The next few weeks would be crucial to the success of his long term plans.

Luckily, he had recently gained some capable soldiers in the form of their gallant European volunteers, which should make the next step much easier.

He would've gone ahead with this plan regardless of whether or not the EU had sent him any support. But it was hard to deny that they would be a tremendous help in his war against Britannia.

Even if they seemed to be having trouble understanding who the one really in charge was…

They'd been able to fit in well enough, of course. There hadn't been any actual fights between the volunteers and the Black Knights, which was rather surprising given the continued presence of Tamaki, but Lelouch supposed that he should not look a gift horse in the mouth.

But the issue was that they seemed to not acknowledge Zero as their true superior.

Oh, to be sure, they certainly respected Zero and had no problem following his orders, but only because Commander Malcal did; she was their true commander. If she died, then that position would fall to her second in command, Hyuga, and that man would be even less cooperative than Commander Malcal.

If any orders he had given conflicted with the orders given to them by Malcal, then they would disregard his orders and follow her's.

He had expected all of this of course, it only made sense that soldiers from the EU would be more loyal to their European superiors rather than the masked rebel Zero.

But it would be a problem going forward to be sure. Such divided loyalties could not be tolerated within his Black Knights. His Black Knights were to be completely and totally loyal to Zero.

Zero was a symbol, a symbol of justice and of the fight against the oppression of Britannia and all those who had power, and when Area 11 was finally liberated, Lelouch fully intended for Zero to be the de-facto leader of the new Japan that would be created in the ashes of the old Japan.

It was because of that plan that Lelouch could not accept having any complications within his Black Knights. he considered having formidable European soldiers within his Black Knights who feel no loyalty to Zero to be a major complication.

Lelouch knew that he would have to do something about this.

He'd considered many possible solutions to this little problem of his, but ultimately he had come to the conclusion that the best possible solution was also the most mundane possible solution to the problem.

The solution he had ultimately settled on was to slowly but surely subvert the loyalty of the W0.

With the exception of Commander Malcal, the W0 was made up of terrorists, many of them were even Japanese, many of them obviously didn't feel a particularly strong loyalty to the EU, so it should be more than plausible to begin swaying them toward his side.

It was C.C. who interrupted his line of thought. "Things in Area 11 are really starting to heat up now, aren't they?"

Lelouch chuckled at that. "Indeed they are, and it's all due to the efforts of Zero."

C.C. looked at the chessboard that Lelouch had been using to visualize the overall strategic and political situation in Area 11. "The Black Knights are more powerful than ever and Britannia is on the back foot."

Lelouch nodded at that. "Yes, with the victory at Narita and the destruction of the JLF at Port Yokosuka, the Black Knights are now the undisputed and sole power in the Japanese resistance, all other resistance groups have either been destroyed, been absorbed into the Black Knights, or are now subservient to the Black Knights."

It was Important to keep some minor resistance groups around for the purpose of handling tasks that were too mundane for the Black Knights to handle themselves, and it also had the effect of making it seem as though the Black Knights were smaller than they really were by having these smaller cells remain independent from the Black Knights proper. This helped a great deal with how the denizens of the ghettos viewed the Black Knights

It was crucial that the Black Knights maintain a positive reputation with the Japanese living in the Ghettos of Area 11; whether or not they were Honorary Britannians was ultimately irrelevant in the end, for Lelouch would need them in order to establish Japan as a proper nation again once the Liberation of Area 11 was complete.

It had not even been a decade since the invasion, and as such an entire generation of skilled workers could still be found amongst the Eleven population, Lelouch would need these workers to help establish a proper economy once Japan was liberated.

C.C. laughed at that. "Wasn't it you who was responsible for the destruction of the JLF in the first place?"

Lelouch only rolled his eyes in response to that remark from the immortal. "And why would that matter? What makes the JLF so different then any of the other resistance groups the Black Knights have crushed?"

C.C. gave him a knowing look. "Perhaps the fact that the Black Knights would string you up if they learned the truth of your involvement in the matter." C.C. then gave him a thoughtful look. "Still, what's done is done, what do you plan to do with your newfound power, Zero?"

Lelouch smiled at that. "The people expect Zero to do something noteworthy with his newfound power, and he most certainly will. But for now, I think it is best to start off small, by handling minor issues plaguing the Japanese population we will be able to both increase the Black Knights' standing with the people as well as be able to test out the W0 in relatively low risk operations."

C.C. nodded at that. "I suppose that makes sense."


Leila's stay in Area 11 had been mostly peaceful thus far, all things considered.

The Black Knights had been more than accommodating of her and her unit, and she had greatly enjoyed their company, far more than Zero's company, which was to be expected.

Although Zero didn't actually spend much time with his loyal soldiers, which had greatly surprised her.

With the way the Black Knights spoke of their leader, Leila had expected Zero to be something of a father to his men. The kind of leader who ate in the mess hall with his men, and who was always available as a shoulder to lean on during their own personal tribulations.

