in chess. This is a bit surprising since Milly is quite horrible at the game.
Ten minutes later both emperor and princess are down to a few pieces. Charlotte is certain that she can get a draw out of this game. That in itself would be victory. A few moves later Lelouch smiles as he moves a rook.
"Checkmate."
Charlotte stares at the board in disbelief.
"How did you win?" Charlotte asks her father.
"Never forget that you play to win the game," Lelouch answers, "Are you ready to play, Charles? You little friend can help you."
"Yes father, I am ready," the Third Prince answers.
With all his children Lelouch teaches as they play. It is only James and Charlotte that try to beat him. After some time they switch to other board games. In particular the children like to play Monopoly. Lelouch likes to play by what he calls Team Super Cool Alpha Wolf Squadron rules. To give his children a chance, Lelouch teams up with one of the younger ones. He usually allows them to make a few of the decisions.
After a few hours the children give up awarding the victory to Lelouch's team. Melkor Sauron and Arthur Lelouch celebrate their co-victory.
"Everybody get ready for dinner," Lelouch orders as he heads out for the garden.
Outside he sees Chelsea struggling with Benjamin. One slight glance from Lelouch settles the bug eating prince down. The servants quickly grab Benjamin before he makes a run for it. Lelouch does not remember Cassius being athletic so they must get it from their mother.
"Thank you, your Majesty," Chelsea says.
Lelouch sits on a nearby bench and signals for Chelsea to sit beside him. Generally the relationship between Lelouch and Chelsea would be quite eerie; however given the customs of the royal family the situation is normal. According to Kallen if Lelouch takes off his make up and face mask, they would look like a nice teenage couple. Chelsea lays her head on Lelouch's lap. He gently strokes her hair.
"Hey no fair Chelseas!" Chloe ru Britannia exclaims indignantly, "I wants to take a nap with daddy too."
Chelsea sits up and gestures for her sister to come towards her. Chloe snuggles in between her father and sister.
Around the corner James, Abigail, and Kagome are taking a nap in the garden because making Benjamin eat bugs is quite exhausting. Inside Charlotte and Charles are attempting to squeeze in one last game of chess before their father drags them off to dinner.
Wednesday, April 14, 2027
Although it does not go as smoothly as Salacia hopes, she is able to secure her daughters. With activity along the Pacific coast, many of Salacia's troops are upset that they do not keep fighting against Britannian and rebel forces. Most of the soldiers are native to South America and have lived with Theseus as their viceroy/president for most of their lives. They view incursions by Britannian forces as an invasion. Somehow Wiggins and Carter bring dozens of troops all driving Eowyns. They simply return the way they come since it is the clearest path. Salacia notices that Kallen establishes a large base of operations near the location of their battle. In a few hours Salacia and her daughters should be in the Homeland. She wonders what will happen then.
Theseus has been awake for almost twenty four hours. He quickly sends for Salacia only to discover that she is in Brasilia training with the militia. A few hours after ordering his troops to confront Britannian forces in Antofagasta, he finds out that Salacia takes a force of regular soldiers northeast to attack the Andeans rebels. Apart from not having access to his best commander, he is now missing a sizeable portion of his troops. More importantly are the reasons behind Salacia's attack. Theseus allows his infatuation for the former Knight of the Round to blind him towards her true intentions. If Salacia manages to take advantage of Britannia's coastal attacks, she may be able to carve out an independent command in Brazil. This is not something that he can allow.
Even more importantly is the fact that the Andean rebels seemingly crumble away after the Britannian attack. For the past two years the rebels have been pushing Theseus' own forces back. He wonders about the size of the Britannian forces. Theseus' own forces along the Pacific are quite small. When his alliance with Karine begins, Theseus is in a much better position since he controls his Area while Karine is just beginning to move into Africa. Now several years later the situation is completely reversed. Karine controls most of Africa and is increasing her forces daily while Theseus loses territory every day.
