A/N: Thanks to Greatkingrat88 for his work on the chapter, I am sorry for the time it took for an update to come along. But let's just say Greatkingrat88 is a popular beta, and I am not the only one who seeks his services.
Things are going to be heating up through for the Black Knights, but let me take care of some reviews I can't respond to really quick.
Anonymous: You right on both of them, I think they just need opportunities to get closer to Lelouch since right now Ava and Lynn ironically have the advantage, which is something my Beta even notes. But the upcoming chapters should give them more opportunities since I do plan for potential candidates to have a fair shot at Lelouch.
True on Ava too and she might be conflicted between her and Lelouch, which could be fun to explore regardless.
Lynn, you're not wrong on, but she is among those closest to Lelouch right now.
Maray, yeah that is kinda true, but would that stop her? I do feel one key characteristic needed for the girl to claim Lelouch would be they would have to make the first move. Maray would be among those bold enough to do so. But yes I do agree, and even Lelouch to extent would understand this too, about older brothers having issues with their younger sisters dating their best friend.
I wish I could say, but that would be spoilers, but you'll find out at the right time in the story once Claude becomes more involved.
Guest1: Indeed, he can very likely prevent the Liberation Day Massacre from ever happening, especially depending on how he deals with Arcadius.
Guest2: Thank you.
Yup exactly, that is the reason why, to ensure the Solar Alliance stays out of the fight.
I don't deny that is true, Milly and C.C. would be working together to play matchmaker, and why they don't get involved with Lelouch is because both are immortal (something I am mentioning in case anyone else was wondering), and Lelouch likely doesn't want immortality either. Not to mention its going to be rough for them already to see him die of old age, BUT with that in mind they will be pushing for Lelouch to get together with someone. Maray is going to have to interact with Lelouch more to get into position, but Ava…well she'll be in a good position following this chapter if her any lingering feelings for Kayto don't hold her back.
I will say I am contemplating a threesome at most, I can't see a harem happening, but a threesome could work. One idea me and my beta contemplated was a threesome involving Lelouch, Ava and Lynn. Due to them being the closest to Lelouch at this point.
Ok on with the chapter.
Chapter 22
Limits
Lelouch was in his office, massaging his temples, his mask placed on his desk. He was meeting with Icari and Lynn, laying out a plan for his mission to begin the silent liberation of PACT occupied worlds. Unfortunately, Garibaldi had just informed him of another spy, laying out the details. Thankfully, this one had been caught before they could cause any damage. What unsettled him wasn't the fact this was the second incident of infiltration being discovered in the last few days, but that it seemed unrelated to PACT.
"This spy wasn't related to PACT? Can we be sure?" Icari asked.
Garibaldi shook his head. "When we checked his DNA we got a hit on a Jack Bonnet, a member of the Scarlet Star pirate group," He used his holo to display a mugshot of the criminal, a bearded, brown-haired man with a scar over one of his blue eyes, looking every bit the rugged pirate. "He has quite the rap sheet. He was captured and imprisoned, but his buddies broke him out. Since the Black Knights started hunting down pirate groups they dropped off the grid, conducting industrial sabotage and some small-scale crimes. Broadings, robberies, that kind of thing."
"Likely to avoid the Black Knights," Icari deduced. "We became famous for crushing Captain Kidd, so a lot of pirates, at least those lacking the forces and firepower, went underground. Others started operating in one area for a limited time then moving on quickly before we could chase them down. But you always get the occasional group of dumbasses who are too bold for their own good."
"Yeah, but this guy… I suspect PACT might've hired him, given how he got in."
"What did he do, get plastic surgery or something?" Icari said jokingly.
"As a matter of fact, that is what he did." Garibaldi replied.
"You're kidding?!" Icari said, shocked.
"We think he killed the man whose identity he stole, then underwent surgery to change his appearance to match it. It was only when we checked his DNA that we figured out his identity. While we were running a background check, we found out the guy was dead and buried. He was killed about a year ago,"
That is close to the time he joined, Lelouch thought, suddenly alarmed. So I had a pirate spy in our ranks for almost a year?
