Chapter Seven: Ganymede

Arc Two: Beneath the Red Table

Opening: "Cyclone" - 12012

The muscular system is responsible for the movement of the human body. Attached to the bones of the skeletal system are about 700 named muscles that make up roughly half of a person's body weight. Each of these muscles is a discrete organ constructed of skeletal muscle tissue, blood vessels, tendons, and nerves. Muscle tissue is also found inside of the heart, digestive organs, and blood vessels. The main function of the muscular system is movement. Muscles are the only tissue in the body that has the ability to contract and therefore move the other parts of the body.

Lelouch Vi Britannia, somewhere in the back of his head, knew this, as well as a myriad of other things. Unfortunately, all he really knew, at least in the short term, was that they all hurt. A lot. Excruciating pain massaged his thighs and constricted his waist, forcing him to take shallow, bated breaths as his sweaty brow grazed the trimmed Ashford grass, his arms begging for mercy as they held his slender body from collapsing onto the inviting green bed.

Unfortunately, he was allowed no such solace, as a deep rich voice called down from above "What the hell do you call that Lelouch?

He puffed out the air caught in his lungs, before giving way, allowing his chest to crash onto the freshly cut lawn. "I'm not cut out for this Suzaku, it's biological."

"Then we better work harder to fix that."

Lelouch sighed as he sat up, trying to ignore his aching muscles, pain stretching along the lengths of his limbs. While he had been quite proud of himself getting out of boring classes through Milly, he had not considered the implications of being left alone for extended periods of time with the hypermotivated Suzaku, who had taken it upon himself to create an exercise regimen for the out of shape Lelouch, involving extensive muscle building and runs. He had asked Milly to allow him to return to class, but she was far too busy enjoying sharing pictures of Lelouch exhausted and dripping in sweat. A conflict of interest at its finest as far as Lelouch could tell.

"Come on, another set."

"Please have mercy…"

"I could do ten of what you just did, another set."

"That is because you are not human."

Suzaku merely raised a hefty eyebrow, before chuckling as Lelouch subjected himself to further misery and pain, attempting to do an eleventh push up. He barely seemed to notice Ohgi looking on from the front entrance to their accommodation with a sympathetic smile, before the man moved along back inside to survey their investments.

It had been a little over a month since they had roped in Milly and Reuben, and in spite of Lelouch's constant abuse at the hands of his friends, things had gone swimmingly. A holding company, with the perhaps uninspired name of LL&S International, had been set up, as well as the Ashford KMF Research Association. While the latter was still being worked on, the former had been very busy, as Lelouch and Suzaku had spent their down time using their gains from selling the Kururugi estate to hoard Sakuradite. The War in Africa between the Britannians and the European-backed African Union was finally winding down as the last African strongholds in Tobruk were eliminated by Princess Cornelia Li Britannia, and the War in Europe, while inevitable, was still a long way off as the Britannian military took the time to reorganise itself and properly annex and administer their new territories. This gap in military spending had minorly depressed Sakuradite prices due to a dip in demand, and so the timing was ideal for LL&S to buy significant amounts at relatively discounted prices.

The plan, for the time being, was to hold onto their supplies until the conflict started up again, before selling it at a fixed price, a little above current market value. While the Britannians would pay a premium to obtain the Sakuradite, they would go to them because Lelouch and Suzaku would promise they would not change their prices relative to the market value. Given that the purchasing spree brought about by a new war in Europe would likely increase the price of Sakuradite, the Britannians would see it as a win-win, as their Sakuradite would be both cheap and reliable. At that point, Lelouch, Suzaku and Ohgi would intentionally destabilise the market and be able to multiply their wealth to the point that they could begin to fund a proper Japanese Bureaucracy and Currency and would then be able to effectively break away, with a now economically fragile Britannia left unable to respond after having a major Sakuradite supplier pull out and spread uncertainty.

Of course, Sakuradite bonds could only be issued by the government to those deemed trustworthy by the Britannian state, but one of the few things Clovis had given them before he'd died was his royal stock code, which allowed them to purchase the material at will. These were basically waivers, telling those looking to look the other way by Royal command. It was handy, but anyone who looked deeper at who had issued it would get suspicious. So far, there had been no issues.

By this point, the grunt work of working out the finer details of the plans with Ohgi's exhaustive notes had been done, though the significant work of distributing resources and expanding operations was still a ways away from them. As a result, all their spare time had increased, with their efforts largely centered around helping with Reubens Knightmare Frame plans get off the ground. Results had been initially mixed, however with time and lots of coffee they had winnowed out a concept that would serve as their Trojan Horse in deceiving the Britannians into an unwise investment.

