A/N: I had hoped for a little more feedback for the last chapter especially on that space battle, but thanks to the reviewer Reader I am going to look up the recommended site and try to see about improving my future space battles when I get to them in the coming chapters.
With that said I want to thank those who reviewed and favorite the story as I appreciate the feedback a lot.
This chapter deals with the aftermath of Lelouch's actions in the last chapter while also learns some concerning facts while needing to plan his next moves because what happens next is going to change the game.
Without delay on with the chapter.
Special Thanks to Greatkingrat88 for fixing and overall improving the chapter.
Chapter 9
Reckoning
The following day the amassed pirate fleet was coursing through space, travelling at warp speed, headed for the coordinates for the Black Knights' base of operations. After spending hours interrogating their prisoner to acquire this information, Kidd's brutal methods had prevailed. Although the prisoner died as a result of the interrogation, he had lasted just enough to provide the location of where the Black Knights were based. Captain Kidd was grinning evilly from the bridge of his ship. He was sure to get the drop on Zero and his one ship. He would surround the would-be hero of the Rim and torpedo him into nothingness, and collect a vast reward along with the favour of Arcadius himself. Aside from his flagship and the two Alliance Cruisers that made up his own personal fleet, the rest of the assembled fleet consisted of two dozen pirate destroyers, eighteen pirate warthogs and at least fourteen pirate carriers filled to capacity with eight Ryders each. This was essentially like taking a sledgehammer to crack a nut, but Kidd couldn't say he minded.
The Black Knights won't know what hit them, and with my army we'll wipe them out.I'll be rich. Forget the scraps I collected so far. This is the score of a lifetime! Kidd thought triumphantly as he closed in on the asteroid field where the Black Knights had established themselves. Their base was supposed to be inside of an abandoned mine inside an ore-rich asteroid, and Kidd knew just which one.
The space the pirate fleet had arrived at was known as the Luarica Asteroid Belt, near Ryuvia Prime. During the Holy Ryuvian Empire's era, the asteroid belt had been mined for precious and rare gemstones and metals found in the asteroids, but centuries of mining from both the Holy Ryuvian Empire and then the New Empire had finally exhausted the asteroids leaving, hundreds of mined and hallowed out asteroids. It had become a sought-after haven for pirates and other criminal elements during the war between the New Empire and the Solar Alliance following their abandonment, as they made for perfect remote hiding places. Perfect for smugglers… and perfect for pirate hunters looking to avoid detection. Had Kidd not squeezed it out of the captive, he might never have found them.
Meanwhile, as the ship was moving towards the asteroid belt, Icari had just finished putting on a tactical combat uniform. Her other objectives aboard Kidd's ship were completed, and it was time to leave. All of the Party Favors she had brought had been delivered, and their timers had been set. After hiding the body of the man she attacked to steal his uniform, Icari began making her way to the hangar of the vessel. Now all she had to do was to escape the vessel before the impending confrontation between Captain Kidd's Fleet and the Black Knights began. Causally entering the hangar, Icari spotted a trio of small recon ships.
I guess it's no big surprise. We're in an asteroid field, so Kidd is likely sending these out to recon for the fleet, she thought.
It was the perfect means for her to escape, but that meant she needed to change outfits.
Locating the door leading to the changing room for pilots, Icari quietly entered before cautiously searching the room for the pilots, and to ensure she was alone. Putting the assault rifle she had been carrying down by a locker, Icari pulled a long wire attached to two black handles from her combat vest. Thankfully there was only one pilot in the locker room, lagging behind the other two as they were leaving, and Icari knew she had to act fast.
Here we go, Icari thought, before pouncing upon the unfortunate pilot. He had his back turned to her, and never suspected anything was wrong before her wire slid around his throat, and her knee pushed against the back of his neck. He struggled briefly before losing consciousness, and soon after, his life. Once the pilot was dead, Icari swiftly stripped him of his pilot suit and helmet, before dumping the body in a laundry cart along with the tactical combat uniform she had been using as a disguise moments ago. After making sure everything was in proper order and donning the helmet, Icari exited the hangar before boarding one of the remaining recon ships. Given the clearance to go ahead, Icari followed after the other two before departing to begin exploring the asteroid belt. Icari took position at the rear of the formation, and as the reconnaissance vessels began to split up, she veered off and changed her trajectory, away from the Queen Anne's Revenge. Icari activated a special transponder, heading to the coordinates it fed her.
Alright. The ship with my Phoenix should be around here somewhere.
Icari flew around using the asteroids as cover until she happened upon Lelouch's ship, the Excalibur. It was lurking near the edge of the asteroid belt, a safe distance away from Kidd's fleet.
Thanks to the transponder she had been carrying, the ship knew she was friendly and allowed her to dock inside its hangar. Waiting for her was Zero, Jeremiah standing next to him.
"Welcome back, Miss Isidolde," Lelouch said.
"Do you have my Ryder?" Icari asked removing her helmet and letting her black hair fall free.
"It been prepared for you, and your flight suit is inside our changing room as you requested," Jeremiah answered poilitely.
Icari smiled before running off to change into her yellow and black Ryder flight suit.
"Jeremiah, you will have command from the Exacilbur," Lelouch ordered.
"And you, your majesty?" Jeremiah asked knowing the answer.
"A king must lead," Lelouch replied. "But first, let's invite them in."
"Captain, we just detected a ship on the edge of the asteroid belt. It's heading towards one of the larger asteroids in the area," a rugged crewmember shouted, bringing up on the primary monitor an image of Zero's ship heading into the asteroid.
"Follow it, but keep a safe distance. We don't want to tip them off that we are here yet," Kidd ordered. He would launch a surprise attack, fully surrounding and destroying his prey with no chance of escape. His superior numbers would overwhelm them before they have a chance to fight back, hopefully allowing them to capture their ship as intact as possible for his sponsors.
"Order the recon ships to follow it as well. Have them converge on its location."
