A/N: It has been a while since I've posted anything, hasn't it? A year and a half, plus change. A lot has happened since then. I've graduated college, got a job, moved out, got another, better job, moved again... Honestly, I was wondering if I would ever get a chance, or the motivation, to write again. However, about a week ago, this idea came to me and refused to leave, so I am therefore obligated to at least start it.
Note that this will not be a simple retread of the Code Geass storyline with aliens involved. It won't just be a case where Zero and X-Com join forces and save the day. While I do enjoy stories like that, I've come to realize that sticking too close to the script quickly makes things repetitive, and would squander the crossover element I have been planning to introduce. Thus, I will guarantee that by the time the story's chronology reaches the end of R1, the butterfly effect will have derailed things to the point where the circumstances for R2 simply will not exist.
Another note is that this story will be drawing inspiration more from the older, 1990s X-Com games than from the newer XCOM: Enemy Unknown and XCOM 2, as well as from mods for the former like XPiratez and The X-Com Files (Both of which I cannot recommend enough). This isn't to say, of course, that the new games are bad. On the contrary, both are excellent games, but I felt like the original games would fit what I planned better from a narrative standpoint, and so will focus more on those, with the newer stuff being occasionally sprinkled in as I see fit. With this in mind, I hope that you all still enjoy this latest work of mine.
Also, just to let you know in advance, I won't be using the dates listed on the wiki for the events that take place. The wiki's dates are completely nonsensical, and often give different dates for the same event. For instance, on Joseph Fenette's page it says he died on April 2nd, 2017, and then it goes on and says the Battle of Narita took place on August 17th, 2017. Looking at climate data and topography for the region, Narita is not a particularly tall or mountainous area, and so for snow to be falling there, it would have to be very early in the year. From what my research into the subject tells me, I would say that Narita taking place in early April would make sense, since the snow does not fall for long. The events before Narita then (Shinjuku Massacre, Rescue of Suzaku, Saitama Massacre, Lake Kawaguchi) would have taken place over the course of February-March, perhaps after a somewhat warm winter.
That's not to mention that the dates given for major events are so compressed that it would mean the Black Knights were operating on essentially zero sleep from Kawaguchi (which, according to the wiki, took place on August 22nd, 2017), to the Black Rebellion (September 8th). Suffice to say, having the entirety of the Black Knights' activities take place in a little over two weeks would imply that they are all hopped up on Panzerschokolade. Thus, I will be decompressing the timeline a fair bit compared to what the wiki's dates say.
Chapter 1
The ghettos of Tokyo were a dangerous place at night. Gangsters, terrorists, revolutionaries, Britannian police, and starving citizens alike, were willing to kill any trespasser. Be it a desire to keep their illicit activities hidden, to prove a point, sheer sadism, or just a desire to steal some money for a hot meal, there was no shortage of reasons for the locals to murder a clueless passerby. Even the architecture, which ranged from bombed out ruins to shoddily built housing projects, could crumble without warning onto the heads of a family taking shelter beneath.
None of these dangers, though, dared to bother the force moving through the street at this late hour. Four large, black SUVs, with tinted windows and blacked out headlights, moved through the streets, along with two large black trucks hauling shipping containers and a single APC. They enter the ghetto at separate times, on different roads, but their paths, drawn up in advance by their leader, converge until, less than a mile from their destination, they merge into a single column.
"Everyone is here?" Their leader's voice crackles over the radio.
"P1 here." The response comes a moment later, from one of the SUVs.
"P2, let's do this!"
"P3, we're ready to go."
"P4, checking in."
"R1, locked and loaded." That was the APC.
"Q1 here, I'm ready." One of the trucks checks in, finishing roll call.
"Good. Our objective for tonight is a particularly large refrain deal. My contacts have informed me that a large shipment has arrived from outside the Area, and it is currently being sold off in the old Mitsubishi auto factory up ahead. What's more, we believe that a contingent of corrupt Knightpolice will be present in force, representing the interests of a Britannian baron."
"Parasitic bastards..." Q1 growls.
"Quite. Unfortunately for them, the days of easy refrain dealing under Clovis are at an end, and the Black Knights will deliver the memo." Zero replies.
"To that end, we are going to encircle the factory. Q1, R1, P1 and P2, you will be taking up positions near the front entrance. P3, P4, you will circle around and dismount around the sides. Once I give the signal, R1, you will drive your APC through the garage doors, open fire and lay down a smoke screen. Once the smoke is down, Q1, you will enter and engage Knightmares they may have on the factory room floor. P1, P2, you will enter behind her, and link up with R1's dismounts. You will be the diversionary force. P3, P4, once we've broken through, the enemy will attempt to flee out the opposite side of the building. Let them get out onto the open, and then gun them down. If a Knightmare comes your way, call for Q1 and use your RPGs." Zero orders.
"Yes, Zero-sama!" The response comes.
"I will be joining with P2 for this operation." Zero continues a moment later.
"You hear that? Zero's riding with us tonight! Looks like he likes us most!" P2 calls out.
"Oh shut it, Tamaki! He's only going with you because he needs to babysit you." Q1 replies, though there's no malice in her tone.
"Whatever helps ya sleep at night, Kallen!" Tamaki laughs.
"Right. One last thing." Zero's voice cuts through the chatter.
"Our goal here is to stop the deal, destroy the Refrain, and kill as many dealers as possible. If you see someone who looks important, then capture them, but only if it is practical to do so. While a high ranking prisoner would be appreciated, it is not necessary."
"Roger!"
"Now then... Black Knights... Move out!"
With that, the convoy split apart again, two SUVs breaking off to take up flanking positions around the factory, while the trucks peel off and stop behind an office building. The shipping container on one unfolds a moment later, revealing itself to be a decoy, and inside...
A bright red-painted Glasgow Knightmare frame powers on, before standing up from its crouched storage position. The giant mecha rolls off the flatbed and stops as the door of the second truck opens. A man in a cloak and featureless round helmet exits, before turning around and grabbing an assault rifle and several grenades. Thus armed, he turns and walks over to the Knightmare, grabbing onto its leg and pulling himself up, holding on tight as the Glasgow begins to roll, moving out to link up with the Black Knights up ahead.
"R1, in position."
"P3, we're dismounting now."
"P4, we're in position."
Zero listens to the reports coming in, smiling under his mask at the satisfaction of a plan coming together as the Glasgow pauses, allowing for him to step off and take up position with P2.
"K1, in position." He finally reports.
"All units... Engage!"
R1's engine roars to life as the eight-wheeled APC's driver floors it, aiming straight for the large garage door that served as the entrance to the factory floor. The corrugated steel door stands no chance against the speeding twenty-ton vehicle, caving in and being torn off its guide rails, falling down and crushing an unfortunate guard mere moments before the vehicle comes to a screeching halt. The twenty-five millimeter cannon in its turret slews around and opens fire, spraying the room with high explosive rounds, shattering stacks of containers piled high with hallucinogens and sending panicked dealers running for cover.