Things apart from that had slowed down. Lelouch had not lost any weight, or gained any muscle, which Suzaku attributed to a lack of effort. Ohgi had become good friends with Sayako, as it turned out they were ideologically similar, both Japanese and lived near each other for some time, as well as with Nunnally to a lesser extent. He had a fatherly instinct about him, probably from his time as a teacher, enough that Lelouch had stopped looking exasperated whenever they talked.

Meanwhile, as Lelouch finally crumpled somewhere between the eleventh and twelfth push up, Suzaku was giving him a fierce look that preluded what was coming.

"Okay, now let's get running."

Before Lelouch could mutter "Damn freak.", or some more explicit variation of that sentiment, he was saved by the arrival of their balding Principal, who was in considerably better health than he had been a mere month ago due to a newfound enthusiasm, his walk complemented with little jumps and a grin as he approached the pair.

Given that Lelouch could barely breathe, Suzaku waved and called over with "Good news?"

Reuben nodded as he approached, pausing to allow the teens leaving class to pass by without becoming privy to what they were discussing. Several who knew Lelouch and Suzaku nodded as they passed, as Rivalz asked "You up for going back out for chess on Saturday? There's a-"

"NO HE IS NOT!"

"Thank you Suzaku. We'll see Rivalz, I'm a busy man."

The blue haired teens head fell to the side, as he replied "Yeah, you are. I never see you anymore. You're leaving me out to dry man!"

After nodding him away, the rebellious teens turned back to Reuben, and the Britannian asked "So what's happened?"

"Well, our new platform had a rough start as you will remember, but that was never our biggest issue. Earl Lloyd Asplund has been developing his monstrosity, Lancelot I think he calls it, for ages, and was eyeing the same contract we were. I was terrified he was going to get it."

Lelouch was aware of the first issue, having helped with the plans, but not the second. Their platform, the GN 1-02, was nothing but a sheet of graph paper and CAD, but the formal military contract for a replacement to the Sutherland didn't require a built model to their absurd fortune, but not having a model working would be a serious mark against them. Their platform was much smaller and lighter than a Sutherland, and on the advice of Ohgi, much easier to maneuver in, with simple controls and a foolproof interior. Even the forward armament consisted of a pair of 30mm autocannons mounted in the arm, which took strain off the Sakuradite generator and allowed for yet further reduction to weight.

"Go on."

"So as it turns out, no other manufacturers bid because no one wanted to waste money running against Asplund, so it was just us two there. After a while, it turned out their pilot couldn't get the Lancelot running, and they were immediately disqualified, leaving only us."

Both Lelouch and Suzaku's mouths were agape. The noise of the environment around them was the only response that could be mustered for some time for the shock of this news. The Japanese teen recovered and responded first, replying with a simple, automatic "What?"

Reuben nodded. "Turns out it was so complicated, their top pilot, the Margrave Jeremiah Gottwalf, couldn't get it going, let alone fly it. They were rejected on the spot, and we got the contract."

After a moment allowed for the anticlimax to sink in, the pair bellowed out in laughter, with even Lelouch belting out roars of amusement.

"He couldn't…" began Suzaku amid chuckles "even start it?"

Reuben, with a grin of his own, nodded enthusiastically. "Couldn't get the engine running. It was an amazing feat of engineering, but it had possibly the worst ergonomics I've ever seen."

"Oh that's just made my day." Lelouch finally spluttered once he was done laughing, eventually remembering "Oh, and we got the contract, excellent."

Reuben nodded. "We've been designated factories in Hokkaido to get to work in immediately."

Lelouch nodded, and thought. At least he now knew what Jeremiah was doing during the funeral; he guessed the Margrave was paid handsomely for his services as a test driver, though apparently not well enough, and now LL&S has a customer. They were responsible for the distribution of pay of their employees, so long as production itself stayed within budget. It could be he thought, of considerable advantage to hire Japanese workers and treat them well. This would mean the name "Ashford" would do well in Japanese circles, which would be extremely handy later when they led the charge. Hokkaido wasn't ideal, being so far from Tokyo, but it certainly was better than nothing. It was pragmatic to be as kind as possible, as the objective of winning back Japan could only be won on the terms of, and with the consent of its native citizens. Hence, it was in Lelouch's interests to foster as healthy an image of himself and his team as he could. After sitting back, allowing his muscles to ease, he asked "Will the Knightmares be a percentile contribution, or do we have a deadline?"