"And we only found out about this recently!?" Icari snapped, suddenly irate. "That sounds like an oversight to me!"
"With respect, the Black Knights began as a grassroots organization. We simply did not have the infrastructure or resources to vet every single candidate. If we asked every volunteer to wait a month while we did a background check, we would not have had an army," Garibaldi explained patiently. "We only found out as we were investigating his background following yesterday's incident. His body was discovered. He was murdered in a mugging that went bad, or so the police believed. They never found the killer, and the investigation was quietly shelved. Complicating the matter, his body was also found months after his death, which investigators found just weeks before joining the Black Knights."
"So they just assumed it was a mugging gone bad and that was it?" Lelouch said, stunned that it had gone unnoticed for so long.
Lynn was silent, observing Lelouch's reactions and responses.
"Are we going to have to include DNA testing for recruits now?" Lelouch asked.
"That would be difficult, if not impossible. Most of the places these people come from barely have the means to take blood and keep a DNA profile," Garibaldi said. Lelouch sighed. "All we can do is tighten our security measures. We can put into effect stricter information control, decided by rank, to determine access privileges. Information about the graveyard and that Ryuvian colony should be kept out of the mainframe of our bases as an added precaution."
"We could always plant some false data to feed to PACT and even ensnare any spies attempting to hack their way to more sensitive information," Icari suggested. "Lace our trap with tempting, but fake information with a virus so we can track them. Maybe our super genius in the room could whip up something too."
Lynn couldn't help but grin with pride.
"Make it so," he said.
"Right then. We'll take care of it, then complete our preparations for Operation Silent Liberation," Garibaldi said.
"Good. I'll let you three take care of your share of securing our systems from infiltration," Lelouch said, gesturing to dismiss them. "But I want us to expand on our intelligence division. I need reliable information about enemy movements, not just internal investigations or a few PACT contacts. We need a comprehensive network of spies if we are to win this war."
"Quite a task," said Garibaldi thoughtfully. "I'll draft up some plans when I have the time."
Lelouch nodded. "We'll shelve that for another day. For now, you are all dismissed."
Almost everyone left the room, except for Lynn.
"I take it you have something to say?" Lelouch asked.
"I do," Lynn replied. "A question. Were spies a problem for you back then?"
"No. We had a tight system of information control, and only individual cell members knew what they needed to know. We had one or two leaks that resulted in some bases being discovered, but because of how much information they were limited to being aware of, the damage was minimalized."
"It probably helped that your Knights of Justice shtick probably made fewer people want to report on you?"
"Yes. Because of how oppressive and discriminatory they were to the Japanese for seven years, we had a lot of public sympathy. It certainly didn't hurt that we were a much smaller, more underground organization. What are you getting at?"
"Things have changed," Lynn said, seeming deep in thought. "With leaks like these, we have to consider the possibility that our plans are compromised. Have you considered delaying the operation until we've made the necessary changes?"
"As much as I would like to ensure there are no spies in the Black Knights, I know that is impossible," Lelouch said, sounding reluctant. "Some will always slip through the cracks. It's unavoidable with so many people from so many different backgrounds."
"Glad to see you not thinking you could remove all spies from the Black Knights," Lynn said appreciatively..
"I wish I could honestly," Lelouch replied with a sigh. "As much as I would've liked to have kept them out, but that would only happen in an ideal world. I can only hope we can keep them from learning and passing along anything that would be damaging."
"True. You've got a couple secrets that would be bad if they got out, especially to PACT," Lynn acknowledged with a nod. "I think the security measures you put into place are enough, but I can enhance them. The addition of higher levels of encryption that a super computer couldn't easily crack, that can shift and turn without not only a proper access code, but would also require the exact biometics of an authorized user."
"Make it so," Lelouch said, giving his blessing before he narrowed his eyes. "Now, what was it you really wanted to ask me?"
"I wanted to be sure you weren't considering an unrealistic course of action with the whole spy problem. And… how you manipulated me to join the Black Knights. Using my growing individuality and anger at being abandoned was devious of you," Lynn said, although she raised an eyebrow at the lack of reaction from Lelouch. "Did you seriously think I wouldn't have noticed?"