After a few moments of shooting, the canisters along the side of its turret fire as well, releasing a barrage of smoke bombs that obscure the car from view.
Like clockwork, the pieces fall into place. Two Knightmare frames, painted white and blue and bearing the Britannian Knightpolice crest upon their chests, power on and drive into view, only to spot another, larger shape looming out of the smoke.
"Eat this, Britannian bastards!" Kallen shouts over her mech's loudspeakers as she bursts into view, her mech's assault rifle opening fire on the first Knightpolice unit, perforating its cockpit and killing its pilot instantly, forward momentum sending the dead unit clattering to the floor with a mighty crash.
Behind her, the rest of the Black Knights move up, the APC driving forward once more, followed by the infantry of P1 and P2, bullets flying left and right as they pick off Refrain dealers one by one. A few take cover behind crates of Refrain and return fire, but this foolhardy courage dooms them first as the APC's turret turns and blasts them and their cover into oblivion.
"P3 here! I've got runners!"
"Take them out." Zero orders, and a few moments later gunfire echoes from outside, the drug dealers gunned down in the open parking lot behind the factory as they tried to escape the bloodbath behind them.
In the center of it all, Kallen turned to face her foe, drifting her Glasgow around, evading a hasty spray of bullets. Her Glasgow and the Knightpolice unit were fundamentally the same design, both derived from the RPI-11 Glasgow Knightmare Frame that had been instrumental in bringing Japan to its knees seven years ago, during the Britannian invasion. However, the Knightpolice unit had been subsequently retired from military service and remodeled, with some of its more sensitive military technology removed and replaced with dedicated riot control gear, such as a tear gas canister launcher between its legs. Kallen's Glasgow, meanwhile, had been salvaged from a scrapyard and painstakingly rebuilt, only to be crippled during the Shinjuku Ghetto massacre, then repaired again, this time to a modified Japanese design, with an up-armored casing for its factsphere sensor, wrist bracers for improved melee capability, and a simpler machine gun mount on its chest that now swivels and opens fire on a pair of drug dealers trying to flank the Black Knights, putting them down with casual ease.
The Knightpolice unit charges as she shoots, drawing a pair of gigantic knives meant for close quarters Knightmare combat. The machine is an equal match for Kallen's own... But the difference between the two combatants is like night and day. One is a Knightpolice member, a crooked cop, who had failed to make the cut for a career as a military KMF pilot, but who had managed, through personal connections, to land a job in the police, driving a hand-me-down frame. The other is Kallen Kouzuki. the ace Knightmare pilot of the Black Knights, who had previously held her own against even the elite members of the Britannian Purist Faction in an outdated Knightmare held together by duct tape and dreams. She casually dances around her opponent's strikes, her assault rifle firing two short bursts, not at the Knightmare, but at enemy infantry she spotted moving out of the shadows with a machine gun of their own.
Throwing her machine in reverse, she turns to face her main opponent, firing off a pair of slash harkens. The Knightpolice evades them easily... But they were not aimed at it. Instead, they slam into a shelf piled several stories high with drugs, old scraps, and who knows what else, and a moment later the winches at the other end of the weapons are thrown into reverse. With a deafening clatter, the entire shelf is brought down on top of the Knightpolice unit, sending it toppling to the floor.
Two well-placed shots from her assault rifle finish the fight.
"Kallen here. Both Knightpolice are down!" She shouts.
"Excellent work, Q1. Any damage?"
"Negative, just some scratched paint." Kallen replies.
She pauses for a few moments to survey the factory floor. By now, the fighting has largely ceased, what few drug dealers remain having fled into the teeth of the trap outside, with a few exceptions that are quickly finished off.
"Awful lot of drugs here though... A lot more than in any of the other places we've hit." She notes.
"This is likely a fresh shipment from China. Just arrived from overseas, and the men who carried it were likely selling it off to the highest bidder."
"Bastards, all of them... Looking to make a quick buck off our misery." Kallen growls.
"It also means that the blow we are striking shall be felt much harder than ever before. This affects more than just a single gang. It affects the entire distribution network." Zero muses aloud.
"Then I can't wait to bring it all down." Kallen smirks.
"Good. R1, secure the factory floor. P1, P2, move up. We will be clearing the office space-"
As Zero is speaking, Kallen sees a flash of green light from up on the mezzanine overlooking the factory floor, along with a small, shadowy figure.
"CONTACT! ON THE MEZZANINE!" She shouts.
"SHIT! TAMADA'S GONE!"
Another green flash, and as if in slow motion, Kallen's eyes track the bolt of energy as it streaks down and slams into one of the Black Knights by the APC. In an instant, the man is gone, everything from the waist up simply vanishing in a spray of green light and burnt flesh.
Her return fire hits the mezzanine a moment later, heavy Knightmare rounds slamming into the metal platform's supports, bringing the entire structure down, crates weighing hundreds of kilos sliding around and tumbling, crushing the shooter beneath their weight, assuming the impact didn't kill them. Just to be on the safe side though, she sprays the wreckage with machine gun bullets.
"They're down!" She reports.
"What was that?!"
"Yosuke...!"
"Move up, now! R1, Q1, put down suppressing fire on those office windows!" Zero's orders snap the group out of its shocked paralysis, and soon the factory echoes with the sound of heavy weapons while the Black Knights' infantry advances. Just as they reach the entrance to the office space though, Kallen spots movement up above. Her guns snap up, and whatever shadowy form she sees is shredded apart by a hail of metal... But a moment later a second figure peeks out, and before she can get her guns on target, she sees the green light spit forward once more.
A barrage of energy bolts slams into the APC, burning through its armor like tissue paper, sending glowing hot fragments of metal spalling around its interior, cooking off ammunition held inside... In an instant, the vehicle is reduced to a blazing wreck, its ammunition going off in a long chain of explosions. There are no survivors.
"R1's down!" Lelouch hears Kallen scream as he enters the office space, his troops fanning out ahead of him, a few casting worried glances back at him.
"Damn it all! Keep moving! We will avenge them tenfold!" Lelouch curses, ordering his troops onwards. He was worried too, but like hell he was going to let his men know that! Still... Energy weapons capable of taking out armored vehicles in the hands of drug dealers? Something wasn't adding up...
"Q1, fall back. You don't have any room to maneuver inside the factory. Wait outside and gun down anyone who tries to flee out on your end."
"R-Roger..." Kallen's voice trembles, and he hears the Knightmare reversing, still laying down suppressive fire as it goes.
