A/N: Thanks again to Greatkingrat88 for his work on the chapter, this chapter ended up being much shorter than I would've liked, but it sets up what comes next. To quote Gandalf.

"We come to it at last."

So without further delay, here is the chapter.

Chapter 18

Twilight of Peace

A month had passed since Sola had been recovered from the bridge of the Sharr'Lac. Since then, Lelouch had kept an eye on Sola. Not only did she have a royally screwed up past, pitted as a sacrifice, a pawn, but she was now lost in time. Everyone she had ever known had died thousands of years ago, and here she was, suddenly a prisoner to strangers whose intentions she could not know. That kind of stress could make anyone a suicide risk.

He had still given her complete access to all historical files they had, allowing Sola to get caught up with galactic events. The stoic, aloof air she projected around herself, her expression always flat, made it hard to get any kind of read on her emotions. She had been moved to their main base along with her Ryder, a fully functional Seraphim unit. Its lack of proper maintenance for two thousand years did limit its capabilities somewhat, but it was still comparable to high grade Ryders of the modern era. It was a testament to the progress of imperial Ryuvia.

Even more surprisingly, it had been discovered that Sola was in possession of the Crown Jewel of the Ryuvian Royal Family, the Talbur. A symbol of her heritage and status as a Princess of Ryuvia, but also a highly advance crystalline device that could track true members of the royal family across the galaxy.

What does 'true members of the royal family' mean, though?

Lelouch contemplated what Sola had explained, having noticed that it would not glow for her presence. He was wandering the base at present, looking for the princess. There was so much to learn from her, and with a moment to spare, there was no reason not to find her.

There she is…

Lelouch found her alone in one of the observation decks of the base. Aside from going to the mess hall to eat and returning to her room to sleep, the princess had kept to herself. She was watched at all times by two guards, and much of the base was off limits to her; she was too important to simply let go free entirely.

Since her arrival, Sola had become the prime subject of gossip among both the rank and file and the officers, especially those from Ryuvia Prime. Thankfully, they all understood Sola was a literal fish out of water, given that more than two thousand years had passed, and so they kept their distance to give her all the time she needed. She wasn't dressed in the modern flight suit she had when Lelouch found her, now wearing a Black Knight uniform with a skirt.

"Have you been well, princess?" Lelouch said politely as he approached her.

Sola turned to face Lelouch, her face only barely betraying a hint of her emotions.

"I know it has been a month since I woke, but it has been difficult to accept what has happened."

"I don't blame you. Believe me, I understand better than you could know."

"How could you?" Sola said quietly. There was no anger in her voice, despite the accusatory words.

"I too am lost in time, princess. I was born in the 21st century, back on earth. I thought I died laying down my life for a cause, only to reawaken more than a hundred years later. Other than a few people, everyone I knew and cared for died long ago. Even worse, I learned all that I fought and died for as been erased as well," Lelouch said.

Sola didn't say anything. There had to be a degree of mistrust, maybe anger over the Geass he had placed upon her.

"I suppose you want me to fight for you too?"

"No. I have no intention of forcing you to join our ranks. I won't deny your experience and skills would be a boon to us, but I will not force you to join us. However, because of what lies ahead I will have to keep you in our custody, at least until the coming war with PACT is over," Lelouch replied.

Sola said nothing more, and Lelouch thought it was best if he left her alone for now.

She is difficult to read, but my options dealing with her are limited for now.

Lelouch left, passing the two Marines lingering nearby trying to give her privacy and do their duty of keeping her under watch. As a further precaution her Ryder, which was being studied, was kept under lock and key to deny her its usage even if she thought about escaping.

At least she hasn't been a problem so far, Lelouch thought as he boarded an elevator.

A short time later, Lelouch boarded a shuttle to the new Assault Carrier, the first combat-ready vessel of its kind, the first of the Kusanagi-class. However, because this ship was special- having the Twin-Drive Core engine system from a Ancient Ryuvian ship transplanted into the vessel- it was renamed to match how special it would be. When it sailed, it would be the Rhongomyniad. Named for the divine spear said to have been used by King Arthur, it was a fitting name for the most powerful ship in possession of the Black Knights.

