A/N: Thanks again to Greatkingrat88 for his work on the chapter, always appreciated and Happy New Year everyone. And thank you to everyone who reviewed the previous chapter, very greatly appreciated too.
Now let's get right into this chapter, but first let's take care of some reviews I couldn't PM a response to.
Guest 1: Thank you and yes, Milly will probably complicate matters, but as for who Lelouch will be with the competition is pretty tight as there are some good ones making it hard for me to pick.
One could see it that way, Ava's father was too much of a serious and uncompromising Military man that all of his attempts to make her like him would end up backfiring. Something which is going to be brought up in the coming chapters, I can't say how without spoilers but you'll see in the next chapter. All of Ava's issues can be traced to him.
Right, I probably won't have anything for Cera in this chapter, but maybe in the coming ones because we got some events to cover.
Guest 2: Thank you and yes that shall be coming, there is still a wait, but soon it will happen. Merely a question of who will make a move.
Now let's get into this chapter.
Chapter 21
Risks and Gambles
A week after his meeting with Admiral Grey's representative, Garibaldi returned to the Black Knight's headquarters. The trip had taken its time; precautions had been taken to protect the location of the home base, and Michael had had to keep a low profile.
As soon as he could he went to report to Lelouch, who was meeting with Icari and Lynn in his office. Arriving at the door to his office, Garibaldi pushed a button on an intercom.
"Garibaldi reporting in," he said. Momentarily, the door opened. To Garibaldi's surprise, the commander's meeting seemed to still be in session.
"Come in, we have a lot to talk about," Lelouch said. He was seated behind his desk, Icari sitting across from him, the latter of which looked like she had bitten into a sour lemon. Lynn, seated to Icari's right, had a smug smile on her face. She seemed amused by Icari's expression. Projected over Lelouch's desk were holographic reports. Garibaldi couldn't tell what they were about, but guessed they were part of the discussion that had taken place.
Lelouch studied the reports with a calculating expression, before turning his attention to Garibaldi.
"Welcome back, Michael. Sorry if I couldn't give you a chance to rest after coming back. But, there is a matter we must discuss that could have given us an advantage," Lelouch began, pushing a button on his desk to turn off the projector.
"I had plenty of time to rest on the way back, sir. You'll be glad to hear the Admiral is very interested in discussing your proposal further," Michael said. A smile came to Lelouch's face.
"Good. This day will be even better if this can be turned to our advantage."
"So what's been happening?" Garibaldi asked, taking a seat next to Icari, who seemed to be unhappy about something still.
"Recently, our captive Veniczar was ordered to continue his part of the invasion and conquer the world of Seaturn once he confirmed he was done securing the planet. We told them we would launch an invasion and later told them it was done, but we actually warned the world in question instead."
"What happened?"
"Nothing, beyond providing confirmation we gave easily enough thanks to some fabrication. Thankfully they didn't feel the world justified sending reinforcements, but we are making plans to ambush them should they decide to send any. Apparently PACT believes their losses were within acceptable limits," Lelouch said, seeming mildly surprised.
"I guess Arcadius is trusting his Veniczars to handle the invasion with little to no supervision," Icari said, folding her arms. "In fact, we were just talking about how PACT has been keeping a minimal presence on the planet's they've conquered. Some even have no ships in orbit. Of course, this means keeping that bastard Veniczar alive."
So that's why she is in a bad mood, Garibaldi thought.
"That's crazy. Arcadius is investing his forces towards continuing the conquest of the Neutral Rim?" Garibaldi said, clearly surprised by this development too.
"Clearly Arcadius wants to conquer the Neutral Rim quickly, and I do mean quickly. Likely before the Neutral Rim finally wises up and comes together to fight back, which is too late by this point. Or even more likely before the Solar Alliance decides to get involved," Lelouch said, putting his hands on the desk in contemplation.
"Arcadius has just been leaving a token force on each planet they conquer, enough troops to protect whatever puppet government they set up and to enforce order. If the population gets too rowdy, they call in back-up, and a PACT fleet will be sent to discipline the conquered world," Icari said.
"So they are counting on the threat of orbital bombardments as retaliation if the worlds they conquer refuse to comply?" Garibaldi said, stunned. To leave such a skeleton crew sounded astonishing.
"As foolish as it might seem, remember many of these worlds barely had the means to contend with pirates, and were overwhelmed very quickly," Lelouch pointed out. "But we can exploit that, and liberate these planets without Arcadius knowing."
"You're planning on going to each of these planets and use your Geass on those meant to oversee the worlds and those PACT left behind?" Garibaldi said.
"Yes, and with your and Icari's help, we can put together a plan to deal with the defenders and put those left behind to supervise under my control. Then, like at Austerlitz II, we can turn their production capabilities to work for us and gain more recruits among the population, or for planets to send resources to fuel the PACT war machine, which we can sabotage," Lelouch said.
"Thank you. I'm thinking we'll send them materials that break under enough pressure, for example," Lynn said grinning deviously. "Austerlitz II has sent some, and if this plan works, we can do the same and set the stage for PACT to lose many of their own ships. The sabotaged materials, once they are used to forge a ship's hull, will degrade the more times a ship enters warp until it buckles and comes apart mid travel. It could take days or weeks for PACT to repair that ship, and even longer to realize what sabotage has been done to their ships as a whole."
"What makes you certain of that?" Garibaldi inquired, curious.