"Get some!" He hears Tamaki shout, the Japanese man likely venting some frustration on a few drug dealers that had fled into the office space. Sure enough, a quick glance reveals two fresh corpses inside the ruins of what had once been a cubicle farm.
In the years before the invasion, this factory had been a big producer of automobiles, one of Japan's biggest industries. It had been bombed during the invasion, and what little remained had been pillaged by Britannian occupation forces, any salvageable equipment being taken for use in Britannian factories.
"First floor clear!" Ohgi reports a moment later, the leader of P1 squad having moved out ahead.
"Good. We move up to the second. Keep your eyes peeled. The rank and file may have been dealt with, but the bosses are still up top." Lelouch replies, keeping his gun raised as the group starts to ascend a large, spiraling stairwell. At the top, they assume positions on either side of the door...
"Now." Lelouch orders, and a moment later Tamaki kicks the door open, before ducking back as a hail of automatic fire greets them.
"Ha! Missed me! Now suck on this!" Tamaki shouts, pulling out a grenade from his coat pocket and tossing it through the door. There are a few exclamations of horror, before an explosion silences the gunfire.
"Move up!" Lelouch orders, and the Black Knights move through, firing on anything that moved. A man in full Britannian military-issue body armor steps out of cover, aiming a rifle at Lelouch, only to get gunned down by Tamaki, who quickly moves up to cover the doorway.
"Nobody gets to Zero! Not on my watch!" The Japanese man declares, a grin on his face as he turns to fire into the next room...
Only to suddenly gasp in pain, dropping his rifle.
"Tamaki?!" Ohgi shouts.
"N-No! NO! G-GET OUT OF MY H-HEAD-" Tamaki screams, clutching at his head with both hands for a few moments.
Beneath his helmet, Lelouch's eyes widen at those words. Could it be-
Suddenly, Tamaki stands back up, eyes wide and unblinking, staring at Lelouch.
"Kill." He says simply, reaching into his coat to draw a pistol, aiming it at Lelouch, who can only stand there, eyes wide beneath the mask of Zero as Ohgi leaps into action, tackling his comrade, causing the gun to go off harmlessly into the ceiling.
"Move up! Whatever got him is in there!" Lelouch shouts, sprinting for the next room while the two men brawl on the floor, Ohgi trying desperately to restrain a struggling Tamaki, to keep him from shooting again.
A newer Black Knight, a girl by the name of Hana, overtakes him, gun drawn as she enters the next room... Only for her body to disintegrate in a burst of green light as something fires on her, not even having the time to scream. Lelouch enters the room a moment later and sees a figure holding a gun. Without hesitation he fires, his gun spraying an automatic burst at the thing that had just killed one of his own...
It lets out a low, droning scream as it dies, and Lelouch lowers his gun, now taking a long look at the thing he had just killed.
"What... What is that?" Inoue asks, the blue-haired woman staring wide-eyed at the corpse on the floor as well. It is small, about half as tall as the resistance members now staring at it. It is completely naked, its skin pale and grey, with small arms and legs that seem almost comically small compared to its gigantic head. Two nostrils are visible on its flat face, nestled between two gigantic black eyes.
"N-Nhh..." Tamaki stumbles inside, held up by Ohgi, massaging his temple.
"Z-Zero... I-I-" He begins, but Lelouch raises his hand to cut him off.
"I know. That wasn't you in control." He says quietly, approaching the body.
In its hand, he sees a pistol, made of a tan metal, with a small red grip that looks just a bit too small to fit in a human hand.
To think that such a tiny thing could have reduced a man to nothing, or kill an APC...
Tamaki must have had similar thoughts, as he also walked forward.
"That thing, it..." He trails off, staring down at the dead creature.
"It isn't human." Lelouch states the obvious, kneeling down and feeling its wounds, his gloves coming up slick with strange greenish blood.
Tamaki, meanwhile, picks up the creature's gun, weighing it experimentally in his hands.
"On the bright side... With a few more guns like this, we'd be able to kick Britannia's ass real good!" He grins weakly, before taking aim at a wall.
"Tamaki, you-" Ohgi begins, but is cut off by a loud BANG!
"AAAAGHHH!" Tamaki crumples to the floor, clutching his hand, which is curled around the ruined remains of the gun, the weapon having exploded in his hand.
"Dammit! Inoue! Get him out of here! There are medical supplies in the truck! Hurry! The rest of you, on me! We'll circle back to this... Thing later!" Zero orders, and his men scramble to obey, eyes wide as Tamaki is hauled out of the room by his comrade, groaning in pain.
The next room is empty, as is the one after that. The last one though, turns out to have several finely dressed Britannians inside, along with a pair of armored bodyguards, the group attempting to climb out of a window and escape via a fire ladder.
"They're here!" One of the guards shouts, but he is shot before he can say anything more. The other leaps for the window, content to abandon his masters, only to similarly be shot in the back, his body halfway through the open window, blocking the escape route of the other two men, who struggle to draw pistols... But before they can do so, the Black Knights are upon them, eager to get revenge for their dead and wounded comrades. In short order the two men are subdued, duct-tape thrown over their mouths and zip ties pulled tight around their arms and legs, with a few bruises to add insult to injury.
"Prisoners are secure." Ohgi says as the Black Knights sweep the area.
"Good... Kallen?" Lelouch asks.
"Yes, Zero-sama?" Kallen's voice, quieter than usual, comes back over the radio.
"You are clear to move in. We likely have some time before any response arrives, so be sure to recover those downed Knightpolice frames. We may be able to salvage them for parts. Everyone else, gather up anything useful. Weapons, supplies, the like. If you find anything unusual, don't touch it. Call me over and we'll make a decision. We don't want a repeat of what happened to Tamaki. P3, P4, you are to move in and help with scavenging operations as well. Ohgi... Empty one of the drug boxes and shove that... Thing inside. If you can find one that's refrigerated , even better. If not, we'll put it in the base fridge until we figure out what to do with it." Lelouch orders.
"Roger."
The Black Knights once again spring into action, happy to have orders to distract them from what had just happened, and the implications thereof... All except for Zero, whose mind is whirling at the possibilities. He stares at the corpse as Ohgi finds a refrigerated transport container on the first floor, throws the drugs out, and tosses it inside.
It is clearly not human, and the green blood... He was no expert in biology, but as far as he knew, nothing on Earth bled green.
"Zero-sama." Inoue approaches him, her face pale and her black uniform stained with blood.
"How is Tamaki?" Lelouch replies.
"He'll... I'm not sure, his hand is... I don't think we can save it. We may need to amputate, and that... I... It might..." The woman looks on the verge of tears.
Lelouch is quiet in response.
"Back before the invasion, our hospitals could have saved him... E-Even if his hand was lost they'd have kept him alive, but out here..." Lelouch stops her with a raised hand.