Lelouch beheld the ship with awe as the shuttle made its way toward it. Dark red and lined with black, the enormous vessel was four times the size of the normal ships of the line the Knights fielded. Six heavy gun turrets were spread out in pairs across the stern, center and prow of the vessel, with what looked like dozens of lesser gun turrets lining the sides of its gun deck. Torpedo tubes were lined up along the sides of the ship; the firepower would be formidable. The ship was sleek in its design, almost triangular, looking surprisingly dexterous for its size. It would be a worthy flagship…

…assuming it was as ready as Lloyd assured him. Making his way to the bridge of the ship, Lelouch took in the sight before him upon arrival. Like all of their battleships, the bridge of the ship was nestled deep within the vessel to protect it from direct hits during combat, but it had an extensive holographic screening system, providing a wide view of much of what lay before the ship. Additional screens at the navigation and helm stations allowed for additional views around the ship, allowing those behind the controls to be aware of what was around the ship with advanced sensors to assist them.

The bridge is certainly sleek, for a lack of a better word, Lelouch thought.

"Admiral on deck," a member of the crew announced upon Lelouch's arrival. At once, all crew members on the bridge stood up and saluted sharply.

"At ease," Lelouch announced. Lloyd came to meet him.

"Well, here for the big day?" Lloyd said giddily. "All systems are green, and she is ready for flight."

"I assume everything is as ship worthy as I've been told? No problems with the engines and power systems?" Lelouch said. The Twin-Drive Core was something else, he'd been told, but it had also been fraught with complications. "We expended considerable resources moving it here to be installed, so I will be very disappointed if this ship falls short."

"Not to worry, I promise Lynn and I have done our upmost to ensure she will fly," Lloyd said, with his usual dismissive handwave.

"Then let us try a test flight," Lelouch said, taking a seat in the commander's chair. The Rhongomyniad was to be his new personal flagship, outclassing the Excalibur. "I think the bottle of wine launched to celebrate its launch should be impacting the ship at any time."

As it was on Earth, it seemed the worlds beyond his had their own traditions when it came to the launching and christening of new ships. So, to continue in observation of that tradition, and to ensure the first of their Assault Carriers installed with an ancient power source had all of the luck it could, a bottle of sacrificial bottle of champagne from Ryuvia Prime would be used to see the ship off. As Lelouch expected, one of the holographic cameras detected the approaching bottle launched earlier from a smaller ship towards the bow of the Rhongomyniad.

Smirking under his mask, Lelouch readied himself as the bottle approached.

"All engines on standby. We move forward at my command."

The helmsman waited with bated breath as everyone watched the bottle of champagne approach, until finally it impacted the bow of the ship moments later.

"Launch!" Lelouch commanded.

Feeling nervous for a moment as the engines of the Assault Carrier roared to life, the ship began moving forward leaving the cradle of its assembly dock where it had sat since it was assembled with a hybrid of current and Lost technology. It took a few minutes to get moving, the sheer mass of the vessel being difficult to get moving, but finally the ship cleared the assembly dock, much to Lelouch's silent relief.

"Status?" Lelouch inquired.

"All systems are still green," A bridge officer reported.

"All parameters are within expectations," Lloyd added.

"Alright, take us around the base then set a course to travel to the colony world," Lelouch said.

"Yes sir," the helmsman declared.

As the ship traveled at warp speed, Lelouch reflected on events following his negotiations with the colony world. Thanks to the mines returning to full operation, supported by the Black Knights in whatever capacity they require, they were receiving shipments of valuable resources, especially invaluable black iron. Not only that, the space elevators and wrecked Ryuvian ships in orbit were found to be carrying a considerable amount of black iron and other metals and ores prepared for shipment.

Not only did it give them a stockpile useful as building materials for new Ryders and ships, as well as a independent fuel source, but they had plenty to sell on the market. Garibaldi had used his contacts to establish a few dummy corporations to sell the black iron to the Solar Alliance. With war on the Neutral Rim's doorstep, there were some among the Black Knights worried any ore they sold in the Neutral Rim would just end up in PACT's hands. They could sell some materials through the Mining Guild, but Lelouch was wary of them, knowing the Mining Guild as a whole sought to put earning maximum profits first and foremost on their agenda. Meaning it was possible they could side with PACT if the Guild benefited more from them. He would rather keep them at arm's length.

We don't know when PACT will strike, but we must be ready for anything, Lelouch thought.