Zero was not like that at all; if anything, he was distant with his men. He only really interacted with his lieutenants and the only time he ever interacted with the rank-and-file members of the Black Knights was when he needed to scold them for some mishap or another.

This was of course acceptable conduct for a General in the European military, to be expected even, but not for a resistance leader with such a cult-like following.

Leila had no idea why the Black Knights were even willing to follow his orders, much less obey him with such reverence.

Aside from Zero, her impression of the notable members of the Black Knights was so far very good. For such devoted followers of Zero, she found them to be very good company.

Ohgi Kaname, Zero's de-facto second-in-command, was a rather sensible and level headed man. He was rather kind and genuine, having a presence about him that made people around him feel relaxed.

There didn't seem to be an evil bone in his body.

Apparently, he had been the leader of the original terrorist cell that would one day become the Black Knights, but it seemed that he did not begrudge Zero usurping his position.

Overall, Leila's initial impression of Kaname Ohgi was that he was a capable second-in-command for Zero.

Kozuki Kallen, the ace of the Black Knights and the pilot of the Guren, was a rather courageous and outspoken girl and Leila had liked her immediately. The two of them had bonded over being two girls of the same age. Kallen had also taken a liking to Ayano.

Despite her Britannian appearance, Kallen was actually half-Japanese, apparently, she was the daughter of a Britannian noble, which had been yet another thing for the two of them to bond over, even if they had very different relationships with their fathers.

Kallen was also a very skilled Knightmare pilot, which had roused the interest of Akito. The two of them were apparently looking forward to seeing how the other performed in the next operation they would be involved in.

Tamaki Shinichiro was certainly a character, that was for sure. At least he… had his heart in the right place? She thought?

He was certainly a loudmouth, and had talked a big game about how the efforts of her squadron would not matter in the long term when the Black Knights had Tamaki.

Nobody believed him of course, but aside from that Tamaki was enjoyable enough company, Ryo certainly seemed to like him.

C.C. was an odd woman, she was rather mysterious and no one seemed to know her real name, Leila was pretty sure that not even Zero knew her real name, despite how close the two of them were reported to be.

According to the Black Knights that she had spoken to about the mysterious green-haired woman, she was apparently Zero's mistress.

That would make sense given the amount of time they tended to spend together, alone, but Leila did have to wonder how any woman could tolerate Zero enough to actually be in a romantic relationship with him.

She was obviously a close confidant of Zero, and was probably his most trusted advisor. If Leila had to guess, if any of the Black Knights were aware of Zero's identity, then it would definitely be C.C.

Leila had tried to get a read on C.C. by talking with the woman, but aside from learning that the woman apparently spoke French fluently, when she switched to the language in order to mock her covertly, Leila had not learned anything of any worth about the woman.

Leila had quickly learned that she was an insufferable bitch, but that wasn't particularly helpful to her endeavors of gathering information about Zero.

While it was not exactly a priority, discovering Zero's identity would definitely be a boon to the E.U. It would be good if they could investigate Zero's background and ascertain if Zero was truly genuine in his rebellion.

Not to mention that it would make for good leverage over Zero if he should take any actions against the interests of the E.U…

Regardless, so far Leila had found the Black Knights to be good company, and she was certainly looking forward to working with them, Zero notwithstanding.

For now, Leila and her squadron had been living with the Black Knights at their primary safehouse and helping them out around the safehouse.

They were waiting for when they would inevitably be called to action by Zero when an operation would come up.

Leila knew that her squadron was waiting eagerly for the opportunity to prove their worth to the Black Knights, who so far were not treating them with the respect that they felt they were owed.

Not to mention that her squadron had no love for Britannia, and would certainly take great enjoyment in putting Britannian knights in the ground.

Leila for her own part was more subdued about it, but she too was looking forward to showing her worth in their first operation with the Black Knights.

Aside from all that, Leila also knew that the Japanese members of her squadron had been greatly enjoying the experience of being in Japan and being able to immerse themselves in daily Japanese life, even if it meant being sequestered in the Ghettos of Area 11.

It was Akito who pulled her away from her thoughts. "Lieutenant Colonel."

Leila turned to regard her second. "Yes, Major Hyuga?"

Akito continued to look at her with that impassive look of his, as he was wont to do. "We just got word from Zero, we're being called in to attack some outpost on the outskirts of the Tokyo Settlement, I came here to relay this to you."

Leila raised an eyebrow at him. "Really? And why didn't Zero tell me himself?"

Akito only shrugged his shoulders at that. "Hell if I know, he was probably just too lazy to come and find you himself."

Truth be told, it wasn't really that surprising that Zero would communicate with her through third parties, as far as she could tell, her dislike of him was very much mutual.

Leila hummed thoughtfully at the information she had been given. "So, Zero's calling us in to attack some minor Britannian military installation? Do you have any idea as to the strategic reasoning behind the mission, Major Hyuga?"