"... I can pull some strings. Get him better medical care in a Britannian hospital." Lelouch replies.
"Y-You could do that? But he's..." Inoue trails off.
"It is the least I could do." Lelouch replies, already thinking of a plan. Such a thing would, under normal circumstances at least, be ludicrous. Miraculous, even... So it was fortunate that Zero was a man of miracles, no? Now, the question was, who to geass... There were a few hospitals that took Honorary Britannians. Those would be the least suspicious...
Not to mention that planning Tamaki's hospital visit helped take his mind off other matters... At least for a little while.
"Zero-sama. We found another pistol." Sugiyama's report caused him to look up to the second floor, where the man in question was pointing. Lelouch nodded, and headed up, eventually arriving in a large wrecked meeting room that overlooked the production floor. Most of its wall had been demolished by armor-piercing rounds from Kallen's rifle... A few of which had clearly hit another creature, reducing it to little more than a large green smear covering half the room. Its pistol, however, was intact.
"... Right." Lelouch reached down to pick it up, grabbing it carefully, with thumb and forefinger, ready to drop it at a moment's notice, keeping his fingers well away from the trigger.
"Z-Zero-!"
"... Relax. It didn't explode until Tamaki tried to fire it. Get me a box to transport it in." Lelouch replies.
"Y-Yes, Zero-sama!" Sugiyama runs downstairs.
"There's another one of those things in here!" Minami calls out from where he is inspecting the wrecked mezzanine.
"Alive?!"
"No... It's dead, looks like its chest got crushed..."
"... Throw it in with the one Ohgi got, then. We'll figure it out later. Pick up its gun as well, but keep your finger off the trigger. It's safe so long as you do not try to shoot it." Lelouch says, finding Sugiyama and putting the pistol away.
"R-Roger..." Minami says, before picking up the pistol and similarly stowing it away.
That aside, the scavenging of the factory goes on without incident. The two wrecked Knightpolice frames are dragged away and loaded onto one of the trucks, before Kallen stows her Glasgow away in the other, along with the alien cargo... And what little remained of their dead comrades.
"Right." Lelouch confirms as the Black Knights exit the factory.
"Today... We have struck a great blow against the Refrain trade." He begins, addressing his troops. They are victorious, but the victory has been soured by their losses. The APC and its crew, R1, had been members of a resistance unit that had signed on with them just a week prior. Young, sick of inaction, and eager to make a difference as part of something larger... Now they were down half their number, and their APC was an unsalvageable wreck.
"But today, we have also lost some valued allies." Lelouch now turns his masked gaze on them, and they stare back.
"Five of our number will not be coming home today, and others have been injured, some quite severely." He shifts his gaze to Ohgi, Kallen and Inoue, who bow their heads, knowing that just behind them Tamaki is fighting for his life against his injuries.
"But we are not Britannia. We will not declare the dead to be weaklings, nor the injured as useless." His mind goes to Clovis' funeral, to Nunnally's fragile form on a hospital bed in Pendragon...
"No! We will remember the strength of those who took up arms and made the ultimate sacrifice for a brighter future." He declares.
"We shall remember the injured, and not leave them behind as we march ever onwards towards our final victory!" He continues.
"Now... Burn this factory to the ground, and let us return home. The fight is not yet over." He concludes, and Kallen nods, stepping forward, lighting a torch, before hurling it into the factory, where they had spread fuel. It ignited easily, and soon the entire building was engulfed in flames.
"... Indeed, our fight may have only just begun." He says, softer this time, as he turned away, heading for his truck. As he walked, he paused, staring up at the night sky.
Suddenly, the moon and stars seemed less beautiful than before... Reminding him of the two mysterious corpses that now sat in the truck. Which one of those stars twinkling high above, an unfathomable distance away from Earth, had spawned the little grey men? Why had they crossed the endless black above and come to Earth? Why had they brought Refrain with them? What were their intentions? Nothing good... He knew that much, at least.
"Zero-sama..." He turns as Kallen approaches him.
"Kallen." He nods.
"Do you mind if I ride with you?" She asks, gesturing to his truck.
"Not at all." He nods, thinking of Tamaki in the back seat. No doubt Kallen would like to be closer to her comrade. Stepping up, he got in the truck, Kallen following behind him. Soon, the convoy is moving out again, leaving a burning factory behind.
"... Those things... They were aliens, right?" Kallen breaks the silence as they drive.
"I believe so. Yes." Lelouch replies after a few moments' thought.
"And they were bringing in Refrain..." Kallen sighs.
"We do not know that for certain. For all you know, it could be the other way around." Lelouch points out.
"... I doubt it. If they could come here, then they'd have better technology than us. If they have that, then... They'd be able to make it at home, without having to bother shipping it home from Earth." Kallen sighs.
"An astute observation." Lelouch replies, leaning back in his seat to stare out the window at the stars above.
"As if Japan didn't have enough to worry about with Britannia trampling on us... Now we have little grey men feeding us poison on the side... And for what? What could we possibly have to offer them?" Kallen asks, staring outside beside him.
"Indeed... What could we possibly have to offer them..." Lelouch thinks.
"No resource that cannot be found more readily elsewhere... No industry that would not be laughably primitive by their standards... Only our people, I suppose... Or the land we live on." He frowns.
Kallen's eyes widen.
"You think..."
"I don't know for certain... But I am reminded of a certain historical parallel now. A rather disturbing one..."
"Hm?"
"What do you know of the Militarized Zone of India?"
"I... Not much. It is under Chinese control, right?" Kallen looks at him, confused.
"It was not always so." Lelouch replies.
"Until about sixty or seventy years ago, it was a Britannian colony, well before the modern-day Area system was established. Do you know how the Britannians kept the Chinese at bay?"
"... No?"
"Opium." Kallen blinks as she makes the connection.
"The Indian subcontinent had the perfect climate for growing immense quantities of Opium, and the Britannian East India Company was more than happy to ship immense amounts of it across the Chinese border, aided by Chinese profiteers who were more than happy to make money off the addictions of their people. Opium brought the Chinese nation to its knees more efficiently than any Britannian army could have."
"That's..."
"Incredible? Horrifying? I will tell you this though." Lelouch's masked face stares Kallen in the eye.
"Britannia as it is today would not exist were it not for the immense indemnities that it was able to force out of the Chinese during the Opium Wars. During those years, Britannia was weak. Napoleon had pushed them out of Europe entirely. They were surrounded by European colonies in South America, living in what, up until then, had been a backwater, their treasury gone, their government weaker than ever, their people demoralized, their economy at its lowest point. If there was ever a time that Britannia would have shattered, it was then." He says.