Britannia's latest move comes as a surprise to Theseus since there has been little indication that Lelouch is ready to go to war in South America. Britannia seems to be much more active in Central Asia. Of course it makes sense since South America is so close to the Homeland. Theseus curses himself for not going to Africa like Karine. Once there he could establish a nice little territory a good distance away from Britannia.
"Your Excellency, there is a situation in Brasilia."
Theseus looks at his assistant and sighs. "Yes, I know about Lady Ravenguard's move. I will deal with that later. First we have to make sure that the rebels do not come east. We cannot give Britannian forces an excuse to invade our territory."
"My Lord, it is much more complicated than that. Reports are coming in from Brasilia indicating that Lady Ravenguard's force encountered Britannian forces and was routed. The incoming reports are confusing as to what happened after the battle."
"Damn! Contact the commander of the base," Theseus orders, "Have someone from my staff head over there to take control of the mess. Have Lady Ravenguard come here immediately."
Theseus does not expect anything like this to happen. Having his forces lose to Britannian forces does not bode well for his future. He will have to rein Salacia in by holding her daughters hostage. Even though Theseus is not that sort of person, he may have no other choice. He will concentrate his forces to take back the entire Pacific coast even if it means war with Britannia.
Kallen is pushing south towards Santa Cruz del Sierra. By now the results of her battle with Salacia's force are probably known throughout South America. She probably has a few days before anyone does anything about the situation. By then the rest of Lelouch's plan will be in motion. Marika and the other Knights of the Round are securing the cities along the coast. With Salacia on her way back to Britannia, Theseus does not have anyone to match Lelouch's strategic ability or Kallen's piloting skills. With Theseus out of the way, they can concentrate on much more important matters.
Marika is glancing at the transports returning from dropping off South American and Andean troops. Lelouch orders them not to take any prisoners. Due to this Marika orders that all prisoners be transported back to territory under the control of the Republic of South America. Marika does not make it easy for them to contact their superiors nor does she bother to separate South America forces from Andean rebels. In a few days such distinctions will no longer matter. Marika must continue to press her opponents through the night. Liliana, Sanderson, and Goodley will do the same.
Jeremiah and Villetta floating high above the gathering fleet between Barbados and St Lucia. During the night they will lead an attack along the Atlantic coast of South America. It will only take a few days to finish the reconquest of South America because Theseus does not enough troops to defend against Britannian forces. The only thing that keeps the Republic of South America independent is the fact that Lelouch does not want to appear to be the bad guy. However the Andean rebels provide an opportunity for Lelouch to act. Slowly but surely Lelouch will increase his domain over the entire world.
Thursday, April 15, 2027 (3 am local time)
Lelouch is waiting alone at the airship dock at the Neo-Pendragon Proving Grounds. Salacia and her daughters are being transported to that site. Wiggins, Carter, and the other operatives walk past Lelouch without saying a word. Salacia walks out cautiously. She leaves her daughters aboard the airship with her servants.
"Aren't your men going to stand guard?" Salacia asks.
"There is no point," Lelouch replies, "If I wanted you dead then they would have dumped you in the Amazon."
Salacia stares at Lelouch for a few minutes. She notices that he has absolutely no fear in his eyes. She also notices that he does not blink. Over the years she has many opportunities to observe Lelouch during her time as Knight of the Round and previously as a candidate for the position.
"Let's go," Lelouch states, "I hope that you are well rested because I have prepared a special interrogation for you." Lelouch turns and begins walking towards the knightmare hangar. "Do not worry about your daughters. They will be fine."
Salacia follows Lelouch into the knightmare hangar.