Aktio sighed at that. "It's not really part of my job to discuss that with the higher ups, Lieutenant Colonel Malcal."

Leila could only roll her eyes at that. "Well, what do you think Zero's reasoning is for this mission?"

Akito crossed his arms. "I don't know."

Leila crossed her arms in return. "I'm asking for your opinion, Major Hyuga."

Akito rolled his eyes. "I'm not from Japan, I don't know the strategic situation here that well. If I had to guess, this is a PR stunt. Maybe the soldiers manning that outpost are abusing the local Japanese in some way and Zero is hoping to buy some good will with the people."

Leila nodded at that. "That would make sense, is there any other reason why Zero would choose this as our first mission in Area 11."

Akito looked at her blankly. "This is a relatively low risk mission. There should be a low amount of Knightmares at this outpost, and all of them will be Sutherlands. Zero is likely hoping to test us out on a mission that will not be life or death."

Leila could only nod at his words again. "That would also make sense, especially given what we know of Zero, though I am somewhat surprised that he is being so cautious. From what we know of his major battles, Zero is one for taking risks."

Akito continued to look at her impassively. "I can't claim to know how Zero thinks, Lieutenant Colonel Malcal."

Leila sighed at that. "No, I suppose you can't." Leila looked back up at him. "How are Friedrich, Zora, and Liam settling in?"

Akito simply continued to look at her impassively. "They are settling in fine Lieutenant Colonel, as well as can be expected."

Leila nodded. "That's good to here."

The three of them were the non-Japanese members of W0.

Friedrich was a former Bavarian separatist, Zora was a former rebel from Serbia, and Liam was a former Irish terrorist.

The two of them were then interrupted by Ohgi. "Hey, Malcal, we're beginning the operation."

Leila turned to regard Ohgi with a smile. "Thank you, Ohgi, we'll go and get ready."

After saying goodbye to Ohgi, she and Akito left the safehouse and rendezvoused with the rest of W0 by the trucks, that had their Alexanders loaded into them, which would ferry them to the target.

It was Ayano who greeted them, waving at them happily with a smile on her face. "Leila! Akito! Hurry up! We don't want to be late for our first operation in Area 11!"

Leila laughed at that. "Don't worry, Ayano. We're here now!"

Akito only grunted in response and quickly boarded the truck that contained his Alexander.

Leila for her own part boarded the other truck, which contained her Alexander.

She quickly went to the bathroom within the truck and changed into her pilot suit, before coming out and boarding her Alexander.

Before long, the trucks began driving and they headed towards their objective.

It took about 30 minutes for the trucks to reach their destination.

Zero's metallic voice blared out from their comms. "Black Knights, today we begin our military operation against the Britannian outpost Ricardo station! Crush the garrison! Leave none alive!"

The Black Knights, along with her unit, responded back as one. "Affirmative!"

The trucks came to a stop, and their backdoors opened up, allowing the Knightmares to spring forth.

With Akito in the lead and Leila in the back in her commander model Alexander, W0 advanced on the outpost.

The first Britannians to greet them were some poor saps standing guard by the gate to the outpost, they were mere infantrymen, not even Knightmare pilots.

They didn't stand a chance.

Even though they posed no threat to her and her squadron, they showed the soldiers no mercy, as Ayano quickly gunned them down with her 30mm linear assault rifle, causing the two men to explode into two clouds of red mist.

Ayano did not stop there, however, as she quickly aimed her rifle at the gate and blasted it off its hinges without stopping.

She and her squadron then quickly advanced into the outpost, where they were greeted by a squad of Sutherlands.

Akito's voice blared out of the comms. "They shouldn't pose a threat."

He had a point there, Alexanders could reliably take on Gloucesters.

Leila activated her own comms. "That may be so, but let's not get too cocky, Major Hyuga."

Akito's response was immediate. "Understood."

She and her squadron engaged the squad of Sutherlands, and Leila found herself facing down one of them.

Leila made short work of them by blasting off the arm of the Sutherland that was holding the auto canon and then blasting off the landspinners, leaving the pilot and their machine helpless.

Normally, Leila would have spared them, but Zero had made it clear that they were not taking prisoners on this operation, so Leila quickly finished them off by blasting the cockpit.

Looking away from the corpse she had just made, Leila could see that her unit had finished off the rest of the squad, which cleared the way for the Black Knights' infantry to rush into the facility so that they could take the interior.

Akito's voice rang out from the comms. "That seems to be the last of the Britanian forces on the exterior of the facility, Lieutenant Colonel Malcal."

Leila nodded, even though Akito wouldn't be able to see it. "Seems like it, we'll handle any reinforcements that may arrive while the infantry clears out the interior."

"Affirmative, Lieutenant Colonel Malcal."

Next it was Zero's voice that rang out from the comms. "Good work, Wyvern squadron, you have more than met my expectations of you."