"Aye, sir," a communications officer replied from his station.
The fleet approached the asteroid at a distance, tracking the enemy vessel every step of the way. They were well inside the asteroid field now, and many of the rocks orbiting the nearest celestial body were absolutely gargantuan, large enough that even Kidd's flagship seemed small next to it. The asteroid they were heading for was enormous, its mouth able to encompass all of Kidd's ships with ease. Still, it would be foolish to send in all ships at once.
"This is captain Kidd," said Kidd firmly, "Toothbreaker, Ceran Vengeance, and Starstrider, head into the asteroid, and ready your Ryders for deployment. I want that ship disabled but not destroyed, is that understood? The rest of the formation will surround the asteroid. There will be no escape."
There was a chorus of assent as the three ships obeyed. They were all of them warthog class ships, all of them disposable, and Kidd knew that if not for his fearsome reputation and the hefty reward he offered, he would have had to bully and threaten them before they agreed.
Slowly and with great care, the three ships entered the asteroid, taking care to keep an eye on their quarry. Although they lost visual of the vessel through all of the debris and asteroids floating around, they were able to track its projected course as it was heading for one of the larger asteroids that had been used as one of the primary bases for refining and shipping off all collected ore and gems found.
Not a bad choice for a base. The asteroids provide camouflage, and that asteroid has everything including a hangar for vessels and even Ryders, Kidd thought as something of an off-hand compliment to his quarry.
"Begin deploying our Ryders and have them hold onto our ships so we can quickly launch them against the Black Knights before they have a chance to counterattack."
"Aye, sir!" An officer replied before passing along his orders to the other ships in his sizeable pirate fleet.
The carriers began launching their Ryders. Many of them took to standing on the hulls of the warthogs and destroyers that could house a Ryder, while the rest traveled alongside the fleet as they moved through the asteroid, heading straight for the base they tracked Zero's ship to be hiding within. It was dark in there, not even the light of the stars shining in, but that suited Kidd just fine. The dark had never been his enemy. As the base came into view on his ship's scanners, he felt a sense of triumph. Facilities with active power generators. Maintenance bays. Launching pads. Enemy craft at rest in their hangars. Though very plain and unassuming, there was no mistaking it; this was a base of operations.
Once they were in range, six of the pirate destroyers quickly surrounded the base, followed by five Warthogs joining them in their surrounding the supposed headquarters of the Black Knights, which interestingly enough showed no signs of attempted resistance. The Ryders that had accompanied the Warthogs swarmed into the base, but to their shock, there was nothing inside the station.
"Captain, no signs of the Black Knight ship has been detected," One of the pirate Ryders reported.
"That can't be right. We tracked it here!" Kidd shouted over the open communication channel.
"Hold on sir, we found something," Another pirate Ryder pilot reported, before stepping around a large stack of empty shipping crates used by long-range transport ships. He saw the wiring, the binking of red, and realized too late what it was.
"Bombs!" The pilot cried out in alarm, "They rigged the place with nukes-"
From the bridge of his ship, Kidd watched the asteroid split open like an egg cracked by a knife's edge. There was an intense shower of debris surging out from it, and an intense white glow. Kidd made a fist, but for a moment he felt triumphant. If the Black Knights had taken their lives in desperation, that would mean his task here was done. No prisoners and no ship to salvage, but he could probably get a good deal out of this regardless.
"Captain, look!"
It was his helmsman, pale-face, pointing out the window of the bridge. Right there, thousands of miles away, another soundless explosion ruptured near his left flank, swallowing several ships whole and fracturing several others. The second explosion was followed by a third, a fourth, a fifth… all around him, the asteroid field had become a deadly minefield. On every side, his pirate fleet was being eviscerated. Great ships were ripped apart, hundreds of tons worth of metal and wiring ripped open and drifting apart. Thousands of his men had died in an instant. Kidd gaped.
From the bridge of the Excalibur, Lelouch smiled triumphantly. It had been a simple matter to leave behind a decoy mimicking the heat signature of their ship, while his vessel went into quiet mode. The traces had led Kidd's pirates right where he had wanted them to. Locking his fingers together, he leaned forward, resting his chin on his hands. Carefully, he studied the star chart in front of him. Kidd's fleet had deployed around the abandoned mining asteroid, unaware of the trap Lelouch was about to spring. Several hundreds of miles away, hidden under the cover of carefully selected asteroids, were the Avalon, the Dominion and the Oberon, the first ships built for his fleet. They were all marvels to rival his own Excalibur, a new class of ships with more than enough firepower to devastate the riff-raff pirate ships.
"Zero speaking," he said calmly, "report in."
"Dominion, standing by."
"Avalon, standing by."
"Oberon, standing by."
"Black Knights!" Lelouch cried, "the pirates have come for us in great number, foolishly thinking they were in for a slaughter. They believed themselves the hunters, but they will soon find themselves the hunted. Today, we repay them for every cruelty they have inflicted upon the Rim. Today, we bring them to justice. On my mark, be ready to open fire!"
"Yes, sir!" all three captains cried out in unison.
"Helmsman" said Lelouch, "are we in position to fire?"
"The Excalibur just came into position with its broadside facing the pirate fleet, sir."
"Gunnery officer," said Lelouch, turning his eye to the specialist, "get me a firing solution."
"Already done, mister Zero sir," she said, saluting sharply, "all weapons online and ready to fire, sir!"
"Very well then," said Lelouch, taking a deep breath. He was trembling with that familiar sensation that had been with him every since that fateful day in Shinjuku, that mixture of fear, excitement and anticipation, the knowledge that your life was on the line and that a single wrong move could cost him his life along with everyone underneath him. It was exhilarating.