"The latter." Reuben replied. "We need 120 in 3 months."

"Excellent. All the tasks at hand have been cleared. This is the beginning of The Long War on our front."

Suzaku concluded the chat with a curt nod, before turning his head to Lelouch, who in turn looked towards Reuben as he was reminded of the torture that Suzaku had been inflicting on him over the last few days, and whose fault it was.

"Please let me back into class."

Reuben took an aside glance at Suzaku before working it out, and laughing. "Has he been working you ragged?"

Lelouch gave a nod, before an indignant Suzaku doubled down with "Well what was I supposed to do?"

Lelouch decided not to grace that ridiculous question with a reply, as Reuben shrugged. "We're running a damn rebellion against the state, you can do whatever the hell you want. You can go to class, but you won't be counted out. There's bigger things to worry about."

Suzaku tutted ironically, sardonically adding "How responsible."

Lelouch didn't mind how irresponsible it was, he could get onboard for anything that got him out of Suzaku's sadistic PE, and so after a short wait for classes to resume he found himself back in what once was a thoroughly boring classroom, examining the heads around him as the teacher at the front lectured. While he was wholly uninterested in the teachers opinions on history he'd already learned from his many years in Pendragon, his curiosity was piqued when the topic moved to Britannia and the world today. He, naturally enough, had his own opinions on this topic, but was curious to see how others viewed it. It was a social experiment, in his mind; how open was the general population to change? He'd never thought to wonder, as before he had swung between isolationist vanguardism and apathy, and neither of these ideologies had much concern for the opinions of the general population. He had gone to class to learn for perhaps the first time in his life.

The results were depressing, with responses that justified Britannia's aggressive expansion as well as going on to claim Japanese people had it better under Britannian rule. This was extremely frustrating, however he supposed it was only natural that they would repeat what they were taught. Lelouch spent the rest of the class in introspection over this, which made a welcome break from the lesson itself. He knew it was only natural, but he also knew it would be hard to break. Would these people end up being his enemies? He could barely imagine it; if only for the reason they were so dull he could barely envision them holding opinions strong enough to act. It was a tragedy, as far as Lelouch was concerned, for there was little he hated more than ignorance or apathy.

Still, just about better than boot camp with Drill Sergeant Kururugi.

Once the class was finished, Lelouch, considerably drained, moved out of the stuffy room and into the hall, where friends and colleagues passed him by in their own bubbles. As he reflected further, he noticed a girl with bright red hair, combed down with her school uniform, standing beside him, holding a bag out as he looked down at it lamely.

"You left this behind."

She held a collection of books and sheets into the light, which Lelouch realised with widening eyes was his abbreviated collection of stock notes from Ohgi. He couldn't believe he'd left them behind, as he mind turned red with self directed fury and rage. It was a sloppy, stupid mistake!

But another thought reached him. How much had she seen?

"Thank you." he quickly said. "You're dead right, I'm such a fool. I'll be taking that."

As soon as he spoke, it was like a gun had been fired. Her eyes flew open, and she seemed to hang on every word, before she seemed to catch herself and visibly withdraw. It was a bizarre display, that drew Lelouch's once disparate attention solely on the girl, as he took another look at her with a greater degree of care.

She was three inches shorter than him at five foot seven, and had the appearance of a sheltered aristocrat. He had in fact seen her before, and recalled Milly mentioning something about her being ill. However, while her slender frame and current meek expression matched this impression, several other things did not.

While her body was slim, her constitution was rich, with a clean, bright face and healthy muscles. This did not exclude ill health, but within this context it would raise eyebrows. Then there was her reaction and far more crucially, how well she moved to cover it that may have escaped the notice of one less adept than Lelouch. This required further explanation.

"It's fine, I just saw you leave it" she finally. "My name's Kallen Stadtfeld, its... very nice to meet you."

"Lelouch Lamperouge."

He spoke curtly, unsure of exactly what was happening, and so not wanting to rock the boat too greatly. She nodded as he took back the package, and asked "Where are you heading next?"

"Back to my room after I grab lunch."

"Mind if I come along?"

Lelouch's eyes narrowed to slits, his mouth pursed briefly before he shrugged. "Why not?"

Of course, his own mind was nowhere near as nonchalant, for as he observed this Kallen, he noted out of the corner of his eye, she was also examining him, her eyes scrutinising his. At this point, she had either read the docket, or he was really in trouble of a kind he couldn't imagine. At this point, he had to work out what she knew, or if she was just innocent, which unfortunately meant spending more time with her. After a few minutes of silence, during which they each got a meal, they sat alone as Lelouch began the conversation.