"It was a risky gamble, yes, but considering the Prototypes could be a serious problem in the upcoming conflict with PACT, I needed someone who knew them and was familiar with them to gain whatever edge I could. Your engineering skills knowledge of Ancient Ryuvian technology was an unexpected, but not unwelcome boon. Of course I wanted you on my side," Lelouch admitted.
Lynn gave him a quizzical look.
"Well, your reasoning is perfectly logical, considering the resources and men you commanded back then. You had no idea whether Arcadius would unleash the Prototypes when the war broke out either."
"Also true, but so far it seems PACT has held them back. Arcadius is likely concerned that their introduction into the war could spook the Solar Alliance into fortifying their borders. But yes, I did nudge you in a certain direction, hoping you would side with me. But I never forced you to do anything, and I've given you a fair deal, I believe. You are no slave of mine. So where does this leave us? Will you go elsewhere?"
"No," Lynn spoke flatly. "True, I was angry when I realized it, but I was angrier at my so-called sisters being abandoned and left to the wolves. You could have killed me after using your Geass to get everything out of me, but you didn't? You took a risk to bring me over to your side. A big risk, given what I could do."
"A big gamble, as I said. One I believe worked out in my favor," Lelouch replied, resting his chin on both of his hands, his elbows on his desk.
"Really?" Lynn said, folding her arms, not sounding completely convinced.
They stared at one another. Reluctantly, Lelouch gave in.
"Let's just say that I understand what being abandoned and betrayed feels like. What I saw on your face when they cut you off… let's just say they left an impression."
Lynn was quiet for a moment, processing his answer.
"I see. So it was pity," Lynn said before lightly laughing. "I can't believe you took such a risk on sentimental grounds."
"What can I say? It was my emotions, my passions that shaped me and made me who I am."
"You seem very different from what I expected, Lelouch. At first I thought you were just a warlord like any other. Then, I thought you were a cold, ruthless visionary. Now, I am not sure what to make of you. I can't tell if you are a fool, if you are crazy, or a genius."
"All of the above," Lelouch replied with a grin. "I must be a fool to believe I can make a difference where logic would say that would be impossible. I must be crazy to think I could take on a superpower and do it anyway. I must be a genius to see the path forward, even if my emotions greatly influence my decisions. It is what defines me as Lelouch and Zero, and what makes me human. Logic alone would only limit the paths forward you can see. It is a tool, nothing more."
"You are a cut above most humans I've studied and seen, I'll give you that. Especially having gotten the better of me," Lynn said with her own smirk. "I was built to be superior to humans in both intellect and physically, and yet you somehow bested me. It's comforting to know it wasn't a fluke."
"Heh, I've faced more than my own fair share of steep odds. I've faced Suzaku for months, piloting a super prototype that ruined most of my plans. I still escaped and I came very close to killing him once, and the lessons learned from such battles were useful in fighting you," Lelouch said, a little pride in his voice. Such experiences had been useful in his efforts to defeat PACT and rebuild the Black Knights.
"Does that satisfy you?" Lelouch asked, when Lynn was silent.
"Yes," Lynn said, not sure what else to say. "You can count on me to help you be a complete nightmare to my former sisters and PACT."
"Very good," Lelouch replied. Lynn turned to leave. However, she paused by the door, looking over her shoulder at Lelouch.
"There is one last thing. Thank you for treating me as a person. Not the disposable pilot I was made to be."
She left before Lelouch could respond. Once outside of his office, Lynn paused for a moment in the hallway, trying to process the emotions she felt. She had meant what she had said, but she hadn't realized how much it meant until she said it. She had been made for a purpose, unfree, by uncaring, cold people that viewed her only as a tool. Now, for the first time in her life, she had a choice. It was a strange feeling, elation mixed with fear, uncertainty. And there was something she was still trying to make sense of.
The way the young man made her feel. She had at first thought of him as another exploiter, then she had found him intriguing. Now… he seemed to her a better man than most she had known. Lelouch had proven to be above the average human in his own way. Despite the odds and difficulties before him, before and after she came along, he had prevailed, beaten back a superpower like PACT with inferior numbers.