"OPEN FIRE!" he commanded, and as his voice rang across the bridge, it was done. Moments later, all four ships let out blazing streaks of death toward the pirate fleet. Hundreds of plasma torpedoes launched, all headed for a target. Laser batteries powered up and in great, powerful beams they streaked toward their target. Hadron cannons and VARIS guns let out their lethal payload. It took a while for the projectiles to travel the distance, but when they did, over a dozen of ships popped like gas-filled balloons, painting bright red and yellow lights across the dark starscape.
"One more volley," Lelouch ordered, beholding the destruction with satisfaction, "then I want all units to start up their engines and begin the courses set for this battle. We need to be mobile. If Kidd recovers, we will be sitting ducks for return fire."
"Aye, sir!" said the helmsman.
Lelouch smiled to himself as he saw the second volley streak out. Kidd had brought fifty-nine ships against him, an unprecedented number of pirate ships. It was quite possibly the largest fleet the Rim had ever seen. But they had mistaken numbers for strength, and if there was one thing Lelouch knew, it was that numbers were just numbers if you didn't know how to use them.
No sooner had the explosions subsided than the first volley of fire had hit. In an instant, over a dozen warthogs and smaller craft had been vaporized. The bridge of the Queen Anne's Revenge was blaring red, the primary power source having failed after a shower of debris from the first asteroid had struck it. Kidd was holding on to his chair tightly, watching the carnage before him. His expression darkened, and he stared hatefully back toward where the barrage had come from.
"Status report!" he snarled, "Adjutant, give me a god damn status report!"
"S-sir," the adjutant stuttered, taking a breath to compose himself, "the Toothbreaker, Ceran Vengeance, and Starstrider are lost, along with Jawbuster, Outrider, Starcracker, Jackdaw, Silver Eye, Khagan-"
"Spare me the names," spat Kidd, "how many ships are lost?"
"We're still working that out, sir," said the adjutant nervously, "but at least twenty-four ships have been destroyed, and at least twenty more are crippled. There's… also been some desertions. Six ships from the back of the formation have turned tail and run."
"Cowards!" Kidd shouted, slamming his fist into the arm handle of his chair. He took a deep breath, and run a hand over his face. Calm down. Right now, he needed to keep his head cool, or he would lose what he had left.
"I want a fix on where those guns are coming from!" he cried loudly, as the main power source finally came back online, "and I want firing solutions for return fire. Activate our anti-torpedo defense measures. I want dummies for those damn missiles to hit before they get here."
"But sir," said the adjutant, "we can't see properly. There's debris everywhere. The asteroids, when they exploded…"
Kidd cursed. Of course. The Black Knights had planned this out well. Wrecked ships and broken rock blocked the view of most everything.
"Incoming!" an officer cried, "Sir, they're firing a second barrage!"
"Ivory Web and Golden Hawk, activate anti-torpedo measures!" Kidd cried, "And fall back from the asteroid field and regroup. We're sitting ducks out here, and if we stay, they'll fuck us in the ass. They are not many, no more than five ships at most. We still have the advantage!"
"Report," said Lelouch.
"Fewer vessels destroyed this time, sir," said the gunnery officer, "Kidd's three cruisers deployed dummies that absorbed most of our torpedo fire, and through the wreckage and debris it's harder to find accurate firing lines."
"Kidd's formation is pulling back, sir," said Jeremiah, "they're in full retreat."
"Defensive patterns," Lelouch noted, "with his three cruisers at the center, and his remaining ironhogs taking the flanks. He isn't running, he's repositioning. It seems captain Kidd is a decent tactician after all. I half expected him to send the rest of what he had right at us in a mad charge. It's what most pirates would have done."
"Orders, sir?" said Jeremiah, "We could pursue. With their backs to us…"
"No," said Lelouch, shaking his head, "we'd be right in the firing lane of the entire fleet, and I cannot afford to lose a single vessel. They probably still haven't tracked us properly. Helmsman", said Lelouch, turning to the officer, "bring us about ninety degrees to our left. Avalon, follow our lead. Dominion and Oberon, follow the same pattern to the right. Once we exit the asteroid field, ready our ryders. We will take the fight to them and catch them in the crossfire."
At Lelouch's command, the four ships split up, both navigating through the asteroid field, spreading wide while avoiding detection from the main pirate fleet. The hunt would come to a close, and soon.
It had taken them over two hours to clear the asteroid fields at full battle-readiness, and Kidd was on edge. His two alliance cruisers were, thankfully, more or less functional. The Ivory Web had suffered an engine failure and was running at 75% speed and the Golden Hawk had drained its shields, but they were, along with Queen Anne's Revenge, fully ready to do battle. This was a grim situation, though. The fifty-nine ships that Kidd had brought had been reduced to a paltry handful. Besides his three cruisers, all that was left was one carrier, two ironhogs, and four destroyers.
But the situation was under control. They had had time to calculate the number of volleys fired, and the data analysts assured him it was four ships, approximated to be destroyer class. Kidd had had them assume a defensive formation, two of the destroyers sent out to scan the nearby area. At the first sign of trouble, they were to return.
This… was really something. That damned spy! He had let himself be drawn into a trap based on bad intel, a deliberate plant. But… he had interrogated him thoroughly, and no man Kidd had dealt with had ever been less than honest with him after he was done. He had walked right into an ambush. There should have been one ship, not four. He had half a mind to turn back and return with reinforcements, but that would mean admitting defeat. The pirates might start to lose faith in his abilities. The tenuous alliance he had built hung by a thread, and it was full of big-headed morons, each one convinced they could do a better job than him. No. With ten ships, he still had superior firepower. Without ambushes, four destroyers couldn't possibly hope to defeat them.
"Captain, the Ironstrider reports movements. Enemy destroyers, emerging on our left flank!" cried one of the communications officers. A second added, not a moment later,
"Movement to our right! Two destroyer class ships!"
"Order them both back at once!" Kidd snapped.