"All of PACT's military is composed of Ryders and Ships used by the New Empire, so many of its ships and ryders are decades if not just over a hundred years old. Meaning many of them will need to be refurbished, while newer ships were being designed to slowly replace them in the coming years. Still, as it has been mentioned, Arcadius wants to conquer the Neutral Rim as quickly as possible, so many old Imperial ships are being brought back into service and many are not quite combat ready yet," Lynn answered.
"So even if they don't use them as intended, those sabotaged materials will create vulnerabilities in their ships and Ryders that we can take advantage of in battle," Lelouch said with a smile.
"Correct. But you going to each of PACT's conquered worlds is not only dangerous, but… could you really accomplish all of that alone?"
"Dangerous, yes. Alone, I do admit it may not be possible to visit every world and do what I intend to within the timeframe I want. To that end, C.C. has been searching for someone among our ranks to give a Geass too, someone who will manifest one akin to mine," Lelouch said. Garibaldi's eyes widened.
"Is that really a good idea?"
"It has its risks, but C.C. assured me she would keep it to those we can trust. She tells me she might know someone who might have a chance of manifesting the same Geass as me," Lelouch said. He seemed reserved, a little doubtful, but the idea of another such weapon was tempting… and frightening. Who could be trusted with such power?
"If that doesn't pan out, I could focus on the planets with high resources and production capabilities. If we can deceive PACT into thinking those worlds are under their control, then we could use them to build more ships and Ryders, and recruit more. It could give us the numbers we need to fight back, and maybe even take the fight to PACT," Lelouch said.
"But that could reflect badly on the Black Knights for the other worlds left unliberated in secret," Garibaldi objected.
"True enough. I can only hope C.C will be successful."
"Speaking of hope, on the other matter you discussed with Admiral Grey: they have Lynn's fellow sisters under close observation, ready to deal with them once the time is right. Currently, they'll use them to pass along false information to their controllers," Garibaldi said, glancing at Lynn, who dismissed his gaze with a huff.
"Seems the information you provided was most helpful after all," Lelouch said to Lynn, encouragingly.
"It doesn't help that while they'll customize a C8 model for a target, it's only the personality and not physical appearance," Lynn explained.
C8 models were a variant of Prototypes. Unlike the L7 models like Lynn, designed to be combat pilots fighting for the higher ups among the Prototypes, the C8 were spies and infiltrators. They would be sent out with a fake personality and memories, customized for their intended target with a personality and skill set likely to appeal to their target. Using their charms, they would build trust to get close to them, going as far to use sex and enter a relationship. Once in position, unaware of their own purpose, these sleeper agents would be subconsciously manipulated by their Prototype handles to obtain useful intelligence from their mark, or indirectly manipulate them into doing something to benefit the Prototypes.
A perfect spy is one who doesn't know they are a spy, Lelouch mused.
The implanted personality wouldn't be aware of their creator's intentions. According to Lynn, as with her case, the higher-ranked Prototypes could hijack and control them, activating the Prototype personality to take over when needed.
"Thanks to Lynn's assistance, intelligence agents loyal to Grey, have confirmed there are over a dozen prototype C8s in the company of notable politicians, businessmen. The chief of staff for the Solar Alliance's current president is also one," Garibaldi said, much to Lelouch's surprise.
"I told you, besides combat types like me they created others for infiltration purposes. I might've lost memories relating to where and how we're made, but details such as reasons behind my destination remained," Lynn said, showing no remorse for having sold out her sisters, which was unsurprising given how they abandoned her.
"They seem to have inserted themselves deeper in the Alliance than I would've expected," the commander said, frowning. "I am even more surprised they didn't even bother to change the appearance of those they sent."
"I think they were careful enough when picking their targets that they wouldn't blindly encounter one another," Icari commented. "But you really think they would've customized them beyond programming a personality and character their target would be smitten with wouldn't they? Heck it makes it easier to spot them in a crowd!"
"I don't have an answer why they simply reuse our general appearance in all Prototype models," Lynn said shrugging her shoulders.
"Regardless Admiral Grey reassures me they are keeping them under watch, especially those involved in the military. Once they are exposed, if the time is right, they'll dispatch them," Garibaldi said reassuringly. "For now they'll keep them under watch and spread false information through them."
"Yes, but if they have been so spread out within the Alliance already, then who knows how many might've positioned themselves in key places within the Neutral Rim?" Lelouch said, deeply troubled. This was a considerable threat going forward.
"I CAN'T BELIEVE THIS!"
Chigara was caught off guard, as Asaga burst into her lab, placed at a corner of the Royal Palace. Her friend was outraged, but about what? The petite young woman had never seen her friend so angry before, not for as long as they had known each other. Putting down her tools, she hurried to her friend's side.
"Asaga, what happened?" Chigara asked, deeply worried.
"WHY WOULD FATHER DO THIS?" Asaga shouted. As she cried out, her rage gave way to sorrow, tears forming in her eyes.
"Asaga, please," Chigara said, agitatedly. She gently took Asaga by the shoulders and looked her in the eye. "What happened?"
"I… father… he," Asaga said, taking a deep couple breaths to calm herself.
"That's right, breathe. Tell me what happened."
It took a few moments, but Asaga calmed down somewhat. Her face was an open book, hurt, sadness and betrayal playing openly over her features. Hesitantly, she spoke up.
"My father just offered me to Arcadius as part of a peace deal!"
"What?" Chigara exclaimed.