Having just entered the cafeteria to have lunch, Maray and her friend had left one of the observation rooms, from which they had watched the launch of the Rhongomyniad. Naturally, many in the base were excused from their duties to observe the launch or watch it from any holo-screen.

"Our first Assault Carrier. The Black Knights are really starting to feel like a force to be reckoned with," Hana said, stretching her arms as she walked alongside Maray.

"I was surprised by what they were building in those shipyards. But that's not going to be the last Assault Carrier, is it?" Maray said.

"No, from what I've heard and seen from the base they got three more under construction. Two of them will be finished in the coming weeks, from the looks of it," Hana said, they got in line.

"I think we might be good on crews. I've noticed a lot of new recruits lately," Maray said, glancing at those in the cafeteria.

"Yeah, I heard the Black Knights have been stepping up recruitment efforts. Zero is becoming the man to follow."

The Rhongomyniad docked without issue. The trip had taken a couple days, allowing them to test a number of maneuvers and really stretch the limits of the new ship. Skeptical as he had been, Lelouch had to admit Lloyd had delivered. The vessel was in good condition, surprisingly fast for a ship of its size. It would make a fine template for more of its kind as the war progressed. He wondered how many would be made before the conflict was over, though- PACT would make its move soon enough, and building vessels like Rhongomyniad was costly both in terms of resources and time.

Even so, Lelouch was in a good mood as he headed toward the inner depths of the base. The first stage was nearly complete, and he had done well- not only did he have a fleet, but he had the industrial and logistical support to keep it running, as well as popular support across the region.

The uneventful test trip had given him time to think, though. The princess lost in time, Sola… she was too crucial a piece to be left alone. She had been confined and put under watch, but he had to decide what to do with her going forward. The safest option might be to simply keep her prisoner, in the base or on his flagship, but while that was a solution it was not the only solution. And as much as he was no stranger to doing what was necessary, keeping her locked up forever might be neither necessary nor moral. And if it wasn't necessary…

She was just a young woman, trapped both literally and figuratively, in a place with no friends or allies, with no ability to affect her fate. Lelouch knew that feeling all too well; he had lived it for most of his life. What kind of person would he be if he didn't give her a chance to do better?

It was with these thoughts in mind that he walked into the small observation deck where princess Sola sat, her gaze fixed at the deep void, a melancholy expression on her face. She was leaned against the window pane, her back partially slouched against the wall adjacent to it. Lelouch gave the two guards by the door a nod, and they walked out, locking the door behind them.

"They're beautiful, aren't they?" Lelouch opened, walking up to Sola. "The stars."

"They're cold," Sola muttered. "Their light is, at least. They barely stand out against the dark."

Lelouch shrugged.

"To each their own. May I sit with you?"

"As if I could stop you."

"Princess Sola," Lelouch said, making an effort to sound polite, "I may have you under guard, but that does not mean I will not respect your privacy. If you wish to be left alone, I will leave. I'd rather stay and talk for a bit, but I will not insist. Circumstances may be… unusual, but I am no tyrant."

Sola shrugged, and Lelouch sat down further down the bench she was sitting on.

"Your retrieval was followed by some urgent business, but I was hoping we could talk. Last time we spoke, I was not sure what to say. What do I say to somebody like you? We lost many of the same things, but that does not mean I can understand your experience."

Sola gave him a look.

"You want to talk?"

"I do."

Sola straightened her back, and looked him in the eye.

"Then let's talk," she said flatly. "All my life, I was kept as a tool to be used by others. Now I wake up to find everyone and everything I ever knew is gone. And now here I am, under the wing of some warlord, wielding a fraction of the power my people once held. You may be polite, 'Zero', but I am your prisoner. No, more than that- I don't know what you did, but you somehow imposed your will on me. I cannot disobey a command you make. You have made a slave of me."

Lelouch breathed in. His first instinct was to defend himself, to make excuses, but he could think of none that would not ring hollow. A slave? Yes, what else could you call it when he held absolute power over somebody?

"I… did not do it lightly," he conceded. "I hate having to do it to anyone. But you were dangerous, princess. The lives of my men were at risk. Wouldn't you save your comrades if you could, no matter the cost?"

Sola shrugged.