"Sir… it's too late," said his adjutant, pale-faced. Kidd clenched his fists as the image feed came into view on the holo display of the Queen Anne's bridge. Both destroyers had already begun a hard turn, moving toward the main formation at full speed, but they were too late. Before his eyes, the two destroyers were torn apart in a hail of hadron and laser fire. The one on the left went up in a bright red explosion, their engines igniting as the ship fell. The one on the right simply went quiet, all lights gone as it begun to drift to the side, dead in the water. Great big chunks had been torn out, and in the distance Kidd could see small fragments, barely perceptible, coming from the ship's bridge. Its crew was being thrown out into the cold vacuum of space.
"Turn to port, at once!" Kidd roared, "All ships, maximum speed forward. Engage those two ships immediately. Ivory Web and Golden Hawk, target the leftward ship and cripple it. I will handle the other ship myself. Astral Glider, Wasted Binge, cover our rear!"
There was a chorus of 'aye-aye, sir' as his orders were followed. A bead of sweat formed on Kidd's forehead. As tight a spot as this was, the opportunity for victory had just opened.
"Interesting strategy," said Jeremiah from the bridge of the Excalibur, watching the pirate formation head away from them and toward the Dominion and Oberon.
"He is exposing his back to us. Is he getting desperate?"
Under his mask, Lelouch smiled.
"Not at all, Jeremiah. Look."
As he spoke, the two ironhogs turned around, levelling their guns on the Excalibur and Avalon.
"He's sacrificing what few pawns he has left in order to create an opening. If he destroys two ships, we would be severely outgunned, and the day would still be his."
"I assume you accounted for that possibility, sir."
"Accounted for?" Lelouch said amusedly, "I counted on it."
"It's a trap?"
"We're about to show them the superiority of the Excalibur design. They may be alliance cruisers, but their outdated technology will be no match for ours." Lelouch flipped a switch, transmitting to all frequencies.
"Dominion and Oberon, full speed forward. Circle around and toward us. Keep firing, but do not under any circumstances sacrifice engine power. Use evasive maneuvers if necessary. Once they get close, deploy all your ryders and engage in close quarters combat. Keep them busy, while we close the distance!"
"Yes, sir!" the two captains cried.
"Avalon, deal with the ironhogs. Helmsman, set course for the Ivory Web. Its shield readings are low, and I will take full advantage of it. Gunnery deck, get me firing solutions and report to me when we are in range to fire!"
Lelouch too shed a bead of sweat, his heart thumping with excitement. This was the first major battle he had ever taken part of steering anything like a navy. It was so unlike knightmare combat- and yet, in so many ways the same.
"Taking heavy fire!" Bellowed the helmsman of the Oberon. The ship had sustained heavy artillery so far, and its shields were draining fast. The two alliance cruisers had targeted it relentlessly, and even their evasive maneuvers only lasted so long. They had veered left hard, but they were still a long way apart from the Excalibur and Avalon. If this kept up, they would be ripped apart under the relentless barrages from the cruisers.
"Distance to ships?" asked captain Kenway, a seasoned veteran and a former Ceran commander. He remained eerily calm, despite the immediate danger.
"Five thousand meters and closing, sir."
Kenway nodded approvingly.
"That's close distance. Adjutant, Are all ryders battle ready?"
"As you have ordered, captain," said the adjutant.
"Then deploy all ryders, and prepare to engage."
The battle raged outside. The Avalon was finishing off the ironhogs, and was already moving to engage the sole remaining carrier. The Oberon and Dominion were being hard pressed as the Excalibur sped closer to their target. Lelouch felt some pride. The ships he had built, and their crews, were not giving in. Kidd's mad dash to break through in a hurry had not succeeded in time to escape his two remaining ships, and now they were closing the snare around the mightiest pirate fleet the Rim had ever seen. As the Excalibur made another pass Lelouch removed his mask, settling down inside the cockpit of his own Ryder. It was outwardly identical to the Knight standard units the Black Knights used, but designed to be a command unit with some slight improvements in performance over the standard Knight Unit.
Lelouch's ryder, in particular, had a new tactical analysis system created by Lloyd to replace the Druid System, an AI pilot support system. It also had a combat-ready experimental VARIS rifle with a built-in Hadron Blaster.
"This is the bridge. You are go for launch," a bridge operator communicated through the radio.
"Roger. I have control," Lelouch replied, gripping the control sticks of his Ryder. Alongside him several other ryders were primed for launch. They were throwing everything they had at Kidd's fleet, surrounding the pirate cruisers with their now superior numbers. One decisive strike, one strong offensive, and the pirates would be done.
"Ready for drop in three," called the bridge operator, "Two. One, DROP!"
Lelouch felt a rush of adrenaline as he was ejected into the cold void of space along the rest of his formation from the rear of the Excalibur. The ship, unlike most Ryder carriers of its class, was capable of launching Ryders from the rear of the ship while the vessel was traveling at combat speeds. Through a combination of a linear launch system and the ship's own momentum, this allowed for rapid deployment of the ryders in the ship's wake. Lelouch's flight suit made handling the G-forces of such a launch relatively easy to endure.
Behind Lelouch came Icari in her Phoenix, and an Attia ryder.
"Mr. Clark, status report?" Lelouch began, opening a comms channel as he came clear of the Excalibur.
The Ryders from the Avalon, consisting of three Knight Units and an Attia, joined his formation.
"We're hard pressed, sir, but we're just about managing. We've lost a few ryders, but we're keeping them busy."
It was true enough. The Queen Anne's Revenge and Golden Hawk were both taking as heavy damage as the ships they were targeting, and Ivory Web was making rapid evasive maneuvers as Excalibur chased after it.
"Give the Ryders from the Dominion and the Oberon a hand with crowd control," Lelouch ordered. "They're doing a good job holding off the enemy Ryders, but they will be overwhelmed soon."
"Understood, sir. I'll thin out their ranks," Domingo replied.