He only lacked the means to drive PACT back, for now, but his accomplishments were undeniable. But it was not just personal excellence, but the way he attracted excellence. All of his commanders were capable people in their own right, probably the best of their kind, and they had chosen to swear allegiance to him and his cause.
He had even reverse engineered Ancient Ryuvian technology. She had questioned if Lelouch could accomplish what he had done without it, but somehow, she was confident he could, even if it might have taken longer for him to reach that point of the Black Knights being highly effective.
He was a great leader, mixing tactical brilliance with compassion. He had treated her as a person when nobody else had. He was… something else. And yet, she was not sure what to think.
Why do I feel like this when I am near him? I… I… almost didn't want to leave, Lynn thought.
A week later, after the necessary repairs had been finished, Isadora Sergeyevna and the Avalon were sent out on mission, with Maray and Hana aboard her ship. On the bridge, Isadora reclined in her chair as her ship traveled at warp speed. Soon, they would be where they needed to be.
"ETA to destination is two minutes, captain," a bridge crew member reported.
"Very good. As soon as we exit warp, go to red alert and deploy Ryders. We're going after the ships protecting the outpost, while our Ryders will deal with the PACT Ryders and the smaller ships defending it," Isadora commanded.
"Understood," The bridge crewman replied before making a ship-wide announcement. "Yellow alert! All hands prepare for battle stations!"
"How long until the Excalibur joins us?" Sergeyevna demanded.
"They are on schedule to rendezvous with us once we come out of wrap," a communication's officer reported.
"Good. Have our Ryder pilots ready to launch."
Their target was a newly constructed PACT outpost. Not only did these bases provide supplies and communication for PACT forces, but they also had the means of monitoring the movements of ships within their long-range sensors. PACT had employed such methods to tightly control and monitor anyone traveling within their space, and were now planning to employ a similar system to do the same in their new conquered territories. They had to be destroyed, or their ability to operate would be compromised. To make it even more important, their destruction would hinder PACT communications, coordination efforts and supplying their ships.
"Exiting warp in five! Four! Three! Two! One!" The helmsman announced as the ship exited warp. "PACT Outpost dead ahead!"
Ahead of them was the outpost, a space station built with a ring-like structure surrounding a main shaft-like structure near the middle. Surrounding the space station itself were six PACT Cruisers, one Carrier, and a dozen missile frigates.
"Deploy Ryders, battle stations!" Isadora commanded.
"The Excalibur has just exited warp near our position. They are deploying Ryders!"
"Let's hit PACT hard before their ships can respond!" Isadora said. "Prepare weapons, ready a volley of missiles!"
"Aye, captain!"
On the bridge of the Excalibur, Max Horner and Ava observed the launching of their Ryders. Already, weapons were marking their targets. Meanwhile Maray and Hana led the charge from the Ryders as a group of Knight units from both the Excalibur and the Avalon. Simultaneously, the PACT carrier had managed to scramble its Ryders, while the Missile frigates hurried forward to unleash their complement of missiles. The Excalibur's long-range lasers, mounted gun placements and Ryders swiftly shot them down. However, it gave the PACT Ryders and Cruisers to close the distance between them and the Black Knights.
"All weapons, target those PACT ships. We need to take out that outpost before PACT can call for reinforcements!" Captain Horner commanded.
"Accelerate to full combat speed," Ava ordered. "Fire missiles at the PACT Ryders, then target the approaching Cruisers with the main guns!"
Horner had no objections, knowing as well as Ava did that the guns on the PACT ships could shoot down most of their missiles.
The barrage was fired, missiles speeding towards their targets. Thanks to the limited weapons of the enemy Ryders, they were forced to focus their attention on the incoming missiles, failing to realize until it was too late that it left them vulnerable to attacks from the Black Knight Ryders. The forward units piloted by Hana and Maray savagely tore into them. Maray fired her advanced VARIS rifle at the approaching enemy Ryders. Those who chose to evade survived, while those who tried to use shields were destroyed, unable to withstand the pretreating power of the rifles used by the Boudica and the Andraste.