Kallen is looking at the defenses of Santa Cruz de la Sierra. She receives word that Sanderson and Goodley are moving towards La Paz. Liliana is moving from Lima towards Cusco. Marika begins blocking the roads south of Antofagasta. By the end of the day her forces will be as far south as Santiago. With Theseus requisitioning all airships and air transports to combat Britannia, civilians have to resort to using ground transportation. Slowly Lelouch's forces are surrounding Theseus. Kallen even wonders if Lelouch plans for the attack to take place in fall. In a few more months things would be difficult along the Andes. Of course all Lelouch's knightmares and airships have climate controls.
"Your highness, we have a present here from the Emperor."
Kallen looks over at the ground transport coming up behind her.
"What is it?" Kallen asks.
The soldiers gestures towards the transport. Kallen walks over and finds her knightmare (Guinevere Avalon) is on the transport. She smiles and pulls out her key.
"Let's move. We have a battle to win."
Maribelle mel Britannia is studying the situation in Central Asia. After putting down Tibetan rebels, she decides to concentrate on Kazakhstan. She may have to work with Evelyn and the EU on the matter. Chinese forces may also be involved in the issue. Naturally Maribelle will allow Lelouch to handle the issue. Oldrin and the others are already patrolling the border. At the moment there is nothing else for them to do. After the South American operation, Lelouch plans on making his yearly spring/summer trip to Asia.
Mohammed Shennib and his followers are forced into the desert. Unfortunately they have not been able to stop the EU from influencing their homeland. If they learn anything these past ten years, it is patience. Perhaps one day in the future their people can be truly free from any sort of interference.
Sunday, April 18, 2027
With Theseus locking himself away in his room, many of the members of his staff are already planning for inevitable Britannian victory. Some are making plans to flee to Africa or Australia while others are preparing to surrender. At first it seems that Britannia is simply attacking the Andean rebels along the Pacific coast. Then Empress Kallen is confirmed to be leading a force through the center of the continent to attack the rebels from the east. By now it is painfully obvious that Lelouch's plan all along is to have South American forces join Andean force. This will make it seem like South American forces have been working with the Andean rebels all along. This will also explain why there is very little action between those two sides.
If all of this is not enough, Salacia Ravenguard attempts to move independently. This throws Brazil into confusion. There is still no news about her or her daughters' whereabouts. Over the next few days, several military men try to carve out their own territory. Many government officials do the same. All of these plans fall apart once, Jeremiah appear with his fleet along the Atlantic coast. Villetta's attack through western Brazil seals the deal. Northern South America is completely under Britannian control. Now many of those would-be warlords cannot surrender to Britannian forces fast enough.
While Jeremiah and Villetta are attacking, Theseus decides to gather all his forces at Sucre. His plan is to draw the Britannian forces in and trap them. The plan backfires horrendously. Britannia's overwhelming advantage in troops, knightmares, pilot skill, and technology is too much for the beleaguered South American forces to handle. It certainly does not help Theseus that Britannia has at least five super elite pilots while his own forces do not have anything resembling an elite plot.
It is painfully obvious that the Republic of South America's days are numbered. Everything that they have been building for almost a decade falls apart in less than a week. Theseus' most loyal assistants hope that he can recover from the situation to either salvage what he can or to flee.
Lelouch is observing the situation in South America with slight amusement. Not even the most optimistic projections have South America falling so quickly. He certainly does not expect Salacia Ravenguard to act independently, and for her to be captured by Kallen. He certainly does not expect Theseus to act so impulsively in the face of superior Britannian forces. Lelouch expects to bargain territory with Theseus. Lelouch notices Salacia's displeasure in the situation.
"Is something wrong, Lady Ravenguard?"
"I did not expect Theseus to act so foolishly," Salacia answers.
"Neither did I," Lelouch comments, "The Knights of the Round announced their presence. I even sent Kallen's knightmare down there. He certainly knew who he was facing before his foolish stand in Sucre. Do you think things would be different if you had stayed down there?"
"Perhaps, I certainly would have advised against facing Britannian forces directly."
"Would Theseus have listened to your advice? Were you not stationed in Brasilia because you consistently opposed Theseus and his advisors? Despite the fact that the two of you had a daughter."