The Cherubim had moved from the asteroid field, using the wreckage of the ships that had been destroyed to move closer to Kidd's Fleet for a better sniper vantage point. Thanks to being launched before the battle truly started, it had given Domingo plenty of opportunities to move around the battlefield unseen, picking off enemy Ryders with a well-placed sniper shot. The wreckage of ships littering the battlefield combined with the Cherubim's ECM and stealth capabilities made it virtually impossible to find in the chaos of the battlefield. Unfortunately for the enemy, the VARIS type sniper rifle could inflict severe damage to enemy ships by targeting the right spot for maximum damage.
Domingo took aim again, destroying a Pirate fighter intending to launch missiles at the Oberon. The shot pierced the fighter's cockpit, killing him instantly. Domingo pulled the trigger again, this time sniping a Pirate Ryder attempting to attack a Black Knight Ryder from behind.
"Ok," said Domingo, quite pleased, "let's shoot something bigger."
Lining up a shot, Domingo took aim at a destroyer. Aiming for one of the racks of rockets on the side of the pirate ship, Domingo released another shot. Striking just before they could be launched, the rockets exploded, setting off a chain reaction that destroyed the pirate vessel. Domingo watched with satisfaction as it erupted into a fireball.
Around the same time, Lelouch had just sent a Pirate Bomber and its pilot to meet their maker. He had shot one in the chest with his Commander's Type VARIS rifle, before backing away from another Pirate Ryder trying to rush him.
Icari intervened, cleaving the enemy Ryder in half across the waist using the katana built into the Phoenix's right arm.
"That was quick," Lelouch mused.
Quick was an understatement. Icari had customized her Ryder for speed, and ss such, it had shed as much armor as possible, even replacing the standard fusion reactor with a battery. The Phoenix was akin to a yellow blur moving across the battlefield, cutting down Pirate Ryders in passing and speeding away before the other enemy Ryders can retaliate, leaving them open to attacks from the Black Knights.
Icari was grinning ear to ear before she cut down a Pirate Bomber.
"Incoming," a Black Knight Ryder pilot called out.
Lelouch turned and saw a swarm of missiles coming, but he swiftly responded by shooting them down with his unit's shoulder-mounted machine cannons. The missiles weren't aiming for him, but rather they were heading for the Avalon. Regardless Lelouch and other Black Knight Ryders who detected the missiles joined Lelouch in shooting them down.
"Nearby units, take out that Destroyer," Lelouch ordered.
An Attia responded, peppering the Destroyer with missiles before shredding its engines with a Hadron Cannon shot. Giving commands and directions along the way, Lelouch joined a group of Knight Units in surrounding and mopping up a group of Pirate Ryders who had become confused and panicked thanks to Domingo picking off members of their group. In the corner of his eye, Lelouch noticed a trio of Pirate Ryders attempting to aid their comrades. Although odd among pirates, Lelouch reasoned they likely realized they were severely outmatched. Drawing his VARIS rifle, Lelouch fired at the approaching group blowing off the head of one, before shooting another in the chest.
The last one rushed Lelouch in a mad charge, but Lelouch blocked the Pirate's attack with his machine's Blaze Luminous shield before unleashing his Ryder's machine cannons upon the Pirate Ryder, shredding the upper half of its body apart.
Lelouch kicked it away from him before the mortally damaged Ryder exploded.
Glancing at the holographic tactical displays surrounding him, Lelouch saw that from a tactical standpoint, the battle was slowly progressing into their favor. Kidd's fleet had lost its numerical advantage, and only the three cruisers remained as effective threats.
"Captains, report," Lelouch commanded, "I want a status update."
"Captain Kenway, responding," said the veteran, "The Oberon is paralyzed. We've sustained heavy damage, and we are just barely maintaining basic structural integrity. All primary power sources are offline, along with our weapons systems. We are drifting dead in the water, commander."
The matter-of-factly way he stated the dire nature of his situation impressed Lelouch. In contrast to his calm voice came the impetuous, energetic captain of the Avalon, Isadora Sergeyevna.
"Finishing off the last carrier, commander. Will be moving to assist as soon as possible."
"We don't have that kind of time."
The sharp, pointed voice belonged to captain Cisneros of the Dominion.
"My vessel is maintaining primary weapons and power systems, but we are taking heavy fire. We need support now, or both our ships will be destroyed."
"Then support they will have."
It was Jeremiah who had spoken up from the bridge of the Excalibur.
"Breaking pursuit of the Ivory Web, moving to assist. Thankfully, its speed and maneuvering means it will not be able to draw a bead on us for some time. Captain Cisneros, are you able to target the Golden Hawk?"
"Yes, captain Gottwald," Cisneros replied, "are we finally doing something about the scum trying to kill us?"
"On my mark, unleash all you have on it. Deplete your ammunition if you have to."
"Won't be a problem," Cisneros replied, "we're all but dry anyway. Calculating firing solutions, and awaiting your mark."
"Jeremiah," said Lelouch across a private communications channel, "tell me you know what you're doing."
"We're almost in position," Jeremiah reassured him, "I expected the Ivory to flee, and made sure to line up a broadside on the other ships in case we had to break pursuit. All weapons online and ready to unleash hell, your majesty."
Lelouch smiled to himself. Despite his relative inexperience piloting void craft, Jeremiah showed considerable aptitude.
"They are lining up torpedoes," said Kenway calmly, "estimating they will fire within the minute."
From the bridge of the Excalibur, Jeremiah followed the firing solutions carefully. It was intense, this battle, and this would be a close thing… but he knew he was on time.
"Mark!" he roared. A moment later, the Dominion fired everything it had at the pirate cruiser. Its shields held strong, but the continuous hits it had taken had weakened them. More than a few torpedoes found their mark, rending deep gouges into the elegant spacecraft. The Hawk returned fire, nearly crippling the Dominion in return. Both craft sailed through space, drifting closer and closer to each other. Joined as it was by Kidd's own ship in its punishing volleys, it was clear neither the Dominion or Oberon had much time left.