"That scumbag Arcadius demands my hand in marriage. In exchange, PACT will spare Ryuvia Prime from conquest," Asaga said, fighting back tears. "Father agreed to his terms."
"But… PACT is nowhere near Ryuvia Prime?"
"Not yet, but the rate they've been conquering the Neutral Rim has everyone spooked. They fear it's only a matter of time," Asaga said, walking over to Chigara's bed.
"Ryuvia Prime has a military doesn't it?"
Asaga shook her head.
"No, those idiots among the Council of Ministers bar any real funding to the military beyond dealing with pirates. Our fleet is barely a military, with obsolete ships and Ryders. Ryuvia wouldn't be able to handle even a small PACT fleet," Asaga said bitterly.
"Can they trust Arcadius to keep his word?"
"Why would he? Deal or not, he could just conquer Ryuvia. I know the minute he gets me, he'll conquer Ryuvia anyway. The whole marriage thing is probably just to make sure he has me before he launches an invasion," Asaga said, her anger flaring up again.
"Then what do we do?"
"We are going to run away," Asaga declared.
"Huh… but how are you going to escape?"
"We are going to escape because you're a genius, Chigara. Between my piloting skills and your smarts, we can not only escape, but we can make it on our own out there!" Asaga said boldly, pointing to the stars outside the window.
"I suppose. What did you have in mind to escape exactly?" Chigara asked timidity.
"That is why I am here, we're putting our heads together. You're smart, you might have an idea. Right?" Asaga said hopefully.
Chigara leaned back, and sighed. She paused to think, until finally she said- reluctantly- "Well… I might have something."
Meanwhile, in another corner of the Rim, Hana and Maray were among a group of cadets. They were the best of the best among the new Ryder pilots to arrive. Their destination was an old asteroid minding facility in the rings of the planet called Nubrulea, once a class three world. But unlike Tydaria, which became a successful mining colony rich in resources, Nubrulea was not equally blessed. It once had rich resources, but its industry was too small to create the economy needed to support a growing population. Attempts at settling the planet had been abandoned over twenty years ago, once all valuable resources were mined from the planet.
However, they left behind many buildings on the planet. Some of them had fallen into disrepair, but the orbital mines they had set up within the asteroids orbiting the planet were intact enough for the Black Knights to convert into a field-testing base after clearing out the pirates who had taken residence there.
Hana and Maray had been handpicked from among their fellow cadets, chosen to pilot the new Black Knights' new mass-produced machine, thePraetorian, and were to undergo live training with the machines. They were brought deeper into the base, where Lloyd was waiting for them in a hangar, where two Ryders could be seen.
To the left was a Black Ryder, with a design reminiscent of Lloyd's pride and joy, the Lancelot. Its limbs and body were streamlined. It had a Hadron Cannon built into the lower torso of the machine, slash-harkens installed on its hips, and on its forearms were retractable tonfa MVS blades. Energy wings had been fitted to its back, along with a pair of MVS swords, and stored on the rear of its hips was a new and improved VARIS with a double barrel design.
To the right was a Red Ryder. Its limbs were slightly longer, and its hands were notably claw-like. Although it too was fitted with energy wings, unlike its sister design it had an additional set of arms and slash harkens on its hips and forearms. Its shoulders concealed a pair of missile launchers. Similar to the black ryder it had retractable MVS blades, and an integrated machine cannon. A VARIS rifle was stored on the back of its lower waist.
"Well, welcome ladies! Today is your lucky day, because I am told you are the very best of the best among the new recruits we have been training," Lloyd said, greeting Hana and Maray. He was a strange man, and his nonchalant, odd personality did weird the two out.
"But there are just the two of us. Where is everyone else?" Hana asked.
"They are testing out the new mass production models, likely to be their pilots. But you two were picked for two special machines. We monitored your training and other candidates closely, because I wanted only the best parts for my machines," Lloyd replied, while both Maray and Hana were weirded out by Lloyd's comments about parts.
"Uh ok," Hana said, before Maray decided it was likely best to keep the conversation going.
"Really, I was kinda surprised actually," Maray said modestly.
"We weren't expecting to be singled out like this," Hana added, feeling a little nervous.
"We wanted it to be that way, because we wanted the best. If people knew we were looking for pilots for these new custom machines we might've seen some different results, which wouldn't be what we are looking for," Lloyd replied. Hana and Maray exchanged glances, understanding the unspoken meaning of what he had just said.
Aside from any spies within the group who could hear about it, some of the cadets might have been more cutthroat towards their fellows and tried to sabotage one another for a chance to pilot the new machines, which would no doubt be superior to whatever else they would pilot.
"You two were picked because your efficiency in piloting was clocked at a ninety-five percent rate based on both your simulation scores and your performance during live training. You were also chosen because you two work so well together as a pair, which is what I've been looking for," Lloyd replied with a smile. "Another Suzaku in the making between the two of you."
"Who?" Hana asked.
"Nothing, forget I said anything. Anyway-" Lloyd was began, but suddenly an explosion rocked the place.
Hana and Maray braced against one another, and Lloyd was nearly thrown off his feet. Soon alarms began echoing throughout the base, and a Black Knight soldier hurried to Lloyd with a panicked expression.
"Sir, we're under attack. PACT is here!"
"I see," Lloyd said, the base shaking again. Calmly, he adjusted his glasses. "This is perfect. We can send out the new machines for a live combat test, and see if they are what we are looking for."
