Note: This has spoilers for Code Geass: Akito the Exiled. (I assume you've seen it by now, but...)
Nunnally of the Insurrection
Chapter 39
"We should attack the Britannians now!"
Gene Smilas calmly faced his superiors in the European Union as they met not long after the Chinese sued for peace. He pointed out,, "Each Area has a strong garrison force, despite the horrific losses against China."
The EU was also trying to assess EXACTLY how bad the losses the Britannians had suffered. Hard numbers of their Knightmare Frames was a military secret. All they had were eye witness accounts indicating that the losses were extremely heavy.
"But this may be our only chance!"
Gene shook his head, "It will at best be months before they can fill the losses they've suffered. We have time to plan."
"What about the Chinese? What are THEY doing?"
"Pulling back and re-trenching along the border," Gene reported, "they have almost as much rebuilding to do as the Britannians."
"The Eunuchs always resisted any talk of an alliance," another noted, "Is there a possibility...?"
"That's a diplomatic matter," Gene noted mildly, "I'm just a General."
Which they all knew was a half truth... while Gene was their leading General, he also provided guidence in politics too. But bringing that up in a meeting was unwise. Plus, he didn't want his opinion on THAT on record.
"So what DO you suggest?" a man asked grumpily.
Gene checked items off on his fingers, "Research improving our Knightmare Frames. Recruit refugees as pilots. And make contact with Area 11's Black Knights."
"You think the Black Knights are THAT important?"
"They have rose up as a power even under the Britannians," Gene noted, "and they seem to have enough power to survive."
The meeting came to a close soon enough, and Gene sat in his office tiredly.
"What a bunch of idiots," Gene sighed as he poured himself a drink.
His superiors were unaware that Gene had, quietly, been looking into betraying them to Britannia. He had looked at their military power and had coldly decided they couldn't win. But now, after seeing how Britannia and the Chinese had smashed each other to bits, he wondered if THAT was actually such a good idea,
"So," Gene took a drink, "what now?"
0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0
"Someone set this up."
Everyone at the meeting jerked as Schneizel declared that flatly.
"Seriously, brother?" Odysseus asked, the other man FINALLY having made it home from the madness in China.
Kanon Maldini, Schniezel's aide, brought up a image of the Chinese border. "An unknown party gradually manipulated seemingly routine troop movements to convince the Chinese we were planning war," he noted.
"Can you PROVE this though?" Guenevere du Britannia asked thoughtfully.
"No," Schneizel admitted ruefully. "At least not enought that I feel I could take it to Father."
"I'm surprised, I don't think I've ever seen you admit defeat, brother," Carine ne Britannia noted impishly.
Schneizel gave his bratty little sister a LOOK but conceded, "Whomever buried the orders in the system was very good, and mixed them in with thousands of seemingly harmless commands."
"So it's untracable," Odysseus frowned.
"Not necessarily," Cornelia li Britannia noted via secured video link from Area 11, "but it'll be difficult. Can you put the mainframes at Home to work on it?"
"Somewhat," Kanon Maldini admitted as he said, "even for a prince, we can't override all of the existing jobs."
"Hmph," Carine scowled at someone not instantly giving them what they wanted.
(Euphemia, also attending via video, rolled her eyes at her sister's petulant attitude, but didn't SAY anything.)
"So why did you brief all US on this?" Guenevere asked her older brother, frowning at Schneizel thoughtfully.
"Someone out there is targeting us," Schneizel answered calmly, "all of you have different areas of skills, and I may need them."
There was a general murmur of agreement...
0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0
Alice Dewit piloted the Knightmare Frame simulator, ripping through her opponents easily. She was just THAT good. Flanking her, her fellow irregulars Dalque, Lucretia, Sancia and Alessandra fought their opponents.
"Alessandra, you're out of position," Alice barked, seeing her lagging a bit.
"Got it," Alessandra replied, catching up.
"Shit, sniper!" Lucretia yelped as high velocity slugs disabled her.
"Scatter!" Alice ordered.
"I'm hit! Arrgh, they got me!" Dalque yelled.
"Don't ham it up," Alice noted, ducking for cover.
Alas, the others weren't as quick and were swifly taken out. Alice, the last survivor, attempted to charge where she estimated where the sniper was based, but was shot too.
SIMULATION OVER
"A sniper is SO unfair," Alessandra complained, the attractive older woman climbing out of the simulation cockpit.
"That SUCKED!" Dalque also complained.
"Was that another pilot we were fighting, or the AI?" Alice wondered as she stretched. "It FELT like a pilot, I think..."
"It was a pilot," the amused voice noted.
The girls saw Princess Cornelia emerging from the last trainer, and Alice barked, "Attention!"
"At ease," Cornelia waved that off, "we're just pilots here. Relax."
"How did you get the drop on us?" Lucretia asked curiously.
"I circled the battlefield while my forces distracted you," Cornelia said. She added, "I was using a simulated Lancelot unit, so I admittedly had a edge."
"Cheat," Alessandra growled.
Cornelia just shrugged, "You'll need to be ready to fight those units, too. I expect the design to leak, and not that long either."
"You think Camelot would...?" Dalque asked, referring to the lab developing the mech.
"I think they're secure," Cornelia shrugged, "but there's already talk of producing Lancelot based units back Home. The tech WILL leak eventually."
"Huh, point," Alice agreed.
"Do you think WE'LL get Lancelots?" Lucretia asked eagerly.
"Ha. Keep dreaming," Cornelia chuckled.
0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0
Shirley Fenette had had ENOUGH of screwing around, damn it.
"Eh?" Suzaku Kururugi blinked in surprise as she strode up to him in the packed hallway of Ashford Academy.
"Suzaku! Are you dating anyone?" she demanded.
Suzaku looked even more confused, "What?"
"ARE. YOU. DATING. ANYONE," Shirley poked him in the chest.
"No, no I'm not," Suzaku replied. "I'm sure no one's interested."
(In this, Suzaku was clearly a dense Shonen Hero. After he piloted the Lancelot to save the Viceroy and stop the Chinese invasion, there were Britannian girls who would have not only dated him, they would have had his BABIES. Anyway...)
"Yes, there is," Shirley said
"Huh?" Suzaku blinked.
"Will you go out on a date with me?" Shirley asked him.
"EHHHH?!" the crowd of girls and boys in the hallway reacted.
"So bold!" a cute girl said admiringly.
"Damn, another hottie off the market," a boy muttered.
"Like, a friend date?" Suzaku wondered.
"A DATE date," Shirley said firmly. "Possibly even with kissing and MAYBE getting to second base," she added.
"EVEN BOLDER!" several girls squealed.
Suzaku looked even more bewildered, but nodded, "All right then."
'YES!' Shirley cheered mentally.
To be Continued...
Notes: Guenevere du Britannia and Carine ne Britanniadon't DO much in canon. Might try to figure out something more to do with 'em.