"But it did not. Instead, over the next few decades it would pump hundreds of tons of opium into China, and when the Chinese attempted to stop this illegal trade, they invaded. They seized Chinese trading ports, shattered an army made of addicts, and forced the Chinese Federation into paying a colossal indemnity, draining their coffers completely dry to support themselves. For seventy years, China was plundered before their people rose up in revolt, and the Chinese Federation was founded..." He says.
"You think that these... Aliens are trying to do the same to us?" Kallen asks.
"I do not know for sure. But it is a disturbing parallel nonetheless." Lelouch answers.
"You make a convincing case though... Zero-sama... And it is not often that you are wrong." Kallen says quietly.
"I know." Lelouch nods.
That thought is enough to make his heart sink.
A glance at his watch told Lelouch that he was running late. Nunnally was likely going to worry, and he will almost certainly feel it in the morning... But no matter. He had to know, and there was no time like the present.
Stepping into the makeshift prison within the Black Knights' headquarters, he closes the door behind him and walks up to the cells' occupants. The two finely-dressed Britannian men stare back at him, fear and rage warring in their eyes.
"You think you can get away with this, Zero?! Release us now, or you will be decorating the gate of my estate!" One of them shouts, gripping the bars of his cell, shaking them in a vain attempt to force the door open.
Lelouch pauses, his masked head turning to face him, fixing him with a blank stare. The man stares back... For a few moments at least, before he blinks and looks away.
"How predictable." He finally speaks, his voice made deeper by his helmet's modulator.
"Even now, helpless and entirely at my mercy, you behave like the arrogant parasites you are."
"You dare-"
"Yes, I dare." He cuts the finely dressed dealer off, smirking under his mask.
"I dare, because I know I hold all the cards. If I were to hand you over to Cornelia, she would see the both of you jailed, and your estates fined into ruination, until every last pound you've made through this trade is returned to the Crown with interest." He says, and notices one of the men flinch.
"... Or I could leave you to the tender mercies of the Japanese. Your associates killed some of my men, you see, and the rest would be happy to shoot you, then take your bodies to the old Nippon Ham plant down the street to dispose of the evidence." He continues. He hears muffled giggling outside. Evidently the guard is listening in... As suspected. Good thing he went for theatrics instead of simply geassing the prisoners from the start. The walls were thin, and he had quickly realized that few people gossiped as much as terrorists and revolutionaries.
"But worry not!" He makes a dramatic hand gesture.
"For I am Zero! The man of miracles! Defender of the weak and helpless, which right now, you two most certainly are." He leans forward.
"With but a word, I can spare you from such a gruesome fate... So if you do not wish to leave this ghetto in a sausage casing..." His helmet's eye-piece slid open, revealing Lelouch's eye, already glowing red with the power of Geass.
"... You will answer my questions, truthfully and honestly, to the best of your knowledge!"
"Y-Y-Yes!" The two men exclaim in unison, the Power of the King washing over them, implanting this single, overriding directive into their minds.
"Good..." Lelouch smiles.
"Let us start simple. What are your names?"
"Baronet Reynold Devereaux."
"Knight-Commander David Slaine."
The two men answer in unison, and from there, the questioning continued. Reynold was a minor noble, irrelevant in the grand scheme of things, looking to make money through illicit means in order to continue supporting his lifestyle, having already squandered his family fortune. Slaine was the second son of another noble, who stood to inherit little, and thus sought to supplement his own meager Knightpolice salary... A salary that, ironically enough, was kept low due to the belief that the nobility ought to be able to provide for themselves. The two of them had been running a Refrain distribution operation for three years now, with Slaine using his connections in the Knightpolice to ensure that no suspicion fell on him, while also earning several accolades under Clovis for hunting down and ruthlessly destroying competitors. Reynold, meanwhile, had been in charge of procurement, acquiring the drug, hiring people to smuggle it into the Ghetto, and then redistributing it.
Of course, this initial questioning was mere formality. A quick check by Lelouch, to see if either of these men might be more useful to him alive than dead. Soon, it came time for the questions that mattered.
"What were those creatures that accompanied you inside the factory?" He asks.
"Aliens." David replies.
"Our suppliers." Reynold says.
"They provided you with Refrain?"
"They did." Both men answer in unison.
"How much?"
"A four ton container of pure concentrate." David says. Lelouch's eyes widen. So much pure, undiluted Refrain... That was millions of doses!
"... What did they ask for in exchange?" He asks after a few shocked moments.
"Elevens." Reynold answers, and just like that, Lelouch's surprise is gone, replaced by rage.
"They asked for us to send some addicts their way." David adds.
"What did they do with them?" Lelouch hisses.
"..." The two men are silent. Clearly they do not know.
"Where did they take them?" He tries again.
"..." Once again, there is silence.
"Dammit, how did you send the addicts to them!?" Lelouch shouts.
"We got them all to shoot up in a warehouse. Once they were all hallucinating, the aliens took care of them." Reynold says.
"How?" Lelouch demands.
"Just... Walked in and next thing you know, all the addicts are marching out in a single file line." David replies.
"Where are they marched to?" Lelouch asks.
"To a truck."
"Where is it driven to?"
"..."
"... You don't know, do you...?"
"We do not."
Lelouch takes several deep breaths, his hand slowly drifting away from the grip of his pistol. He has more questions to ask...
"Where is the warehouse in question?"
"Chiba Ghetto, near the old East hospital."
"When is your next scheduled meeting with the aliens?"
"In two days, to pay them for the latest shipment."
Perfect.
"How many of them will be there?"
"..."
"... How many of them were there last time?"
"Four."
"Four."
"Were they armed?"
"Yes. With plasma pistols."
"What about your own forces? How many will be there?"
"Carroway'll be there with a Knightmare, and we have some hired guns."
"Carroway?"
"My lieutenant." David replies.
"Why do they provide you with refrain?" Lelouch asks after a few moments.
"..." The men are quiet.
"How do they speak with you?"
"They do not."
"... How do they communicate with you?"
"They do not."
"How do you know that the Aliens desire Elevens?" Lelouch growls.'
"The Emissary told us."
"Who is the Emissary?"
"Their leader."
"What do they look like?"
"They're tall... They wear a red, hooded robe that covers everything..."
"Can't even see their face."
"They are not like the others?" Lelouch raises an eyebrow at this revelation.
"No... They are a different race than the Sectoids."
"Sectoids?"
"The short, grey ones."
"Tell me everything you know about them." Lelouch orders, leaning in closer.
"They are small and weak, and they are probably mere commoners." Reynold says.
"They don't talk at all, but they have some sort of telepathy as well. I think that is how they round up the addicts we send them." David says.
"They can see very well in the dark... Creepy little naked bastards..."
The two men continued for some time, answering question after question... The logistics of the aliens' supply routes were infuriatingly vague, and it was quite clear that the aliens kept their pawns deliberately in the dark, feeding them the bare minimum to ensure that they get what they want... And what they wanted was a steady stream of Refrain addicts. People nobody would miss.