The older Ryders, New Empire models repurposed by PACT, simply couldn't keep up. The machines were out of date, and many of the pilots were inexperienced.
"Behind you, Hana," Maray warned, using a retractable MSV blade to gut a PACT Mook when it made a desperate charge against her.
"I got them. You have a group coming at you at two o'clock, with a bomber really to fire at you," Hana replied, shooting the attacking PACT Ryder down.
Expanding the energy wings of the Andraste, Maray unleashed a storm of energy bolts that tore apart the incoming Ryders. The shields the mooks carried offered some protection, but not enough to protect their exposed limbs. Maray then targeted the Heavy Bomber Ryder, shooting it down with the Hadron Cannon mounted in the stomach of her machine. The beam tore straight through it, clipping two Ryders behind the target.
"PACT Cruiser, closing in," Ava reported.
"Target the main guns and open fire, then prepare lasers. See if we can do some more crowd control for our Ryders," Matt commanded through the intercom.
"Aye sir. Evasive maneuvers until we have target acquisition," Ava ordered her squadron.
"Captain, we have more missiles incoming, from the PACT Outpost!" A bridge crewman reported.
"Using the Blaze Luminous shield if needed. Otherwise, our gun turrets should be able to handle them," Captain Horner replied.
"Aye-aye, sir!"
The Excalibur opened fire on the nearest PACT Cruiser as soon as they were in effective range. The main VARIS-type main guns fired twice, hitting the bow of the craft, while the second set of shots hit closer to the stern. The last two shots had to have struck something vital, as explosions flared silently, tearing apart the ship from the inside.
"Enemy Cruiser destroyed, Captain. Five remain!"
"Well done. Let's pick up the pace, we don't know if enemy reinforcements will show up," Horner replied. Time was their greatest enemy; there was no telling if a PACT squadron would be close by. It was certain the Outpost had already called for reinforcements, which meant it was only a matter of time before they arrived. Their saving grace was that due to Arcadius being intent on conquering the Neutral Rim as fast as possible, he had dedicated most of PACT's forces to the ongoing conquest, leaving few ships to protect their outposts and key strategic planets, while others were left to installed hastily puppet governments with sufficient soldiers as needed, combined with the threat with orbital bombardment if any uprising is attempted.
"Could we force our way through to the outpost to destroy it?" Horner said, an idea forming in his head.
"That would be ill-advised, sir. The other Cruisers and Missile Frigates would focus their attention on us," Ava warned.
"Maybe that's what we want."
"We could use the wreckage of the Cruiser we destroyed to help cover us," Ava suggested.
"Good idea. Use an anchor to drag the Cruiser. See if we can't move the wreck towards the outpost along with us," Horner agreed. "Then send a message to the Avalon. Tell them I am creating an opening, and they need to be ready to exploit it."
"Understood, message being sent."
The Excalibur moved closer to the remains of the destroyed Cruiser, firing its anchor into the wreck before diverting needed power to the engines to drag the ship along, just enough to send it drifting towards the outpost. As Ava expected, the two of the PACT Cruisers with half of the Missile Frigates were moving to intercept the Excalibur, but the Avalon seized on the opportunity to attack the intercepting vessels, having responded quickly. They fired another volley of missiles, and although they were intercepted quickly by the enemy, they didn't realize they were a diversion.
"All forward guns, open fire!" Isadora commanded, having moved her ship into position to have a clear shot at the enemy ships.
The Black Knight Ryders went after the Missile Frigates, shooting them down from behind while the rest of them, aided by Hana and Maray, held back the remainder. The two powerful machines they commanded had already defeated dozens of enemy Ryders.
The Avalon's shots hit home, and a second PACT Cruiser erupted into a fireball. Two of the PACT Cruisers continued towards the Excalibur, firing lasers, while the last one went for the Avalon to stop its advance. Unfortunately, most of the Ryders deployed by the Carrier had been devastated, with the last dozen Ryders being mopped up by the Ryders from the two Black Knight ships. Hana launched an assault upon the Cruiser. Once she closed the distance and slipped behind the enemy ship, she used the Radiant Wave Surger. The Boudica fired a focused beam into the exposed engines behind the cruiser, and the beam continued as Hana moved it about into the engine exhaust. Following her attack she quickly fled, narrowly avoiding the chain of explosions she triggered, which were not just tearing them apart, but likely the engineering section of the cruiser too.