Salacia does not response to Lelouch's comment.
Gino and Anya enter the room. They quietly walk over to Lelouch who is holding Salacia's youngest daughter, Esmeralda. Lelouch holds the child above his head.
"Look Gino, who am I?"
Anya nudges Lelouch with her leg.
"I anoint this child future ass kicking knightmare pilot despite the wussy genes she received from my half brother. Of course she does have some of my old man's genes so that may count for something" Lelouch sets Esmeralda down. He picks up her older sister. "This one will take Gino's place as my best friend in the whole world."
Anya kicks Lelouch in the leg.
"Fine then let's get down to business," Lelouch says clearing his throat, "Finish it quickly."
With that Gino and Anya leave, and Lelouch continues playing with Salacia's daughters. Salacia is quite confused.
"Is that all you are going to tell them?"
"Pretty much."
"Shouldn't you give them specific directions about what troops to use and where to attack?"
"I did that. I ordered them to finish it quickly. I didn't ask them to bring me Theseus or to bring me his head on a platter. It will work out because Gino and Anya are as dumb as I am."
Salacia scratches her head in confusion.
"Don't you mean as smart as you are?"
Lelouch laughs, "Don't be silly. Gino and Anya could live a dozen lifetimes and never be as smart as I am. Come on little ones," Lelouch says to Salacia's daughters. "We have a parade to plan. I will probably have to get Milly involved in this. I wonder if we have any white horses in the royal stables."
Salacia stare as Lelouch walks away with her daughters.
"I wouldn't follow them if I were you," Lloyd comments, "Empress Milly is crazy when it comes to planning things like parades."
"The Emperor has my daughters," Salacia replies.
"He will send them back eventually when he realizes they aren't his," Lloyd remarks, "Eh probably; he does have the habit of keeping children that aren't his."
"That does not sound very comforting," Salacia states.
"I will get them for you if you promise to run some simulations for me."
"Get them for me at this moment, and I will allow you to conduct your tests."
Lloyd walks away and returns with Salacia's daughter a few minutes later.
"How did you get him to give them up so quickly?" Salacia asks.
"I promised to build him a Death Star."
"What the hell is that?"
"A giant Moon sized space station," Lloyd replies, "In case you are wondering, the blonde one and pink haired one know him better than anyone but the red head." Lloyd visibly shudders when he mentions Kallen. "Finish it quickly is all the direction they need."
Salacia ponders Lloyd's words.
"Now let's begin those tests," Lloyd says towering over Salacia.
"Get out of my way!" Kallen screams as her radiation wave fries another unfortunate and foolish knightmare.
Kallen is quickly moving her troops southeast from Sucre. She has two goals, Buenos Aires and Montevideo. Regardless of previous assignment, she takes half the troops and gives the other half to Marika and Liliana. Sanderson and Goodley are staying behind to work with local administrators to bring South America back into the Britannian fold. Jeremiah is slowly moving along the Atlantic coast while Villetta and her staff is Brasilia.
Soon Kallen will establish a site to rest for the night, but she wants to make a statement by pushing the enemy into Argentina. The common soldiers may not recognize the knightmares of Britannia's elite pilots, but the officers certainly recognize who they are up against. Many of the officers previously serve in Britannia for many years.
"Your highness, we have been receiving urgent messages from Quito and Britannia City originating in Neo-Pendragon," Kallen's assistant states. "They are for your eyes only."
"What did the message say?" Kallen asks knowing that her assistant would have read the message.
"The Knights of One and Two are on their way."
Kallen smiles, "It appears that my husband is quite serious about this matter." Kallen thinks about the situation for a few moments. "We will set camp here. Have the troops divide up into several reconnaissance units. We will keep pressuring the enemy."
"I will take care of it, Your Highness."
Kallen prepares for her own night. Obviously she will be able to fight through the night with little rest. The Karasu Tengu that she uses during the first few days of the operation is unused in case she needs it. She will use that first and then she will switch to the Guinevere Avalon.
