Chapter 4: Night meeting

Pendragon, 0:15 am

Even though it was the middle of the night, the Pentagon (headquarters of the Ministry of Defense) was in turmoil. In the conference room the government, chaired by Prime Minister (and Second Prince) Schneizel, was holding an emergency meeting.

"I'm sorry to summon you at this unusual hour, but we are in the midst of a major crisis in Area 11." The blond began, with a mixture of seriousness and concern.

"Is Zero involved?" Odysseus, his older brother and first imperial prince, asked him. Unlike Schneizel, he looked sleepy, as if he had been abruptly awakened while sleeping (which had actually happened).

Schneizel shook his head.

"No. Atsushi Sawasaki, Japanese prime minister in exile, is involved. With a blitz he occupied the base in Fukuoka, Kyushu, proclaiming the restoration of Japan."

Odysseus's face darkened.

"The Chinese Federation certainly has a hand in this matter!" He exclaimed.

Schneizel snorted and clasped his fingers together.

"I don't have the slightest doubt about the fact that Luoyang is pulling the strings from behind the scenes. The Chinese have never accepted our annexation of Japan, not to mention the issue of disputed territories, such as Indochina, Cambodia, Korea and Indonesia."

"Have you summoned the Chinese consul in Tokyo, Gao Hai?" Asked another of those present.

"Consul Gao is in his homeland. However, I am sure he will deny any involvement." Schneizel replied.

"But Chinese forces are present in Fukuoka! How shamelessly could he deny it?" The defense minister asked, surprised.

"If their proxy war fails, the Great Eunuchs already have an excuse ready. They will say that General Cao acted on his initiative, without consulting them. They've thought of everything, they're certainly not idiots." The prince/premier explained.

"Where is the emperor? Why isn't he here?" asked the foreign minister.

"He is sleeping. At this time he doesn't want to be disturbed." Schneizel replied.

"And our sister Cornelia? As governor of Area 11 it is your duty to address this crisis." Odysseus said.

"Right now, off the coast of Kyushu, a storm is raging. This makes war operations impossible. We'll have to wait for it to pass."

The first prince rolled his eyes.

"Wonderful…"

"I know it's a critical situation, but we need to stay calm and cool. Our sister is smart, I'm sure she will be able to repel the invaders." The blond prince stated, confident.

Odysseus just nodded. His younger sister had already proven her worth in the past, fighting in the Middle East against the Arab Federation and in Area 11, against the Japan Liberation Front. He was sure that she would solve that matter too, without any particular problems.

Earth orbit

Here is the Earth…

A 2 meter tall, stocky, reptilian-looking humanoid creature with dark green skin and yellow eyes was thought. She wore some sort of golden armor and a blue cape, indicating his status as a fleet commander.

He was aboard a gigantic disc-shaped spaceship, 500 kilometers across. Another 49 spaceships, of the same shape and 50 kilometers large, were stationed around it.

The monster walked over to the central computer console, starting to write.

Logbook... After a journey that lasted about twenty years, the conquering fleet reached its destination. For centuries my people has kept an eye on the Earth and its inhabitants... Perhaps millennia. Until now we have always neglected this planet, limiting ourselves to monitoring its inhabitants, but in recent times they have achieved significant technological development, so much so that they are beginning to explore the space. As a result, the emperor began to see them as a threat, and he's not wrong. It is necessary to strike first, now that they are busy bleeding each other dry. Furthermore, the conquest of the Earth is a necessary stage in our expansion into the universe. Soon the troops will awaken from hibernation, fresh and ready to fight.

"Commander?" A voice called to him.

He turned, locking eyes with someone similar to her, who unlike her was wearing ruthenium-colored armor.

"Yes?"

"Is there still much left until the start of operations?"

"First we will have to awaken the troops, position the spaceships above the main cities and then launch our attack."

A grin formed on his subordinate's face.

"Very good. But are you sure they won't spot us first?"

The alien shook his head.

"I took all the necessary countermeasures to avoid it. We are virtually invisible, no satellite or anything else can detect us."

"Perfect. We'll catch them off guard. Do you also intend to use auxiliary troops?"

The fleet commander nodded.

"Exact. To bend the Earthlings we will need all the strength possible. Initiate infantry awake procedures."

"Yes sir."

Tokyo, 4.45pm

At the Ashford Institute Milly, Shirley, Rivalz, Nunnally and Nina were apprehensively following the news from Kyushu.

"We've worked so hard with preparations and now the party will be cancelled!" Shirley grumbled, annoyed.

Rivalz shot her a dirty look.

"We're going to war and you thinking about having a party!" He exclaimed, annoyed by his friend's inappropriate statement.

"Are we going to war?" Nina, obviously worried, asked to him.

He turned to look at her.

"Although officially it was the Japanese government in exile that attacked, it seems that the hand of the Chinese Federation is behind this blitz." The boy explained to her, also worried.

The bespectacled girl took on an anguished look.

"Oh, no…"

"Nina, those stands that we had to borrow from the art museum?" Milly intervened.

"I was thinking of going today, and if it were possible I would like to… Go to the research section later." Was the answer.

The blonde raised an eyebrow.

"Would it be… For that famous gift?"

"What famous gift?" The boy asked, curious.

"It's something I want, Professor Loyd said he would give it to me." She explained the bespectacled one.

When he heard that name, Rivalz was quite irritated.

"Loyd? That damned…" He exclaimed.

"Shut up, and get to work!" The blonde ordered to him.

"Don't get angry with me, I already do the work of three people! Suzaku is in the army, Kallen is in the hospital and that other one has disappeared from circulation. Lelouch has been acting really strange lately." He justified himself.

At those words Shirley looked away, as a memory surfaced in her mind.

Flashback begins

She was reading a torn page from her diary.

It was a shock… I still can't believe it! Lelu and Zero are the same person! I haven't told anyone yet because I would like to talk to him first, to confirm!

Is it possible that I actually wrote those words? How did I forget about it?

She wondered.

End flashback

Zero is little Nunnally's older brother...

She thought, seriously.