Hana pulled away, expecting the PACT ship to explode. To her disappointment, the vessel did not go up in flames, but the damage, she inflicted upon it left it drifting through space. Escape pods launched from the crippled ship; likely the crew panicked. No ship destroying explosion ever came.
"Wow, are these guys fresh to crewing a warship?" Hana scoffed.
The Black Knights and the Ryders pulled away from the PACT ship, just in case it would self-destruct.
"We've been killing a lot of their Ryders. Even with machines as good as ours, this is pretty lopsided. I think we might've been facing a bunch of raw recruits," Maray said, gutting another enemy Ryder with her MSV tonfa blade.
"I think they call their basic Ryder a Mook, so I think in this case it's both figurative and literally true this time around," Hana added with a small smile.
Meanwhile, the Avalon closed in on the two PACT cruisers from behind, unleashing fury upon their rear. It was joined by Ryders deployed from both ships, having finished mopping up the last of the enemy Ryders. The PACT Cruisers could do nothing against such an onslaught, and were swiftly destroyed.
"Captain, the PACT Carrier is fleeing the battlefield," a bridge member on the Avalon reported.
"Then let's hit that outpost then get the hell out of here!" Isadora commanded.
The PACT Outpost had some shields, but that was it for its defensive and offensive capabilities, as it was reliant on the protection of PACT Ryders and ships. Even so, the outpost wasn't completely defenseless; as the Black Knights approached, its mounted kinetic guns and lasers began firing. But the firepower was weak, and the Excalibur-class ships' hulls easily weathered the storm.
The Excalibur-class ships had VARIS-based main guns that could hit from just outside the effective range of the Outpost's weapons. It did not even need to approach; they only did so to destroy the outpost faster. Four shots was all it took before the Outpost erupted into a fireball.
"Good job, everyone. All Ryders, return to ship. Then, we warp out of here!" Isadora said proudly.
The two ships collected their Ryders and left as soon as they had come. It had been a lightning strike; within two hours, the outpost had been reduced to smithereens, the Knights gone as quickly as they had arrived.
A few hours later on New Eden, a shivering Cullen was communicating by Holo to Arcadius. Who, despite the mask, was clearly displeased over the destruction of the outpost, and the nuisance the Black Knights had been. Their conquest of the Neutral Rim had gone according to plan, but the hit-and-run raids of the Knights were slowing them down, inflicting losses on their guard crews. Now the losses of their Outposts was not only causing communication and supply line issues, which was affecting the speed in which they were conquering the Neutral Rim, but they kept losing ships and Ryders to the Black Knights, forcing them to divert forces from their conquest fleets to reinforce the outposts that remained.
"I know the Black Knights are a problem," Cullen began nervously, "but rest reassured, my Veniczar, our liberation of the Neutral Rim is proceeding as planned…" He trailed off, terrified of Arcadius's fury. As much as Fontana enjoyed watching Cullen squirm, he was worried. The Black Knights were more than just a small raiding force; they posed a genuine threat that had to be dealt with before the invasion could continue. Which would mean slowing down to deal with them, which would upset their schedule- which would, of course, upset Arcadius.
"AS PLANNED?!" Arcadius roared, interrupting Fontana's thoughts. "OUR LOSSES MAKE OUR NEW LIBERATIONS WORTHLESS! We lost five outposts in the span of a day. That was a set of carefully planned, well executed attacks that crippled logistics in those sectors!"
"Forgive me!" Cullen said, his knees buckling in panic as he pleaded.
"We are hemorrhaging men and supplies, and we haven't even liberated HALF of the Neutral Rim yet. We now have to divert fleets to reinforce our supply and communication lines, slowing down our efforts. How do you plan to amend this, Cullen?!" Arcadius demanded. Although they had regained their composure, their fury was barely contained under the surface.
"I… I… " Cullen struggled to say, but it was clear the man had no idea.