"Haven't seen you around much."

"I've been ill."

"I see."

Indeed, he did, as she fell back to the illness excuse. She seemed to retreat into herself to complete the effect, but again it seemed like an act, an imitation of someone trying to appear introverted despite being otherwise. He tried not to show he was thinking as she inquired further, asking "So what was in the bag?"

This was an interesting question with regards to its implications. Had the roles been reversed, and he had seen what was in the bag, he'd have pressed the attack, naming it and asking directly about why she had it. But then again, not everyone was him, and perhaps she was trying to catch him lying, and wait to be able to present a more conclusive case before revealing her hand. It seemed like something Suzaku would do, provided she had seen it at all.

Still, he had to think of something, so he deflected. "A book."

"Oh? A novel, orr...?"

"Mm hm, the Count of Monte Cristo, by Alexandre Dumas."

It was a quick grab off the top of his head, but it worked as she relaxed. He had in fact read the book multiple times, liking Edmond for the parallels to Lelouch himself as well as what he eventually did, something Lelouch had long aspired towards. Kallen feigned a nod, recognising the book "I see. It's been awhile since I've read it. I really identified with the protagonist."

"Did you? As a matter of fact so did I."

"Funny that. I read it years ago, but a friend of mine pointed out something about heroes recently that put it in a whole new light."

Lelouch leaned back, curious. "What was that?"

"Heroes need a goal, a focusing point that they go towards. Edmond is that to a T, and I'll be honest and say it was an eye opener for myself."

Lelouch, again distracted from his initial goal, was deeply engrossed in the discussion. He was a dark, eying the gleaming silver of intellectual curiosity, responding "He is one of the forebearers of that idea, that Protagonists are the active force. It is a sad trope that Villains should be the driving force that a Protagonist should react to like a pinball."

"A Protagonist does not equal a Hero."

Lelouch smiled, and took a moment to think. This Kallen was on the ball. He had almost forgotten why he had engaged in this conversation, and pursued this line of thinking further.

"Very true, very true, but Heroes should be defined by intent, not role. Proactiveness may be a villainous trait, but virtuous causes could do with some more villainous folk in the Heroic role, both in fiction and in real life."

"Does that include Zero?"

Lelouch paused again, gathering his thoughts as he ravelled his fingers round in rings, a force of habit. "Yes and no. Whoever they are, they are taking the initiative against Britannia, which is portrayed as villainous, but Britannia has given plenty of reason for rebellion. As to morals, it depends on your partisanship."

"And his methods?"

Lelouch didn't pause this time, instead deliberating with "From a Britannian perspective, he is a villain whether he is proactive or reactive, and likewise with his methods. I'm far more concerned with whether he will be successful."

"How heroic." Kallen retorted.

"I don't have to be, I'm not Zero."

She chuckled at him, before replying "Do you not have ideals of your own you want to be… how did you put it… proactive about?"

"I do."

Lelouch was quiet but firm in this affirmation, probably too much so. After a moment, there was a lull in the conversation, before a hand tapped on Lelouch's shoulder from behind, and as the prince turned he saw his Japanese colleague standing above him looking skeptical at the idea of him interacting with another human being.

"Afternoon Suzaku."

"I see you've found a friend."

Lelouch chuckled as he leaned over his shoulder, before responding in a tongue-in-cheek fashion "As a matter of fact I have. Suzaku, meet Kallen Stadtfeld."

After a brief pause for the exchange of formalities, Kallen's eyes suddenly widened again before she spoke, asking "Are you Suzaku Kururugi?"

"Yes."

Suzaku wasn't a fan of being recognized, Lelouch knew, as it was usually followed by negative things, and he tried to indicate this with his gruff reply, but instead Kallen nodded respectfully and, after a moments awkward silence, said "Your father... was a hero."

There was a sombre tone to her words, as she nodded and turned away without waiting for a reply, her movements rigid and conclusive, leaving Lelouch and Suzaku to look uncertainly at each other, before themselves walking slowly back through the Ashford paths to their apartment, to musings and full, closed bags, ready to resume their work.

And the plans are set. Again, I tried to balance Suzaku's development last chapter with some highlighting of Lelouch's here. I tried to make the exposition at the beginning as readable as possible. I thank you all for reading, and I hope you continue with me in Chapter 8 of For Hearts And Minds, Chekhov's Radio. For now, stay safe, remember to pick up all your stuff before leaving the room, and please rate and review!

~Eth0