"Wait, you want us to go out there and fight PACT?" Hana said incredulously.
"Isn't that what you signed up for?" Lloyd replied, confusedly.
"Well yes, but-" Hana said, but Maray cut her off.
"What kind of force does the enemy have?"
"A carrier, one battleships and six cruisers. The carrier is already launching its Ryders," the soldier replied. "We have the Avalon, the Tristan and the Excalibur for protection, but we've been advised to evacuate."
"Are these machines battle ready?" Maray asked. Lloyd smiled.
"They are."
"So Hana, this is what we signed up for. If nothing else, we can buy time for everyone to clear out before more PACT reinforcements show up," Maray said firmly.
Hana looked nervous, but a moment later her face hardened into something resolute.
"You're right, this is what we signed up for. Give us a crash course on how these machines work," Hana said.
"Right. They are the Boudica," Lloyd said, pointing to the red ryder, "And the Andraste respectively," he finished, pointing to the black ryder.
"Okay. Give us a need-to-know run down on the machines, and quick," Maray insisted, knowing time wasn't on their side.
On the bridge of the Excalibur, Captain Horner examined the battle unfolding before him. His ship was engaging the nearest PACT Cruiser, aiming to get to the carrier, which was launching at least a hundred Ryders their way.
Did a spy finally get into our ranks to tell PACT about this place?
"Captain, PACT Ryders closing in to reinforce the enemy cruiser," Ava reported from her station.
"Then let's sink this it before they can join forces," Horner said. "All batteries open fire, then follow up with a volley of missiles towards the enemy Ryders. Order our Ryders to cover our flanks."
"Yes sir," Ava said, quickly relaying her superior's orders.
The Excalibur fired her main guns into the enemy vessel, causing it to bleed atmosphere as internal explosions tore through the ship. The enemy ship's own lasers failed to get past the Blaze Luminous shields, and it tried to pull back. A fatal error on the part of its captain. The PACT Cruiser began to drift out of control, internal explosions began tearing the ship apart before it vanished in an explosive ball of red. The broadside had finished the cruiser, but the PACT Ryders were still closing in, intent on avenging their comrades aboard, but a volley of missiles from the Excalibur forced them to break away.
Over at the Avalon, Sergeyevna found herself commanding the other Black Knight ships in this sudden attack, and like her fellow captain she suspected a spy might've given away this place's location. But right now, she had a battle to conduct.
"The Excalibur has sunk an enemy cruiser," Sergeyevna's executive officer reported.
"Tell them to keep it up, and have the Tristian follow us. We're going to take out the Battleship, it's likely the flagship," Sergeyevna boldly declared. "What of the base, are the trainees evacuating?"
"Actually, Captain, they are coming to reinforce us," The Avalon's X.O. replied. Indeed, over two dozen Praetorian units were launching from the base to join the battle.
"But they were supposed to leave?! They are well-trained, sure, but this is their first battle!" Sergeyevna said, alarmed. Still, she couldn't really stop them, and maybe the fact they were piloting machines better in every way compared to PACT's decades old Ryders could even the odds for them. "Let's try to finish this battle as soon as possible, so we can minimize their losses."
"Yes captain," The X.O. replied as the Avalon and the Tristian engaged a pair of PACT Cruisers, barring them from approaching the battleship and carrier they protected.
Meanwhile, the Boudica and the Andraste launched from the base, speeding towards the battlefield with Hana and Maray in the cockpits. As they launched into space, the sheer speed almost overwhelmed them; the ryders were faster than anything they had flown so far.
"This Ryder is WAY better than anything Lloyd said," Maray said, but she had to endure the G-forces being placed on her body.
The Ryder's dampeners were doing a good job of reducing the worst of it, but Maray could feel the pressure they were putting on her body. She was not wearing a proper pilot suit, which was designed to cushion the body against such forces. It wasn't painful, though, and there was a surge of adrenaline coursing through her body as she boldly accelerated the new Ryder towards the battle raging ahead.
Up ahead, a squad of eight PACT Ryders were heading for the base. They were escorting a boarding shuttle, using the surrounding asteroids to mask their approach. As Maray spotted them she flew straight for them, drawing the Andraste's main weapon, the modified and enhanced VARIS rifle. As she took AIM, the PACT ryders noticed her, aiming their rifles at them. A volley of laser blasts flashed toward the pair, but Hana and Maray swiftly evaded, breaking to the left and right respectively, spinning and weaving back and forth as they headed into the asteroid fields. The controls of the ryders were sensitive, and more than once they nearly crashed into an asteroid- but on they went, boldly and with purpose. And the ryders were fast, responding almost instantly to their every command, easily evading every shot while closing the distance. Maray directed her targeting sensors toward a ryder to the far left of the formation, zooming in and aiming her rifle, beginning to lock her target. She fired a first tentative round; it went wide and put the ryder on notice. The PACT vessel quickly weaved out of the way, attempting to take cover behind an asteroid, but the Andraste had its sights set and quickly followed behind. The next shot glanced the ryder's shoulder, throwing it just off balance… and there, in a split second, Maray saw her opening.