"If I may, my Veniczar," Fontana began, politely.
"We trust you have a plan, Fontana?"
"I do," Fontana replied, pulling a remote from his coat to push a button.
A holographic screen appeared behind the terrified Cullen with designs for a new kind of warship and new Ryders, titled Naval Modernization Program.
"I have been reviewing data collected from our encounters with the Black Knights, including a recent one where an overeager Veniczar attempted to seize what was believed to be their home base revealed to us by a spy. However, instead it was merely one of many bases they used and a testing site for a new advanced prototype Ryder, two of them," Fontana explained, using his remote to bring up footage from the battle as the Boudica and the Andraste slaughtered the PACT Ryders. "Also, I should note the Black Knights had another unit, likely a new mass production model with greater performance and combat capabilities than their previous unit."
The next video showed the Praetorian Ryder outperforming their own Ryders, highlighting a difference between their machines.
"I would also like to point out, as we observed with Zero during his clashes against Captain Kidd, that Zero was clever enough to never show us the full capabilities of the Black Knights. So, it begs the question just what other weapons or new warships the Black Knights may have? Our path is clear. We must modernize our fleet and develop newer ships and Ryders to compete against the Black Knights. Even if we find them our ships and Ryders are clearly no match for them," Fontana proposed, pocketing the remote.
"You can't be serious, boy. Do you know the resources that would require? And if you haven't noticed, we are in the middle of liberating the Neutral Rim!" Cullen said, suddenly returned to his old arrogant self, hoping Fontana would incur Arcadius's fury instead.
"We are wasting more lives and resources already. Our machines can't match them. It should come as no surprise, as all our craft are repurposed New Empire ships and decades old Ryders. Something must change, or our losses will continue to grow until our efforts to liberate the Neutral Rim are stalled completely," Fontana countered, folding his arms over his chest.
"Foolish brat, you aren't considering-" Cullen began.
"SILENCE!"
Cullen fell quiet immediately.
"You have our approval, Fontana. We shall ensure you will have the resources and personnel required. How soon can you have a fleet prepared?"
"It will take time, my Veniczar. I shall assemble a modern battle-ready fleet as soon as possible, but building a new fleet and training its personnel could take months, if not years," Fontana replied.
"It's fine. Wedo not want ineffective ships from a hastily built fleet, but we urge you to make any effort to quicken production as much as possible. You shall have veteran pilots for the new Ryders," Arcadius replied. "The Black Knights may not be the first to do this against us. For the long term, I believe our forces need to be modernized regardless."
"I understand, my Veniczar," Fontana replied with a bow. "But the Black Knights remain a threat in the here and now, and if not dealt with, they will eventually stall or even stop our offensive. We must end their raids immediately. I propose we divert a significant amount of our forces to form a larger task force to crush them once and for all, before the casualties can add up any further."
"That would slow our liberation!" Cullen protested.
"It would, but not as much as losing more outposts would," Fontana countered. "If we do not do this now, we will be forced to later, after we suffered even greater losses. These are no opportunist renegades. They pose a serious threat to our cause, and must be dealt with using overwhelming force."
Cullen looked as if he wanted to protest, but Arcadius raised a hand to silence him before he could begin.
"We agree, Cullen," Arcadius said, turning to the frightened man. "You shall lead this combined fleet personally. Consider this your chance to make up for your blunders. But if you fail, then you best hope you die at the hands of the Black Knights. Are we clear?"
"As glass, my Veniczar," Cullen replied nervously.
"Good. You are to begin preparations immediately. You are free to organize this fleet as you wish. Remember, their purpose is to hunt down the Black Knights and destroy them. Until you find them, reinforce our forces and supply lines accordingly, and focus our efforts on liberating worlds with useful resources over the ones with lesser value."
"I understand," Cullen replied. Abruptly, the transmission ended. Fontana left, leaving Arcadius alone with their thoughts.
Fontana's fleet will need more than mere skilled humans for pilots, Arcadius thought, as an idea came to mind. The Black Knights… until now, they had thought very little of them.