Japanese.
At last, Lelouch brought the questions to an end, and released them from his geass.
"What... What will you have us answer?" The dazed Reynold asks, looking up fearfully.
"Nothing. I have what I need now." Lelouch answers, before reaching under his cloak and removing a pistol, leveling it at them.
"W-W-Wait! You said that if we answer your questions-" David begins.
"That was before you told me what you gave the aliens in exchange!" Lelouch barks out.
"Wha-"
"Animals like you... Have no place in Japan!" He declares.
BANG! BANG!
Two bodies crumple to the floor, and Lelouch stares at them for a few moments, before turning as the door bursts open.
"Zero-sama!" The guard shouts.
"We heard gunshots..." Kallen trails off, having entered right behind him, before pausing and staring down at the two executed drug dealers.
"Assemble the Black Knights. Everyone who can make it. I have an important announcement to make." Lelouch replies, holstering his pistol and walking away from the cell, exiting the brig.
"... They're already here..." Ohgi replies as he steps into a room filled with Black Knights.
"I see the rumor mill works fast." Lelouch comments, surveying his assembled troops.
"Is... Is it true? Did you really fight an alien in the last raid?" One of the newer members, whom Lelouch notes to be not much older than himself, asks.
"It is true." Zero confirms.
"Everyone, listen up."
"As most of you are likely already aware..." He looks around the room, the rest of the members giving him their undivided attention.
"... During our latest strike against the Refrain distribution network in Japan, we encountered an unknown, inhuman enemy, possessing advanced technology and strange mental capabilities." He begins, without preamble.
"Subsequent interrogation of our captives has confirmed the worst. The creatures we encountered were extraterrestrial in origin, and were the source of all the Refrain we encountered in the warehouse."
He pauses, seeing the assembled Black Knights looking among themselves.
"Worse, though, is the fact that as payment these creatures were demanding not money, not resources... But people! Japanese people, rendered helpless by the drug, marched off to some unknown, horrific fate."
"What?"
"Britannian bastards... Not enough for them to drug us, they're now selling us as slaves to aliens?"
"Fortunately, I have also extracted the location where such transfers are taking place." Lelouch continued, returning the attention of the room to him.
"In two days' time, another transfer of prisoners will be taking place in a warehouse in the Chiba Ghetto. Our objective is to catch them in the act, rescue the victims, and take out anyone involved in the trade. Specifically, I want prisoners involved in the transfer of the victims. We need to know where they are going, if we are to put a more permanent end to this issue. Ohgi!" He says.
"Yes, Zero-sama?"
"Can I trust you to handle the pre-positioning of our equipment in advance? Find an appropriate staging area near the old Chiba East Hospital. Move via the old subway network. I want all our fully-fledged members participating in this one, so pack accordingly."
"Yes, I... I can do that, Zero-sama, but..." Ohgi trails off.
"But?"
"What... What about the Britannian Army? If we move too much, too fast, then there's a risk of us being found out and attacked."
"Princess Cornelia shall not be a problem. After the incident at Lake Kawaguchi, she has been content to let us carry on with our campaign against drug dealers. Between us saving her sister at Lake Kawaguchi, and the fact that what we have been doing so far has been in line with her own goals, she has been content to leave us be in this crucial time." Lelouch replies.
"Not to mention, she is currently preparing for a campaign against the JLF. Until she is done with them, we have the breathing room we need to move and recruit with relative freedom... As well as carry out our investigation into the... Extent of alien operations in Japan."
"I see..."
"Did you find anything out in that regard?" Kallen asks, raising her hand a moment after she spoke, before realizing her mistake.
"Ah... Sorry, Zero-sama."
"Unfortunately not, but now more than ever I am convinced that what I spoke to you about on the ride back is at least partially true..." Lelouch trails off.
"As a matter of fact, for the time being I shall consider the investigation of the alien threat to be our highest priority."
"What?"
"Really?"
"... Above even Britannia?" Inoue asks, raising an eyebrow as around her, the other Black Knights begin to chatter once again.
Lelouch pauses for a few moments before nodding.
"All of us lived through the invasion." He says in response.
"All of us saw a foe that outnumbered us, that possessed a considerable technological advantage, overrun this land, comprised of soldiers that saw us as lesser beings, barely even human. We saw the massacres, the bombings, and afterwards, the plundering of our cities, the erasure of Japan's culture, its way of life, even its name! Look around! Once, this was a thriving city, a part of one of the most advanced nations in the world! Now it is a crumbling ruin, home to a people forced to beg for scraps of their birthright." He looks around the room, daring anyone to challenge him. Nobody did. He saw their eyes, some narrowed in anger, some closed, a few fighting back tears... The seven year old memories were still raw and fresh in the minds of those men gathered around him... And even he could not help but remember the stench of corpses as he marched through the ruins of Tokyo, Nunnally on his back and Suzaku just ahead...
"... And I fear that it may happen again." He continues after a few moments.
"Think about it. For these creatures to have crossed the unfathomable distances between stars, they must possess advanced technology and unimaginable resources. Up there..." He points up at the ceiling.
"... There are millions of stars, and many likely have worlds around them, worlds just like Earth, Mars and the many others in the solar system... Worlds full of natural resources and living space, without any people there to contest their claims, and yet, they came here. To our world... And as we now know, they start taking our people while selling us poison! So yes, Inoue. I consider these things to be the highest priority for us to investigate and target, because I fear the worst. A second invasion, one that sees not just Japan, but all the people of the world, potentially ground beneath an uncaring alien boot in a war every bit as brutal and pointlessly cruel as the Britannian invasion." He says.
"I will not have us be taken by surprise this time. Not again." Lelouch grits his teeth beneath the mask, old regrets surfacing once more.
"Make no mistake. My end goal remains the same. However, it is foolish to let one enemy run around with impunity while the other is, for the moment at least, wary of us and keeping its distance."
"... I-I understand, Zero-sama." Inoue nods in response.
"Good. Are there any more questions?" Lelouch turns to address the crowd.
One of the newer members raises their hand.
"Yes... Takeo-san?" Lelouch replies after taking a moment to remember their name.
"You fought those things before, and... They'll be there again, right?"
"Yes."
"What did they have? What weapons did they use? Any interesting tech?"
"The creatures we fought, Sectoids, as the prisoners called them, carried energy weapons that, despite being simple pistols, could reduce a person to ash in a single hit, destroyed a Type-84 APC in a matter of seconds, and can likely pose a threat even to a Knightmare frame... Do not attempt to fire those guns, by the way. They explode if you attempt to pull the trigger, and it will take your hand off. Tamaki learned that the hard way. Likely a measure to prevent their easy capture and reverse-engineering." Lelouch says.