"Gunnery deck?" said Jeremiah.
"All weapons system ready, sir!" said the officer sharply.
"Open fire!" Jeremiah commanded, "All weapons. Target the rear, the engines if possible!"
At his command, a volley of torpedo fire, of hadron and laser and VARIS weaponry, of missile batteries and rail guns all spoke at once in a devastating salvo. They were close now, no more than a few kilometers away. It was almost impossible to miss. The devastating barrage hit home.
Kidd watched with shock as the Golden Hawk went up in flame. A massive broadside had struck its engines, and he recognized a chain reaction when he saw it. One explosion after another riddled the ship until it glowed bright, evaporating in space like a supernova. They had been so close. The Black Knights ships had been all but finished for all their tricks, but now…
"Where's the damn Ivory?" he snarled at his adjutant.
"Heading away. Correcting course, but…"
Running out of answers, Kidd opened a channel.
"Gaskin, you bastard, tell me you're on your way to relieve us!" he snarled.
"Y-yes, commander," the pirate captain stuttered, "but it will take a while to correct course. We're drifting away from the battle-"
"How long?" Kidd roared.
"Ten minutes."
The words slammed into Kidd like a death sentence. Ten minutes would be more than enough for the two remaining ships to train their guns on him and wear him down. He had been maintaining combat speed while they chewed through the fodder, hoping the time the useless chaff he brought would be enough. It wasn't.
"Engine deck!" he cried, opening another channel, "How are we on energy?"
"Engines functioning at eighty-seven percent, captain," the chief engineer replied.
Kidd nodded with relief.
"Full speed forward!" He ordered, "Helmsman, set course away from this godforsaken place!"
It was like bitter gall in his mouth to give the order to retreat, but there was no choice. He had his pride, but it was not worth dying for.
"Y-yes, captain," the helmsman said weakly.
"He's running away!"
It was captain Cisneros who noticed first.
"Full power forward!" she commanded firmly, "All remaining guns, full fire! Do not let the pirate scum escape!"
"Belay that order," Lelouch said calmly.
"Commander?" Cisneros said, outraged, "My ship is still functional. Let me-"
"The Dominion is heavily damaged and nearly out of ammunition," Lelouch said firmly, "hold position and assist the Oberon. We'll deal with Kidd. He won't escape. Trust me…"
Chuckling to himself, Lelouch opened a comms line to Icari.
"Party favours, if you don't mind," he said.
"Roger that,"came Icari's voice.
Kidd's grip on his command throne was tight enough to make his knuckles whiten. They were making full speed, and the two good ships weren't quite in position to fire. With just a few minutes, he could get enough of a head start to get away, and if he could get back to pirate space-
Everything went black. Then, a moment later the bridge was bathed in red light, as the emergency power came back on.
"What the hell happened?" Kidd snarled at his adjutant.
"We're trying to find out, captain," the beleaguered adjutant said, "Oh. Oh dear."
"What?" Kidd spat.
"Captain… it is…" the man said, as if dreading to speak the words.
"TELL ME!" Kidd roared, "Tell me right now, or I'll shoot your balls off!"
"Sir…" the adjutant said, swallowing, "the engine room is reporting a complete failure. We've completely lost power. We're drifting, sir, with no control."
"WHAT?!" Kidd shouted, "THEN GET IT BACK ONLINE! TELL THOSE ASSHOLES IN ENGINEERING TO GET IT ONLINE, OR I'LL EJECT THEM INTO SPACE!"
"Y-yes, sir," said the adjutant weakly.
Kidd sunk back into his throne. It was over. Even under optimal circumstances, it would take hours to restore power after a complete failure.
Triumphant, Lelouch grinned under his mask. He was back at the command bridge, the ryders having finished their runs. Assisted by the Avalon, he was closing on Kidd's ship. Icari's explosives had made for the perfect ace in the hole.
"Sir," came the voice of Captain Sergeyevna, "the Ivory Web is escaping. Do we give chase?"
"Is it heading toward either the Oberon or the Dominion?"
"Negative, sir," said Jeremiah, "full speed, heading back from where it came."
"Then let it go," Lelouch said dismissively, "we already have what we came for. Let them live to spread the word of what happened here today."
"Understood, sir," said Captain Sergeyevna, "matching speed with the Queen Anne's Revenge. In position to send boarding pods, sir."
"As are we," said Jeremiah, "the day is ours, sir. All we need to do now is seize Kidd."
"I want the ship," said Lelouch, "it's bound to have sensitive information, and an intact alliance cruiser is bound to be worth a lot on its own."
"Zero, we have a new contact entering the area," a bridge crewman aboard the Excalibur reported.
"Is it an enemy vessel?" Lelouch asked.
"It does not seem similar to the pirate ryders we just fought. It seems to have been observing us from the periphery of the battle."
"Just the one?"
"Yes, sir."
It was too suspicious to ignore. Lelouch was reminded of the Lancelot, and how many times it had foiled his plans just as victory had seemed assured. He was not going to take any chances by ignoring it.
"Can we identify it from here?" Lelouch asked.
"Yes sir, but it's not matching anything in our database. It might be a new model."
That was concerning, which only gave Lelouch an unpleasant feeling of déjà vu.
"All Black Knights, hurry and finish mopping up of the remaining Pirates. Any of you not engaged in battle, regroup and form up on me," Lelouch ordered. "All ships, keep an eye out for any additional ships or Ryders. I don't want anyone to get the jump on us."
"Yes sir," Lelouch heard from the captains of the other ships.
"Give me an image of this thing and tell any of our forces closest to it to back away," Lelouch ordered.
Within moments, Lelouch had an image of the incoming Ryder.
Upon looking at it, Lelouch ruled out it was a pirate-affiliated Ryder due to its newer design and not something likely obtained from the Black Market or salvaged. It was primarily black with red trimming, and it was heavily armed.