"It is what it is. I am at your mercy. I cannot even feel angry. I was helpless then, and I am helpless now. Thousands of years has passed, but for me, nothing has really changed."

"Have I abused this power since?" Lelouch retorted. "Have I forced my will on you? I could simply have ordered you to never leave the base, but I chose to assign guards at a distance instead."

"I am ever so grateful," Sola said dryly.

Lelouch sighed.

"Tens of thousands- no, millions upon millions of lives are at stake. I do not like forcing this upon you, but merely by existing you are dangerous. I do what I must, that is all."

Sola shrugged again.

"Like I said, nothing changes."

Lelouch felt frustrated. He was getting nowhere- but she was not exactly unreasonable either.

"What if I made you an offer?" he said, after a pause. "Freely made, one you could back out of at any time."

She did not respond, but she looked right at him.

"Join my organization," he continued, a little unsteadily, "be an active person for once. Be part of changing the course of history, instead of being a leaf swept by its currents."

"And if I say no?"

"Then you remain here, under as decent a standard as I can ensure."

"Imprisonment or service. Quite a choice, Zero."

Lelouch reached for his mask, and let it fold back in. Slowly he put it down on the bench, and looked her in the eye.

"I don't want a slave," he said firmly. "What I did to you can be undone… if you earn my trust."

She cocked her head, and for the first time she seemed intrigued.

"Trust. And how can I trust that, then? How do I know you aren't lying? You won't even show me your face. You keep many secrets, I am told."

Lelouch wracked his brain. Social situations had never been his forte- you had to be honest, but not too honest…

He was making some kind of progress, but it could slip away easily. Trust… trust, that was the problem, wasn't it? The damage she could do was immeasurable, and that made her too important to let go. They both knew that. But she had no reason to trust him. For all she knew, he was just a politely mannered bandit with good PR. If this was going to work, it would call for something drastic.

Lelouch reached for the cloth obscuring his face. In one decisive move he pulled it down, looking Sola in the eye.

"I am Lelouch vi Britannia, son of Charles zi Britannia, once a rebel against and later emperor of Britannia," he said solemnly, "although I prefer Lelouch Lamperouge. You would not know the history, unless you already caught up the volumes of terra, but my name is synonymous with terror and tyranny. My crimes are many and my guilt is great. I died for my crimes, but I was brought back to life to solve the problem of PACT. So here I am, doing what's necessary like I always have."

He shrugged. "Now you know what almost nobody in my organization knows. What I'd rather people didn't know. It's up to you what you'll do with it."

Sola stared at him intently, as if seeing him for the first time.

"You look so much younger than I expected," she said quietly. "Your eyes…"

"I have no idea how they turned out purple," said Lelouch, reaching for the contacts obscuring his geass, "but I do know how they turned red."

Sola flinched.

"Don't worry," he said hastily, "it can only be used once on any one person. You are immune to it as is. But this… this is me, princess Sola. And as I live and breathe, my only mission is to redeem myself by defeating tyranny once more. What I'll do after, I don't know- but there's a good chance I'll not live long enough for that to be relevant."

"…you really were like me?" Sola said curiously, "Royalty?"

"Royally messed up, more like," Lelouch snorted, "but yes, I was. When I was ten, I became a political hostage, and from then on I was a tool for others only. I too lost control of my life by force imposed on me by others. It's what I rebelled against, as much as the tyranny Britannia stood for."

Sola looked at him contemplatively, looking deep in thought. In that moment, Lelouch wished he knew how to read thoughts.

"…I'll consider it," she said at last.

"Joining me?"

"I'll need time to think, of course," she said thoughtfully, "and I'll have a lot of questions. Demands, too. There will be conditions, Lelouch vi Britannia."

He nodded.

"Fair enough. Anything off the top of your head?"

"This effect undone, of course. My own ship, come time. Something smaller, to… see the galaxy with, I think. A wage. Your assurances that you will not cross over into the same kind of callousness my family once held."

"Fair and reasonable," Lelouch nodded, optimistically. "There will be negotiations, like you said. The effect- a geass, it's called- will not come off for ten years."

"Five," Sola countered firmly. "If you can't trust me within that time span, something is wrong."

"Five is… well, five should be time enough to win the war, or at least get deep into it," Lelouch said thoughtfully. As for wages, I'll send you a copy of the standard employment package. We provide excellent dental care, all things considered."