"More dangerous than this though, is what they did to Tamaki. The aliens appear to possess the capability to influence the minds an actions of another, like a puppetmaster controlling a doll. Were it not for Ohgi-san's quick thinking, Tamaki would have likely killed me." He admits.
"That... That's impossible...!" One of the new recruits gasps.
"No. It is true. I saw it happen. Tamaki tried to kill Zero, and then he tried to kill me, at least until Zero killed the creature that did it. Then, he just... Fell down limp for a few moments before trying to stand and apologize." Ohgi replies.
"That matches with what I saw as well." Inoue adds, shuddering slightly.
"Indeed. Are there any other questions?"
"... Are you an alien?" One of the new recruits asks, and Lelouch blinks.
"N-No? Why would I be?"
"I mean-"
Before the man can continue, Kallen smacks him upside the head.
"Zero's not an alien." She deadpans.
Suffice to say, that was only the start of it, and the sun's rays were visible on the horizon by the time Lelouch finally made it back to Ashford, collapsing into a short, fitful sleep.
In the outskirts of the Tokyo settlement, within one of the many large apartment buildings built for Honorary Britannians, a hooded figure knocks on the door of room 412.
Knock-knock
Knock-knock
Knock-knock
"It's Nagase. Open up."
There is a shuffle on the other side of the door, before the door opens. The man on the other side doesn't quite stifle a gasp.
"T-Toud-"
"Nagase Kurisu." Kyoshiro Toudoh introduces himself, cutting the other man off.
"Y-Yes..." The man nervously looks from side to side.
"May I come in?"
"... y-yes..." The man steps aside, and Toudoh enters.
"Is... Is this about Lake Kawaguchi?"
"It is."
The man's eyes widen and he looks around again, only for Toudoh to raise a placating hand.
"Relax. I am not here to hurt you. Merely ask you some questions."
"But-"
"Colonel Kusakabe was not acting under orders from the rest of the JLF. I simply wish to ask you a few questions about what he did." Toudoh continues.
"O-Ok..."
"First, just to make sure, you are Oyakawa Seibei, yes? You were an informant for the JLF within the Lake Kawaguchi Hotel and Convention Center?" He asks.
"Y-Yes."
"Two weeks ago, when the Hotel was attacked, you were on duty as part of the night shift?"
"Yes... I was."
"When Colonel Kusakabe and the JLF showed up, you declined to help them in their actions, correct?"
"Y-Yes, I... I couldn't... I had-"
"Relax." Toudoh raises his hand again.
"You did the right thing. Kusakabe's actions that night hurt everyone." He says.
"After you refused, you were taken hostage as well, correct?"
"... Yes. Not like the Britannians, but... They kept us under armed guard."
"I see." Toudoh nods, before continuing.
"How did Kusakabe and his men act when they held you hostage?"
"Huh? Ah... I mean... They seemed pretty... I'm not sure..."
"Did they seem alert? Any signs of... Hmm... How to put it... Drunkenness?"
"I... See..." Seibei thinks for a few moments.
"... Yes. Come to think of it, they did." He replies.
"They seemed angry, like they were all on a hair trigger, but I thought that was just because, well... You know... They were on a mission... But later on, when the Black Knights stormed the building, they didn't seem to put up much of a fight at all... I remember when they broke into our room, the two guards didn't even fully raise their guns before they were both shot, and... Well, even with all the gunfire, they seemed slow to respond or send reinforcements. Nobody seemed concerned about anything... Even Kusakabe himself... I heard that Zero just straight up talked him into committing suicide?"
Toudoh nods.
"That is what he claims, yes. That upon confronting Zero, Kusakabe learned about the futility of his actions and committed seppuku as a result."
"You... You're saying that he drugged his men into following him?" Seibei asks.
"I am investigating such a possibility." Toudoh replies. A half-truth.
"Did you see anything else unusual during the event?"
"Ah... Well, no? What do you mean, i-is there anything specific you have in mind? The whole day was unusual, so..."
"I understand. Were there any individuals who entered with Kusakabe that looked... Strange? Or acted strange and out of place?" He asks, his mind thinking of a tall, hooded figure, clad in a red robe...
"No... I don't think so?" Seibei replies.
"I see." Toudoh nods.
"Still... Thank you for your time. Is there anything else that comes to mind?"
"I... No? Well, outside of that, well... Kusakabe committing suicide like that all of a sudden seems really suspicious. It reminds me of, well... Prime Minister Kururugi."
"My thoughts exactly." Toudoh nods again, before turning around and leaving.
Outside the building, a car is waiting, and after quickly looking around he steps into the passenger's seat.
"Anything?" Senba asks, the oldest of the Four Holy Swords sitting right behind him, while Urabe in the driver's seat starts the engine and drives away.
"I believe we have enough proof, at least for ourselves."
"... I see." Senba says after a few moments, sounding sad.
"Anything we can take to Katase?" Urabe asks beside him.
"I am afraid nothing that would convince him. Just the testimony of a hotel worker who was away from most of the action and some scattered bits of hearsay and news reports."
"Our ostensible allies covered their tracks well, it seems." Senba says.
"Not well enough." Urabe replies.
"But they did succeed. Regardless of whether or not we know, they were able to clean house successfully."
"Which begs the question... Would we even be able to convince Katase in the first place?" Urabe points out.
"More importantly, even if we do convince him, would it matter?" Senba asks.
"The more I think about it, the more convinced I am that you are right, Senba." Toudoh sighs.
"At this point, I feel like if we do come to Katase with what we know, we will simply end up holding a hotel of our own hostage by the end of it."
"Hmmm..." Senba hums, thinking to himself.
Toudoh says nothing more, returning to his own thoughts, slowly sliding the pieces into place.
Lieutenant Colonel Kusakabe had been hot-headed and aggressive, and made no secret of his desire for the JLF to take a more proactive stance. However, for all of these faults, he was not stupid, and he had always been focused more on seeking a pitched battle against Britannia, not crude terrorism. He wanted to see Japanese steel and Knightmares clashing against those of Britannia, not suicidal hostage-taking...
Then the Emissary had arrived, and Kusakabe had been a staunch opponent of it. He had been open with his stance on the red-robed figure and his belief that it simply wished to use the JLF as a puppet towards some nefarious end. Katase, however, had overruled both Kusaskabe's vocal protests, as well as Toudoh's more quiet counsel. Then, a few weeks later, everything seemed to have happened all at once. Kusakabe vanished, along with a significant contingent of soldiers, cobbled together from assorted JLF battalions. That alone might not have been too suspicious... But the fact that Kusakabe had also absconded with the prototype Raikou linear cannon most certainly was. That thing was valuable, and for Kusakabe's men to simply walk out with it, without the guards being any wiser, raised a major red flag. It had led to him beginning to dig, and it did not take long before he saw the pattern. Many of the men Kusakabe had taken with him and also been vocally skeptical or even distrustful of the creatures that Katase had been growing increasingly aligned with.