Jeremiah Gottwald is fighting his way into Guanabara Bay. Until now he faces very little resistance. He assumes that Theseus or one of his assistants decides that they need more time in Buenos Aires to prepare for an evacuation. Jeremiah could always ignore the area and deal with it later, however Lelouch wants complete subjugation before personally comes down. Sayoko and her team are moving along both sides of the bay. Their aim is to silence the defenses so that Jeremiah's troops can land. By morning the garrison will be defeated and Jeremiah can move onto the next part of the coast.
Karine does not like what is happening in South America. While she expects to eclipse Theseus as the dominant power in their alliance, she does not expect him to lose this much territory this quickly. When the Britannian attacks begin on Tuesday, she offers assistance that Theseus rejects. As the attack increase she again offers help which is also rejected. She sends the troops anyway. Hopefully they will arrive in time to salvage the situation. If not Karine orders them to return with anything of value that they may be able to take.
Monday, April 19, 2027
Lloyd remembers why he makes a promise long ago to not drink heavily. It has been many years since engages in some late night drinking and finds himself sleeping in the lab. It is a good thing that all his possible candidates for his tests are elsewhere, and his assistants are taking a long weekend. Lloyd is also glad that he replaced certain body parts with cybernetic replacements.
"Lloyd, did you stay up all night working in the lab?" Lelouch asks.
Lloyd quickly sits up and realizes that he is naked. He looks down is glad that one particular part has no cybernetic replacement although some are working on it.
"Is there a reason why you are naked?" Lelouch questions. Suddenly he snaps his fingers. "I get it. Being naked must help you concentrate on your work," Lelouch scrunches his nose, "although that does not explain why you stink like whiskey."
Salacia Ravenguard wakes up with a massive headache. She remembers very little of what happens last night. She remembers running some tests with Lloyd and drinking a few toasts. Everything after that is a blank. She wonders where her clothes are, and why she feels sore.
"I like her. She is petite but packs a punch. She reminds me of Nunnally," Lelouch states looking down at Salacia. "Lloyd, I did not know that you liked them this much younger than you. I know several widows in their late twenties who would not mind getting it on with an older man." Lelouch hands some clothes to Salacia. "It never hurts to be prepared," Lelouch says with a huge grin. "I hope you wore protection. For the sake of the world I really hope you wore protection. Of course it could have been worse. Lloyd and Milly could have had unprotected sex. Now that would produce some insane children."
Lelouch leaves Lloyd and Salacia alone.
"My lab assistants have the day off," Lloyd comments.
"Maybe you should give them the week off."
"Sounds good to me."
Author's note: James is the First Prince, but Gabriel is the heir and therefore Crown Prince. They are being trained for their respective future occupations. Charlotte is being trained to replace her mother as Viceroy of Area 1 and possibly restore the position of Prime Minister. Kagome is being trained as a combination of Jeremiah and Sayoko, and as James' apprentice similar to Lelouch and Anya's relationship.
Lelouch's reputation as a knightmare pilot and commander causes many potential knightmare pilots in former Britannian territories to join the Britannian military. Lelouch is still very popular among the native population in certain parts of Africa. Of course he is extremely unpopular in the Middle East, North Africa and Europe.
There are different types of cyborgs in this story. The most basic kind are metallic or cybernetic body parts. These are sort of like automail in Full Metal Alchemist. Rivalz and Naoto's old cybernetic body are examples of this. The second kind are cybernetic implants inside the body replacing organs and bones. Aphrodite Venitus and Lilicia Gottwald are examples of this. The third kind involves major replacements to body parts and organs. The replacement parts can vary. Jeremiah and Naoto are examples of this. The specimens are more advanced versions of this. The entire body has been replaced only the brain and certain parts of the nervous system are retained. The final result will be cyborgs like seen in Ghost in a Shell.