"Join up to fight with the Black Knights, defend freedom, see the world, get your teeth taken care of?"

"You'd be surprised how attractive decent healthcare is," Lelouch noted dryly. "Liberty and honor are all very inspiring things, but not quite as inspiring as money, food and health."

Sola shot him a slight smile.

"Then I'll ponder your offer, Lelouch vi Britannia. If I'm feeling generous, I might even keep your identity secret."

He tensed. In that moment, Lelouch felt compelled to tell her- order her- to never mention it, but it would sour the deal. She was taking a leap of faith; he had to as well. Slowly, he nodded.

"Consider it, then. We are headed out in three days for a new mission. Will that be sufficient?"

"I think so, yes. Until then, Lelouch vi Britannia."

"Lamperouge," Lelouch corrected, putting his mask back on. "In private, just call me Lelouch."

"Lelouch it is, then."

Sola watched him leave, feeling animated for the first time since her awakening. Maybe there was a future after all.

Orbit around the Neutral Rim world of Orion was usually peaceful, even tranquil, with only the odd piracy incident to worry about, but as the patrol gunship conducted its normal rounds, its pilots were nevertheless diligently checking their instruments for any sign of criminal activity.

"So are you going to pop the question?" asked Rayek, the co-pilot. These flights could get long and boring, and bantering with your crewmates was one of the few things you could do to pass the time.

"I'll do it tonight, provided we don't have the usual false alarms or some pirates pop up," Captain Asmar replied.

"Say Captain…" came the voice of Linda, one of their observers, "we're detecting incoming warp signatures. There… there are a lot of them!"

"Probably another false alarm," said captain Asmar, tapping the sensory instruments with sudden, active concern, "there is no way there…"

He was cut short, as over two dozen PACT Missile Boats appeared ahead of them.

"This is captain Asmar of the Sentinel," the captain said, opening a frequency, "we are operating under peaceful patrolling measures. Incoming vessels, please identify yourselves!"

They were ignored. Instead the PACT gunships readied their weaponry, taking aim and preparing firing solutions. The Sentinel spun around to evade, but the PACT patrol were many and dangerous, and had come in dangerously close.

As the name implied, PACT Missile Boats were a small gunship, covered with as many missile pods as the ship could carry, surrounding its engine and bow. They were designed to warp in and unleash their missiles upon their targets for quick hit and run tactics, to soften up targets for the rest of their forces. Even if they didn't destroy all of their targets, the sudden and vicious attacks would throw their enemies off guard.

A swarm of missiles were unleashed.

"Hard starboard, one hundred degree turn!" Asmar barked. "Weapon stations at the ready, open fire at will. Target the missiles!"

The crew was well trained and responded quickly, returning fire to shoot down the incoming projectiles, but the sheer numbers of the broadside was overwhelming. Even as they tried to evade, their counterfire leaving dozens of silent explosions in space, the first of the missiles impacted. Explosions rocked the Sentinel, overwhelming it. The vessel cracked, then exploded, instantly killing everyone on board.

The other patrolling gunships quickly reacted in similar fashion, but with more missile gunships arriving by the second, the situation was becoming desperate. A hail of missiles went out, the sheer amount starting to overwhelm the unsuspecting Orion patrol.

"This is Gunship Five, more PACT Missile Boats arriving, I repeat, more enemy vessels incoming!" one captain of a Gunship cried out on an open channel. Seconds later there was only static on the channel, as his ship was consumed by missile fire.

Following the Missile Boats, PACT Cruisers, larger than the gunships, armed with lasers and other heavy guns arrived. Their lasers made short work of the few damaged Gunships that were left. Despite the determination of Orion's defenders, their gunships were hopelessly outclassed by PACT's better armed and more heavily armored ships. And that was before three PACT Carriers, escorted by three PACT Battleships, arrived on the scene wasting no time in deploying their Ryders to mop up any remaining gunships. They had brought much too large a mallet to crush much too small a nut. The overwhelming force was not about necessity- it was about sending a message: surrender, or face the same fate Orion just had.

A/N: And so it begins, WAR!

Next chapter the Black Knights and PACT will have their first battle against one another. Thank you to everyone who read the chapter, any feedback, favorites, reviews and followers are always appreciated.