Nothing existed but her target and her gun, and she adjusted slightly to the left, aimed, and pressed the trigger. The laser bolt struck dead center, ripping right into the PACT vessel's cockpit. Crippled, dying, it drifted off. Maray had no time to celebrate, though, as her screens flared red with warning signs; the Andraste was shaken by two heavy impacts, sending it spinning. Maray quickly reversed her thrusters, stabilizing her spin and turning around to face her new opponent. It was right on her tail, a ryder firing recklessly, but Maray was ready. She quickly zoomed to the side, zipping left and right as she went for a clear shot. The fire was relentless, and one shot after another very nearly cut into her vessel, but she was always just a little too fast. Carefully, eyes narrowed, she waited until the moment was right, until the PACT pilot moved into her field of fire…
She took a deep breath, steadied her aim, and fired. In a single shot, the ryder lost its gun arm; a second shot turned it into space debris. Quickly, she headed back toward the shuttle. As she aimed and fired a ryder moved in to take the hit, but to Maray's surprise the blast ran right through the vessel and into the shuttle, destroying them both in a single, devastating hit. Another came in from above, set to ram her, but Maray brought out the tonfa blade on her left arm. She zipped to the side and her blade swept out in a wide arc, smoothly beheading the ryder. As it zoomed past her, headless, Maray chased after it to finish the job. A quick thrust to its back, and it was done for.
Hana faced her own problems, surrounded by four PACT ryders. Their attempt to encircle her was in vain, though; the extra arms on the back of her machine extended, launching claw-like arms controlled by a black wire. Two weaved out of the way, but the other couple was not so lucky. Hana flicked the switch and the claws dug in deep, rending and crushing plate before being brutally yanked free, crippling both. She zoomed around in an erratic pattern to avoid a burst of fire from the two remaining, and honed in on the crippled vessels.
"Eat this," Hana said, pulling a trigger. The two captive PACT Ryders to faced a familiar surge of red energy, poured into their captive machines. They began inflating like balloons, the heat within building up to catastrophic levels. Hana released them, flying away just in time as the PACT machines exploded. She charged toward one of the remaining two; it turned to flee but Hana accelerated, quickly gaining on her target. The PACT pilot had to have been spooked, because he clipped a small asteroid, throwing him off course. Spinning around in space, he made an easy target, and Hana quickly closed in to rip it to pieces.
As she finished the kill, though, the last ryder opened fire. Hana took a good few hard hits, and cursed as she tried to disentangle herself from her kill. Damn it-
Suddenly the fire ceased, the last ryder blown to smithereens. Maray had come in from above, her hunt concluded.
"You good?" She asked across the intercom.
"I took some minor damage, mostly my shields," Hana said. "Thanks for the save, though."
"You know it. So… that's what a Radiant Wave Surger does," Maray said, having witnessed what Hana's machine did.
"Yeah. I am surprised Lloyd would downplay it," Hana said, shocked by the sheer destructive power of the Radiant Wave Surger.
"He did say your machine was designed by someone else."
"I think so. But let's worry about that latter."
"Right," Maray said. Together, they went to join the rest of the battle.
Aboard the Excalibur, Captain Horner found himself facing two of the remaining six Cruisers, but more worrying was the Battleship closing in. Using the asteroids as cover, the Excalibur was using the larger ones to shield their ship from the concentrated firepower of the enemy vessels, hoping to engage the Cruisers one at a time. Unfortunately the battleship was not about to play their games, plowing ahead at full speed and aiming its guns.
"Sir, the enemy is targeting us, ten o'clock," A bridge crew warned.
"Brace for evasive maneuvers, get deeper inside the asteroid field," Horner commanded. His voice was tense; they were in a bad situation.
"Sir, a volley of missiles fired from the enemy battleship, but… wait… they aren't coming for us," the crewmember said, confused, but both Ava and Horner realized what it meant.
"Pull away from the asteroids, right now!" they both shouted at the same time.
It was too late. The missiles hit, shattering the asteroids around them, raining the rock fragments upon the Excalibur. Although the Blaze Luminous was raised just in time, the impacts of a hundreds, thousands of rocks could be felt, violently shaking the ship. Ava was struggling to hold onto her station; the ship felt like it was a leaf in a hurricane or rocks.
"Get us behind one of the remaining largest ones if you can, ensign," Horner called out, fearing for the ship. Spotting a large asteroid, bigger than even the PACT battleship, the Excalibur flew into a ravine on the asteroid to escape the shower of rock fragments. He wasn't wrong to worry; the violently shaking and the Blaze Luminous was pushed beyond its limits causing a power surge in the ship, which caused some consoles on the bridge to explode with sparks. Suddenly, Captain Horner's own station exploded in his face, throwing him from his command chair.
"CAPTAIN!" Ava called out horrified. "Medic, right now!"
Ava hurried to Horner's side, as another crewmember, part of the medical crew, was quick to tend to him. Horner lay still on the command deck, unresponsive, blood trailing from shallow cuts to his face.
"He's alive, but he needs medical attention," The medic reported. "The injuries are superficial, but he might have a concussion."
"Ava… you need to take over," Horner rasped, opening his eyes. "Don't let our ship go down." He looked her in the eye, then fell unconscious.
"Y-yes sir," Ava said. She took a deep breath, composing herself. She was responsible for this ship. "Status report?" She demanded.
The crew hesitated, but one of the bridge operators spoke up.
"The Blaze Luminous shields are down. The system has been overloaded. But our engines and weapons are still functional and the ship is operational, aside from some minor hull damage."
Ava watched as a member of the medical personnel and another crewmember were quickly hurrying the captain and a couple other members of the bridge personnel to the medical bay.
"Location of the enemy vessel?" Ava asked.