For them to suddenly all embark on a pointless death run at Lake Kawaguchi, one that was out of character even for Kusakabe's temperament was another red flag... And the information gleaned from Seibei only confirmed his suspicions. He had seen the Emissary demonstrate its power. For the JLF forces at the hotel to then act the way they did, at least according to Seibei was the damning evidence he needed to be sure.
The Emissary and its kind had cleaned house. Purged the JLF of their most vocal opponents, and likely commanded considerable influence over its remaining leadership.
As far as he knew, he was the last JLF commander to still retain his mental faculties.
"... No. I do not think going to Katase with this information is a good idea." He finally speaks.
"What you're saying could be considered treason." Urabe points out.
"It is not treason if the officers we serve have been compromised." Senba says.
"Indeed." Toudoh says.
"Do we go to Kyoto with this?"
"Yes. But discreetly at first. We don't know if the Emissary has reached out to them as well." Toudoh answers.
"Good thing we already have our next appointment with them scheduled." Urabe grins.
"Indeed. When we arrive to start inspection of the Burai Kai... That is when we shall investigate happenings at Kyoto. If we find evidence of the Six Houses being compromised... We may have to fight this threat alone." Toudoh says.
"Then I suppose we shall be Ronin." Senba replies.
"Let us hope it does not come to that." Urabe says.
"Indeed."
With that, the car rode on in silence, heading for the rendezvous point, where Chiba and Asahina would be waiting for them.
Cornelia li Britannia sighs as she looks over the latest reports regarding ongoing operations in Area 11. Though she was loathe to speak ill of her dead brother, privately she had already come to the conclusion that Clovis had been a fool of monumental proportions in his administration of the Area.
As if to drive the point home, the next file she opens and reads is a report from her agents in the field. Scanning it, her eyes widen, and then narrow.
"... What the hell were you doing, Clovis?!" She can't help but speak aloud at that.
When she'd first taken over the position of Viceroy, she had thought that the JLF was some sort of large, intractable problem, scattered throughout the country in countless cells that would take her years to fully root out. However, if this report was true... The bastards had been hiding not even fifty miles away from where she is sitting right now! In Narita! Right under her nose!
Yet another piece of damning evidence against her late half-brother's record as a ruler. The abominable state of the Ghettos, turning them into breeding grounds for terrorists. The failure to acceptably verify the disarmament of the Elevens during the immediate post-war. Corruption running rampant among the nobles, preventing what little efforts to try and address the roots of the problems. Funds for urban renewal diverted into the pockets of the nobility. Failure to pay Eleven and Honorary Britannian laborers, or even to hire them in the first place, and so much more... It had created a vicious cycle, where terrorism and extremism was preferable to Honorary status, leading to a drop in the availability of reliable local workers, leading to less hiring of local workers, leading to increased resentment and poverty in the Ghettos, leading to a rise in terrorism, leading to less and less trust for local workers... And all the while, the amount of terrorists and rebels in the Area grew and grew. These weren't simple street gangs with a few old handguns and pipe bombs, though there certainly was no shortage of those either. These were organized resistance movements, equipped with anti-tank and anti-aircraft missiles, armored vehicles... Even Knightmares! The bright red Glasgow that had featured prominently in the Battle of Shinjuku was the most noteworthy at least, but there were others. It seemed that Clovis hadn't even bothered to suitably clean up the old battlefields, leading to the Elevens salvaging Knightmares of their own... Or alternatively, and more worryingly, straight-up buying them in large numbers as the Glasgow was decommissioned and replaced with Sutherlands, likely with Chinese or European money...
It was a nightmare scenario, and one that was sure to leave her sister with many headaches going forward.
The next paper brought more mixed news. General Alec's punitive expedition in the south had sent in its latest report. Three more local terrorist cells had been engaged, one of which appeared to have several modified Glasgows in its possession. That one though, was the least concerning of the three. The other two, when Alec had broken into their strongholds, only had small, skeleton forces manning the defenses. Their bases, a large warehouse and a dugout system respectively, had room for considerably more hardware and men than had actually been found, and they had clearly been abandoned in a hurry.
She had heard reports that Zero had been aggressively recruiting and absorbing small resistance groups, but had his reach gone that far south already? As far as she was aware, Zero's activity was still localized in the Tokyo area. If he had started covertly putting out feelers further out...
Alternatively, there may be a leak in her intelligence apparatus that had let those groups know ahead of time to evacuate. Neither possibility was good.
Still, it was no use to dwell on such things now. Perhaps it was for the best that Zero was gathering up forces. Once he had concentrated enough, he would doubtless try to face her in a pitched battle again, and she had already beaten him once. If more resistance groups flowed towards him, they would put pressure on him to do more than just hit Refrain dealers, which would in turn likely force him to attack prematurely in order to avoid a mutiny. When that day came, she would be ready.
For now though, it was time to take out the other major threat in Area 11. The JLF had been found... So now it was time to plan their demise. Their arrogance in staying so close to Tokyo would be their doom.
A/N: There we go. First chapter done, and I hope it was enjoyable. As you can see, I've decided to hit the ground running instead of starting with Shinjuku and rewriting canon until things started to diverge halfway through R1. Right now, I have a concrete outline written down through the end of R1, and a plan for where to go beyond that written down in looser terms, so I won't be writing by the seat of my pants like I did with a lot of my earlier work.
In terms of what happened in this chapter, from the start I hope to have established the aliens as a credible threat. Specifically, I tried to recreate the feeling I had when I first played X-Com: UFO Defense a few years ago, when I learned that Sectoids have better night vision than you, and that nighttime terror missions were absolutely a bad idea. The feeling that the enemy was there, in the dark, and you won't see them until they shoot and kill one of your men, was one that I tried to recreate from the start here.
From here on out, I also started incorporating aspects of the X-Com Files mod, which among other things added something that was sorely missing from the original game. Namely, the human enemy aspect. Let's face it. Aliens are never going to conquer Earth if all they can do is drop 10-20 Sectoids into an urban center every month. The only way they can win is if they are able to get the locals (Humans) to do a lot of their dirty work for them. Thus, they aren't going to just be shooting up suburban neighborhoods. They are going to be smuggling in drugs, backing resistance groups, infiltrating government organizations, running guns... All sorts of things meant to make the establishment collapse in on itself, and then allowing them to take over in the resulting chaos. With this in mind, I decided to again start introducing such things early on, as a teaser of what is to come.
With all that said, please drop a review, and if you see any major inconsistencies or errors, report them so that I can correct them. I am, after all, somewhat rusty after more than a year of absence and low-intensity writing.