Elsewhere in the galaxy, Captain Horner was in his office when Ava, summoned at his behest, appeared in his doorway. The young woman didn't know why she had been called. Upon entering, she saw that Captain Kenway was present, projected by holo.
"Lieutenant Commander Crescentia reporting," Ava replied with a salute.
"At ease. Come in," Horner replied, motioning for Ava to sit down. She sat in one of the chairs in front of Max's desk, the hologram of Kenway seated in the one next to her.
"Lieutenant Commander, let me introduce the newly promoted Commodore Eustace Kenway," Max said.
"A pleasure, sir," Ava replied.
"Likewise. It's always good to meet a fellow Ceran," Kenway said. Ava was surprised, although not unpleasantly so. "But let's get down to business. Firstly, by the will of Zero, you are being promoted to Commander."
"Commander?" Ava said, surprised, but quickly realized something. "Forgive me, but while I appreciate the promotion, I think this was something the captain could've handled on his own."
"You noticed. Very good. As you suspected, the promotion is only half the reason I am here," Kenway explained.
"Apparently, some kind of big operation is in the works that requires Zero and his flagship. They will be conducting a top-secret mission known only to a select few. Jeremiah will be running the Black Knights while Zero is away, but his flagship needs an executive officer to oversee its day-to-day operations while acting as its captain while Zero is away. Officially it has been Zero and Jeremiah who co-led the ship as captain and executive officer, so the Rhongomyniad hasn't had an official executive officer," Captain Horner explained.
Kenway continued.
"Since Jeremiah will be needed to direct the Black Knights in Zero's absence, and given the secrecy of this mission, only those who are absolutely trusted are being allowed on the ship. This gave us a fairly small pool of candidates, until some of the higher ranked leaders suggested you. It's time we officially fill that position aboard the ship. Are you interested, Commander Crescentia?"
"You aren't likely to see a lot of action," Horner added. "Based on what I am told, the Rhongomyniad will be nearby, so if whatever mission Zero is overseeing goes south it will be there to provide backup. You've been doing much better than our last conversation, so overseeing a much larger ship could be good for you."
"If you believe that, sir, then I accept the position," Ava replied.
"Very good. The Excalibur will return to HQ so you can transfer to the Rhongomyniad. Congratulations, Commander. For now, you are dismissed." Kenway said.
"Thank you, sir," Ava replied.
"Not at all. I agree with your captain, this could be a good opportunity for you."
"I will be sorry to lose you, but I think this experience will also be good for you too," Max said with a smile.
"I appreciate the confidence, sir. If you'll excuse me?"
"Of course. The Commodore and I still have much to talk about."
Ava left promptly, leaving the two men to talk.
"I am glad to see that man's daughter turned different. She is not a chip off the old block," Kenway said casually.
"You knew her father?" Max asked, curious.
"When I served in the Ceran Space Force, yes."
"I see. I take it you did not get along."
"He was and is a son of a bitch, plain and simple," Kenway said bluntly. "Cared only about himself and his career. No wonder his daughter rebelled. The less said about him, the better. You think Ava will do well in her new posting?"
Max shrugged. "Maybe. She has a way to go. She is talented, but inexperienced. Maybe a little sink or swim will be good for her."
"We'll see." said Kenway thoughtfully.
A/N: After getting their butts handed to them on a plate, PACT is taking action. This has caused their invasion to stall, but the Black Knights can no longer be ignored. Thankfully for Lelouch it takes time to prepare such a fleet so Lelouch has maybe a couple months before he has to deal with it.
Meaning plenty of time to take care of other things, such as character interactions. Maybe giving Ava, Icari and Sola chances to interact with Lelouch while competing with Lynn.
Pairings aren't happening in a chapter or two, so other contenders still have a chance. Maray on the other hand is at a disadvantage through, as she needs to be on the same ship with Lelouch.
So that is all I got, next on me and my beta's plate is the Kingdom Hearts Crossover, Lelouch of Infinite Hearts. However, if there is another delay in any updates I am posting another story I've been working on to give folks something to read until my beta is done with the chapter, or finishes with his other clients before coming back to my stuff.
Thank you all for reading and I look forward to your feedback.