"The two cruisers have broken away and are heading towards the Avalon and the Tristan," the crew member replied. "But the battleship is advancing towards us."
Ava examined the situation. They were laid against the large asteroid, which had survived the PACT Battleship's attack, but if they exited the ravine they might be sitting ducks for the battleship. On paper it was a hopeless situation, but…
What would Lelouch do? What would Kayto do? An idea began to form in Ava's mind. It was a little insane, but she saw no other way out.
"Activate all starboard thrusters, and fire our main guns into the side of the asteroid at the same time," Ava ordered. There was a pause, and some among the crew gasped in shock.
"But ma'am, that could severely damage the ship," one of them finally piped up.
"We're a sitting duck if we do nothing. If we try to leave, the Battleship will open fire on us before we can fight back. A barrage would kick up a storm of rocks and debris. If we time this right we can move with the rocks, using them to shield us so we can mount a counterattack," Ava declared. The crew looked uncertain.
"If anyone has a better idea, let's hear it."
Everyone was silent, and Ava knew they were just as aware of how bad their situation was.
"Prepare thrusters. Aiming weapons, preparing to sync firing on your command," the gunnery officer said.
"All stations brace for impact," Ava commanded before pausing for a moment. "How close is the enemy ship?"
"Two hundred klicks and closing in."
"Fire on my mark," Ava said, raising her hand. There was a pause, then she brought her hand down sharply. "FIRE!"
The Excalibur fired a broadside into the wall of the asteroid. Lance batteries, torpedoes, plasma cannons, it all tore into the astral body brutally, shattering it. An enormous cloud of dust was kicked up as the missiles impacted. At the same time the ship's thrusters activated, moving the ship with the moving rock cloud as the asteroid breaking apart enveloped them.
"Taking damage, ma'am!" Her ensign called out. Alert lamps flared red, and across the projection of the ship Ava could see dozens of points of the ship's hull flaring red. But it was working. The PACT Battleship tried to fire on the Black Knight ship, but the rocks shielded it, obscured them, allowing the Excalibur to close the distance.
"Prepare to fire on enemy vessel. Target weapons and engines," Ava commanded. "FIRE!"
Missiles and volleys from the Excalibur's main guns tore apart the PACT Battleship's main guns, before lasers and a second volley of missiles wreaked havoc on the battleship's hull as the Excalibur passed over it.
"Report!" Ava demanded.
"Multiple direct hits, ma'am!" The gunnery officer cried out cheerily. "Severe damage to the enemy hull, main guns likely disabled!"
"Sweep around for another attack run," Ava commanded. "Get close for a full broadside, and avoid its remaining guns. We finish it here and now!"
The battleship still tried to maneuver, but it was slow to turn, slow to react, and with its main guns disabled it could do little, despite the Excalibur's shields being down. Mercilessly, the Black Knights vessel turned around, readying its weapons once more. They went in close, as close as Ava dared, and as they began to pass over the battleship, Ava called out:
"Firing solutions?"
"Complete, ma'am," the gunnery officer curtly replied. "I don't think we even can miss."
"We do it right, or not at all," Ava said firmly. "On my command, open fire. And… FIRE!"
Once more the full might of the Excalibur was unleashed, tearing into the PACT vessel. Thoroughly wrecked, large parts of the vessel broke apart, and the husk of a ship began to drift aimlessly, quite dead.
Witnessing the destruction of the battleship, the carried turned to flee the battlefield, abandoning the Ryders it had brought and the Cruisers escorting it.
"Damn it," Ava cursed as the PACT Carrier escaped, likely to bring with it reinforcements. "Come about and let's aid the Avalon and the Tristian."
"Yes ma'am," the helmsman replied.
Meanwhile, the Avalon and the Tristian were struggling. Four of the remaining PACT Cruisers had begun surrounding them, but the Praetorian units piloted by the trainees had evened the odds against the PACT Ryders. Even if the PACT Ryders still outnumbered them, their higher quality machines and intense and dedicated training, combined with their teamwork and coordination, allowed them to match the enemy.
The Praetorian Ryders were outperforming the PACT Mooks and Bombers. It had not been bloodless, though. Already, four of the young pilots had died, shot down in combat- but PACT had lost nearly twice that number. The PACT Cruisers were unaware of the fact their flagship had just been sunk, that the Excalibur was coming around.
"Engines down to sixty percent, captain. We can't take much more," The Avalon's Executive Officer declared as sparks erupted from a console as their ship took another hit.
"Reload missiles and take aim at the nearest PACT Cruiser," Sergeyevna commanded.
"Wait, Captain… the Excalibur is approaching two enemy cruisers from behind!" cried the XO.
Sergeyevna began to smile. They could turn this around. "PACT can't turn to face it without leaving their backs open to us, and…"
As if on cue, the Boudica destroyed another PACT Bomber before it could fire its anti-ship missiles at the Avalon. Maray, in her machine, was aiding her fellow Black Knights against the dozens of Ryders they were facing, Lloyd's superior machines cutting a swathe through PACT.
Between the two of them, Maray and Hana had destroyed more than a dozen PACT Ryders, turning the fight in their favor. Sergeyevna noticed the PACT Cruisers with the Excalibur approaching from behind was faced with a difficult choice; they could turn and face the approaching enemy ship but leave their backs exposed to the Avalon and its companion ship, or they could try to sink the Avalon as quickly as possible before the Excalibur closed in, but the risk was the same.