On its left arm was a built-in sword for close-range combat, its right arm had a rather large laser rifle built into it. Located on the left shoulder with a small shield built into it was a twenty tube-missile launcher while the other shoulder had what Lelouch suspected was a five-barrel pulse gun.
"I'll bet money it must be some kind of new model, and the fact something like that suddenly appears all the way out here can't be a coincidence either," Lelouch said.
"Do you think it's PACT, sir?" said Jeremiah.
"Undoubtedly. Have we contacted them yet?"
"All attempts to hail the pilot have failed," Jeremiah replied.
"It's accelerating to combat speed, sir," another member of the Excalibur's crew warned.
"All battle ready ryders, deploy immediately. I'll join you on the battlefield presently," said Lelouch firmly. "I want the Oberon and Dominion to remain stationary. They've taken heavy damage," Lelouch ordered. "Either this is some kind of scout for an enemy force, or it's part of something else. Regardless, it's all the more reason to finish our operations here as soon as possible."
"Understood," Jeremiah replied, "I'll coordinate with the other captains to ensure the mop-up is completed as soon as possible, but what about you?"
Lelouch glanced to the side, seeing that Icari and the rest of the Ryders that had launched from the Avalon and Excalibur were standing with him.
"I guess we'll have to deal with this unknown ourselves, but," Lelouch answered before a thought came to mind, "Captain Gottwald, Captain Sergeyevna, fire a volley of missiles at the unknown Ryder. I want to see what it is capable of."
"Understood," both captains replied.
Dozens of missiles were sent flying towards the approaching black and red Ryder. But, using a combination of lightning-fast manoeuvres and its shoulder-mounted pulse guns, it shot down most of the missiles while skilfully evading the rest.
"Target and fire lasers once in range," Lelouch commanded.
The Avalon and the Excalibur did so, but similar to the missiles, the Ryder impressively evaded them displaying the machine possessed considerable agility.
Its pilot and machine are both quick, but it appears it doesn't have shields to deal with energy weapons, Lelouch thought.
"We'll need to engage the enemy machine together using coordinated attacks. We have numbers on our side, so let's make effective use of them," Lelouch advised to the other Ryder pilots near him.
"Should I join in?" Icari asked.
"Not yet. Wait for an opportunity to strike hard and fast," Lelouch answered. "Attia Units, I want you two to hang back and wait for an opportunity with your cannons."
"Yes, sir," the pilots replied.
"The rest of you, fight in pairs and back up one another, Miss Isidolde, you are with me."
"Okay then," Icari answered.
"Mr. Clark, I'll be counting on you as well."
"Of course," Domingo replied before moving to a new vantage point.
As the unknown Ryder drew closer, Lelouch stood ready, as did the other Ryder pilots under his command.
The unknown Ryder began firing upon the Black Knights with its integrated laser rifle. The Black Knights scattered, evading the unknown ryder's shots.
Behind the defending Ryder, the other Knight units started returning fire.
The Ryder evaded the retaliation shots from the Knight Ryder units before launching missiles at them from a launcher built into its left shoulder. As the Black Knight Ryders dealt with the missiles or evaded them, the black Ryder sped up, making a run for one pair of Knight Units. The two units realized the threat, but while one was shooting at the approaching enemy Ryder with its VARIS rifle, the other raised its Blaze Luminous shielded arm to deflect incoming shots from its pulse guns and laser rifle.
At the same time, the defending Ryder put away its VARIS rifle to draw one of the MVS blades in preparation for close-quarters combat.
However, one carefully placed pulse rifle shot from the black ryder shot the head off the Knight Ryder, allowing it to close the distance and cross swords with his partner. Sparks signalled the point of contact between the two machines as they were struggling against one another upon locking blades with the other.
The Knight Unit was holding its ground, but the strength the enemy machine was displaying was much stronger than anything a pirate Ryder had thrown against it.
"Sir, I need help! It's like struggling against a comet!"
"Hold your ground. we're coming!" Lelouch said as he took aim with his own weapon, and switched it to Hadron Blaster Mode. "All units, surround that thing and keep the pressure on. Even if you can't hit it, we'll leave them less room to manoeuvre in. Immobilize it, but don't destroy it!"
Lelouch and the others began unloading from their VARIS rifles along with pulse gun shots and machine cannon volleys. The Attia units joined in, firing their arm-mounted Hadron Cannons while firing what few missiles they had left. Just as Lelouch had hoped, the streams of fire were too thick for the black Ryder to properly evade without getting hit, creating a window of opportunity for Domingo and Icari.
Accelerating to maximum speed, Icari raced forward. Her Ryder narrowly failed to decapitate the enemy machine, but it did cleave off the sword mounted on its left arm. Then Domingo shot off its head with a well-placed sniper shot. Soon after, other Knight Units quickly cleaved off its remaining limbs before backing away.
"We've disabled it. Everyone back away, in case it tries to self-destruct!" One of the knights cried
A minute passed, but nothing happened.
"Sir, I am not picking up anything from the enemy machine," one Ryder pilot pointed out.
"The pilot is likely still alive," Lelouch asked, knowing the answer.
"Yes sir," the pilot responded.
"Right," Lelouch said before opening a channel to the Excalibur, "Gottwald, give me a status report. Has the enemy ship been secured?"
"Yes sir. We even captured Kidd before he could flee on an escape pod," Jeremiah reported proudly.
"Good work, all of you. Now let's hurry up and get the hell out of here before something else shows up."
"What about the unknown enemy machine?"
"We'll take it with us. Put the pilot in the brig. I'll deal with whoever it is after I interrogate the former Pirate King."
A short time later, the Black Knights regrouped. They stopped not far from the battlefield for emergency repairs; the Oberon was still dead in the water, and the Dominion barely functioning.
Aboard the Excalibur, there was a spirit of victorious cheer. Despite the losses they had taken, morale had never seemed higher. Crewmen smiled, grinned, pumped their fists. Some let out jubilant cheers. Two armed guards stood at attention as Lelouch, dressed in his full attire as Zero, entered the brig to meet the pilot they had captured from the unknown machine.