Their easy victories made them overconfident, Sergeyevna thought, and now you're paying the price. The Excalibur closed in and unleashed hell upon the rear of the nearest Cruiser, demolishing it in short order. The Tristan emerged victorious from its run against one of the remaining PACT Cruisers, and the second to last was destroyed by Hana and Maray, as the former used the Radiant Wave Surger's beam to cut into the enemy vessel's engines, crippling it and leaving it wide open for a finishing blow.
The last PACT Cruiser tried to flee, but the Excalibur cut it off, before it and the Avalon delivered a devastating broadside that finished the last enemy ship. Still, this wasn't the time to celebrate. Sergeyevna knew time was against them, after receiving a message that the PACT Carrier fled the battle.
"Can we still warp?" Sergeyevna asked, her voice filled with urgency.
"Yes ma'am," replied the XO.
"Bring aboard as many Ryders as we can, tell the Tristian and Excalibur to do the same," Sergeyevna commanded, before turning to her communication's officer. "Contact base. Tell them Scuttle Protocol is in effect. Use whatever transports we have to pick up whatever Ryders they can and evacuate."
"Transports are already inbound. They've set the self-destruct and evacuations are underway," the officer replied.
"Good, then let's hurry and get our people and get out of here!"
All three Excalibur-class ships took on as many Ryders they could, while the transports that brought them and the pilots and the base's personnel picked up the rest. Nuclear bombs set within the base denotated soon after, destroying the base completely, while similar explosions were set off in the battlefield to ensure there would be nothing for PACT to salvage. It was extreme, but it was better than risking PACT getting any piece of their new Ryders for them to reverse engineer. By the time PACT reinforcements arrived, the Black Knights were long gone and their base and any pieces of their new Ryders they could've salvaged were reduced to dust.
The Excalibur was traveling through warp; despite the damage it had sustained it was still capable of travel. It would take a different route back to headquarters to ensure they weren't being followed, but also to make sure the ships themselves weren't being tracked in any way.
Ava entered the Excalibur's sick-bay, where she found Captain Horner awake with some bandages wrapped around his head.
"How are you feeling, captain?" She asked.
"I am a little banged up, but the doctor says I should be alright if I take it easy." Horner replied tiredly.
"That is good," Ava replied, relieved.
"I was told you took command of the situation. You proposed a crazy plan which not only worked, but took down a PACT battleship," Horner said with an approving smile. "I knew you were bold, Crescentia. Daring is a good trait, if tempered with caution and cunning."
"It was a desperate gamble. I just played the best hand I could," Ava said. I might've taken some inspiration from those close to me too.
"You have excellent adaptability. You've proven yourself under fire, when it really counts."
"Thank you sir, but you're too kind."
"Nonsense, you just need a little more work. All you need is confidence and better… people skills," Horner said with a smile.
"People skills?" Ava said confusedly.
She has a long way to go, Horner thought, but she does have potential.
Meanwhile aboard the Avalon, Sergeyevna was meeting the pilots of the Boudica and the Andraste, Maray and Hana stood before Sergeyevna inside her office, with her executive officer standing behind her. Sergeyevna was reviewing the battle reports, with her eyes going wide at the number of PACT Ryders the pair took down.
"Between both of you, an estimated total of fourteen enemy Ryders met their end while you worked together to sink a cruiser," Sergeyevna said, impressed. "In some militaries that would be enough kills for a medal and ace status. Ladies, I must say I am very impressed by your performance. I am sure commander Zero and the other leading captains will agree, and likely actually give you two medals. I wanted to personally offer my thanks and congratulations on your performances."
"Thank you, but those machines were better than expected," Hana said.
"Yeah, I mean the speed on mine was crazy, and how it responded to me," Maray said, both she and Hana deeply in awe of their new machines.
"Well, I don't know if Lloyd mentioned it, we ran quite the process to find the very best pilots we had to pilot them," Sergeyevna replied.
"He did, but seemed more in love with the machine he built," Maray said, wondering if that was the right way to put it. Sergeyevna could only sigh in agreement,
"Lloyd is brilliant, but as you two have learned he is quite… eccentric."
Why do I feel that is something of an understatement? Maray thought.
"Anyway, you two get some rest. You both earned it," Sergeyevna said, rising from her chair to shake their hands. "You have done excellent work today, and will be commended for it. But for now it will be a few days before we return to base. We need to not only make sure we've shaken any pursuers, but also check the ship for any tracking devices."
"Thank you, ma'am," Maray and Hana said, saluting the captain. Hana and Maray were dismissed, exiting her office into the hall.
"Wow, what a wild day that was." Hana said.
"Tell me about it," Maray said, stretching her arms behind her head. "I never thought we'd not only be picked to pilot some kind of super prototypes, but also take them into battle before we could test them out."
"It was something from one of those action holo-movies," Hana agreed, the two walking away together. "So what do you suppose happens now?"
"Beats me," Hana said, shrugging. "I am going to take the Captain's advice and get some rest. You should do the same, because I still feel those G-forces. It was like trying to ride a hover-bike with weights on my arms, chest and legs."
"I know. It wasn't what I expected either. We've always used flight suits meant to handle that."
"As long as we don't end up having to work in our uniforms on a daily basis, I might not have to start wearing my pilot suit under my uniform," Hana said, the two of them sharing a laugh.