Lelouch had expected many things from the prisoner, but what he saw surprised him. Standing behind the transparent door, strong enough to withstand an anti-tank shell, was a young woman. She was at most five foot two, standing shorter than Lelouch by almost seven inches. When she had first been pulled from the machine, she had been wearing a form-fitting black and red trimmed pilot suit, which has been switched out by the female guards for a white prisoner jumpsuit, complete with a restraint collar. She had a petite build with periwinkle-blue hair, sapphire eyes, and a slightly pale skin complexion. Her face was symmetrical, and would have seemed quite beautiful if not for the hostile defiance in her features.
"I am sure you know I have many questions for you," Lelouch said carefully as he entered the cell where she was being held. A single bodyguard accompanied him, armed and armoured. While the prisoner was restrained, Lelouch was not taking any chances. He eyed the prisoner before him, studying every movement and gesture she made. What worried him was how calm she was, standing defiantly before him behind the glass with her arms crossed over her chest. She looked almost smug.
"Let's start with who you work for."
The young woman ignored him.
"So, the famous Zero. We finally meet."
"Who are you?" Lelouch said.
"We are many. I suppose if you want my specific designation, then it's L7NN."
"L7NN. Not exactly a normal name, is it?" Lelouch said. "Why did you attack us?"
"I'm not at liberty to say."
"Very well," said Lelouch with a shrug, "then I'll take a guess. I think you're PACT. In fact, I'm certain analysis of your ship will prove it. I think your organization backed Kidd to test our strength. I doubt you anticipated it going as well as it did, though."
"That's an interesting theory."
"My guess," said Lelouch, "is that you weren't meant to participate. You are just an observer. We found you, locked guns on you, and you fought only because you had to."
"Who knows?"
"Well then," said Lelouch, "I see it isn't going to be as easy as that. Torturing you for information would be distasteful, but thankfully I have a quicker, more reliable method."
With his left hand, he pressed a button under his mask, sliding back a panel to reveal his Geass empowered eye.
L7NN was stiffened, and it looked as if a realization struck her. "Your eye… the power of Geass!"
This surprised Lelouch.
How does she know about Geass?
At that moment, something happened. The young woman clutched her head in her hands, as if someone was sliding a hot knife through it.
"What are you doing?" L7NN began. At first Lelouch thought she was talking to him, but he realized that the way she spoke was as if he wasn't even there. Who was she talking to?
"Please don't do it… why… I…."
The girl let out a scream, before collapsing onto the ground, unconscious and still clutching her head. The guards who had been standing with Lelouch seemed just as confused as he was about what happened. Lelouch typed in a few commands on the holo he wore on his wrist to check her vitals through the restraining collar around her neck.
She is still alive, but what happened to her?
Lelouch was left with more questions than answers now, but seeing that he wouldn't get any until L7NN awakened, he knew someone else he could ask in the meantime.
Deep within his private chambers on New Eden, contemplating recent events, Veniczar S. Arcadius was deep in thought. Her plan to test Zero and the Black Knights had worked, but the loss of the pilot and the machine was unfortunate. She could have put up more resistance, but in the event she was somehow defeated she was to allow herself to be captured, so she could act as a beacon to lead her to Zero's base. However, Arcadius's concerns about Zero had just grown significantly, especially as she suspected what had gone wrong for her proxy and his pirate fleet.
"It shouldn't be possible, but… the original Zero had a Geass that could bend the wills of others to do as he commanded. If this Zero has a identical Geass, then…" Arcadius mused, before deducing what had likely happened.
Did he somehow convert some pirates into unknowing sleeper agents and used them to lure Kidd into a trap?
If that was the case, then it further raised the question if Arcadius was dealing with a copycat who just happened to possess the same Geass as the original Zero did, or if it was the original Zero somehow brought back to life.
It shouldn't be possible. He died. Unless, Arcadius thought before recalling something. Someone on Diode were researching resurrecting the dead, and as a first attempt they found a way to revive a brain dead patient. The project should've ended when Diode was lost, but the scientist who oversaw the project…
Actually… the scientist who was behind the research of reviving the dead had been away from Diode at the time, and was last heard of acting as a freelancer. She had tried to track him down after New Eden fell to them, but he had vanished without a trace. She might not know if it was possible for someone to inherit the same geass, but with all of the facts before her she had only one conclusion, no matter how impossible it seemed.
Could it be the Demon Emperor of earth, risen again? Or was she just getting paranoid? Arcadius couldn't be sure, but there was too much going on to dismiss the possibility. A geass alone was rare enough to merit extreme caution. Regaining her composure, she activated her FTL communicator. Fontana's image materialized into view within moments as he bowed respectfully before his superior.
"Fontana, we command that all preparations to invade the Neutral Rim are to be hastened as much as possible."
This surprised Fontana, but he suspected the reason behind this order.
"Is this with regards to Zero?"
"Yes. He has proven to be far more of a dangerous element than we expected. Captain Kidd has failed us completely, so we command that all preparations for our invasion to be accelerated before the Black Knights have a chance to grow further in strength."
Fontana wanted to ask a question, but he knew it was best not to oppose Arcadius.
"I shall contact Cullen and relay your orders to him to speed up preparations, and I will contact you as soon as I have an update, Veniczar."
"Very good. You are dismissed," Arcadius replied deactivating FTL communication system causing his second-in-command's avatar to vanish.
"You may have defeated my puppet, Zero," Arcadius spoke, as dozens of identical figures began moving in the shadows behind her, "but we are legion. We are the many, and you are but one… or Zero." She chuckled a little, before breaking into a maniacal laughter, in perfect synchronization with the figures standing in the shadows.
A/N: Well that ends the chapter. Thank you all in advance for your reviews, and I greatly appreciate them.