A few hours later, Lelouch was meeting with Icari and Lynn in his office. He had just gotten word about the battle, and was reviewing the report. The suggestion of a spy in their ranks leaking the location of their field testing base was alarming, but Lelouch understood that despite all of their precautions it was only a matter of time before they would be infiltrated. Thankfully, Michael assured him they had already identified the leak and were now questioning those the spy had contact with, something Michael would oversee. If needed, Lelouch would geass the man himself. For all they knew, this spy could be working alone, or have companions.
As a precaution, Lelouch had ordered the transports and the ships involved in recent events to head to their Gamma Base until they could ensure all spies were rooted out.
"The damage could've been worse," Lynn said, breaking the silence.
"I agree. The loss of our field-testing base is unfortunate, but at least our headquarters weren't compromised. Just the same, I'll begin accelerating plans to begin moving our HQ to the new base I've prepared as a precaution," Lelouch said, calculating and weighing his options.
"And the spy didn't go through our enslaved Veniczar?" Lynn asked.
"No, apparently this spy was working for a lesser Veniczar. When they got the intelligence on our testing site and we would be tested the new Ryders there, they thought they could seize them to get in on Arcadius's good graces. It's in the report."
"So they thought they could be bold and clever, but it seems it blew up in their face," Lynn said, grinning maliciously. The man's stupidity was astonishing, but soon Lynn adopted a more serious expression. That being said, I think Lelouch is right to suspect that spy wasn't the only one.
"Yes and if that Veniczar didn't go down with the battleship our ships sunk, I am certain Arcadius will punish him harshly, if not outright execute him."
"This is what happens when you rely on a lot of old Imperial officers. These guys defected to PACT to save their own skins, they're nothing but corrupt, glory seeking idiots," Icari said, folding her arms with a contemptuous expression on her face. Lelouch could only sigh, but he understood why Icari might be upset about that.
"You're still upset that I chose to keep that Veniczar alive, instead of throwing him out an air lock?"
"Of course. But I know he's more useful to us alive…for now, right?" Icari asked, shooting Lelouch a look that made him feel uneasy.
"For now, yes, but once he has outlived his usefulness, he's all yours," Lelouch offered reassuringly.
"So how did my creation, the Boudica, do?" Lynn asked with a knowing smile.
"Your creation destroyed eight enemy Ryders and one Cruiser, just beating Lloyd's machine by one," Lelouch said, deciding to appease the Prototype's ego. "I don't know who is piloting them, but I'll be meeting them when they return to headquarters once we've made certain there are no more spies among them."
"Of course my creation would be superior," Lynn said confidently, smiling wide.
As long as your creations perform well I couldn't care less who is the better engineer between you two, Lelouch thought.
"So what's next?" Icari asked.
"We'll need to communicate with the resistance groups we've set up, then set up a plan to visit the planets under enemy control and see if we can bring those overseeing them under my control, so we can silently liberate them without PACT knowing. Then, if all goes well, we may gain the resources we need to build the army we need to drive them out."
"Assuming the governments of those worlds, or what's left of them, are willing to go along with it."
"Yes, it's going to depend on that, but trying to cover all of those planets in the shortest amount of time will be the challenging part. I can only hope C.C. will find someone who can help," Lelouch said, massaging one of his temples with his right hand.
A/N:
As for how G-forces are a thing in space, because I know Greatkingrat88 questioned me on it, but it was something mentioned in game and on the profile for some machines, a small detail but just the same I thought I mention it in case anyone else wondered about that.
And that is it, the Black Knights roll out the successors to the Lancelot and Guren models with Maray and Hana at the helms behind them. But now the Black Knights have a potential spy problem to deal with, they might've caught the spy who leaked the location of their field-testing area. But if one got in, how many more have infiltrated their ranks despite Lelouch's best efforts to keep them out.
The silver-lining is that Lelouch may have found a way to liberate the worlds of the Neutral Rim from under PACT control, and this was a point brought up from the game's Discord server noting that PACT was very quick to bring most of the Neutral Rim under their control, and then when the Alliance got involved they very quickly lost most of the Neutral Rim in a short time, which can assumed to be because unless the world has a critical importance to them most of the worlds they conquered they likely leave behind a small force to occupy it, dedicating most of their forces to quickly conquer the Neutral Rim as fast as possible without taking time to fully secure their new holdings. With the threat of orbital bombardments likely keeping the locals in check.
If Lelouch could Geass those overseeing the world then how long could he get away with liberating these worlds from under PACT's nose, and could he use it to build up an army to push PACT out?
A possibility, if a risky one that Lelouch will try to see if it can work.
As for who Lelouch will end up with, there are a few characters I am leaning towards. But you are welcomed to put forth your suggestions if you wish, just remember me and Greatkingrat88 will hold final say. I will mention though I am considering a threesome, but no harem because I just can't see it happening in this story and I seriously doubt Lelouch would want one, given that it may not go over well with his followers too. Just the same a threesome option would depend on the characters involved since I can't see very many of the cast willing to share save but a few, but I thought I mention it in advance to see what you the readers have to say on it.
Otherwise I'll stick to one girl with Lelouch as planned, but I wanted to see what you guys might think about it, yay or nay? Just the same I am curious about what you guys think and who you think would fit Lelouch best?
I also updated my profile with some updates on my current stories, a new updated poll, and announcements on new projects with links to their own polls, so if a poll I run for a story gets taken down it will be easy for you guys to find. And for now on I'll do polls only for new stories that are in the planning stages.
Anyway thank you all for reading, and any reviews and such are always appreciated.