Kallen's Knightmare sped away from the Star Port with Lloyd packed into the space behind her seat. As Kallen's machine raced away she watched the IFFs of Kewell's men around the Beacon fearing that the bombs would detonate and they would all disappear leaving her racing to escape the destructive blast and shockwave of the nuclear detonations. But then Kallen realized there was no blast, and then many of the infantry from Kewell's force began to disappear as well as both of Kewell's Knightmare supports.
"We're under attack, Alliance forces ambushed us! They came from the tram station!" A panicking voice of one of the Putist soldiers announced over an open channel.
"What! But the nukes... Lelouch they must have disabled the nukes we can still..." Kallen began but her Prince's voice cut in stopping her.
"Everyone retreat! E.U. reinforcements are too close, we can't afford to get bogged down in E.U. territory. Follow the escape routes I'm uploading now! Let Europia deal with the Alliance for now." Lelouch shouted his orders into his microphone and Kallen could sense the tension and resignation in his voice.
Behind Kallen's seat Lloyd spoke up. "Seems little Lulu doesn't have the stomach for fighting anymore, though..." Lloyd's arm reached past Kallen pointing to her Knightmare's camera feed pointed at the Beacon as the Prothean relic suddenly shattered, fragments of the structure exploding outwards. "...it looks like the small amount of data I collected from the Beacon may be the only data anyone is going to get."
With a resigned groan Kallen turned her Gloucester and began the race back to Britannian soil. As she moved she noted that Kewell's IFF wasn't moving. "Lord Kewell, Lelouch ordered a retreat. Lord Kewell. Answer damn it!"
"Lord Kewell is KIA, he disembarked his Knightmare to inspect the Beacon right before the Alliance attacked." The voice of the infantryman from Kewell's unit provided.
Kallen felt like she took a punch to the stomach. Kewell was a racist piece of shit, but still this battle had killed far too many pilots. The Geth simply weren't something the Britannian forces were ready for, sure the Knightmare's mobility and size were advantages over the Geth, but the sheer volume of rockets and the Geth's pulse weaponry and strange ability to fire plasma with their guns, it tore through the weak shields and the armor of the Knightmares making any frontal assaults vastly higher risk than even charging Glasgows headlong into a entrenched Turian unit.
And they lost Kewell outside his Knightmare, at a moment that should have been their victory. So Kallen brooded in silence as her Knightmare returned to the Britannian colony. And once back in Britannian land and at the Britannian base Kallen opened her cockpit and allowed Lloyd to leave where he joined cècile where the pair almost immediately began discussing how to now transfer the imprint into a human mind.
But for Kallen, besides thoughts of how to make sure the next battle was more in her favor, her focus was on finding and taking her place at Lelouch's side as Jeremiah was still wounded as far as she knew. After several tense minutes Kallen could see the Command APC pull into the base. Kallen sprinted to where the APC was coming to a stop making sure to be kneeling as Lelouch came out of the APC looking exhausted and somewhat dishevelled himself.
Before Lelouch could say anything, however, Lady Nu walked overall and bowed to the Prince before fixing her hard state at him and asking him with a firm, harsh tone, "Why did you call for us to retreat? We lost plenty of good men, and we let the Alliance kill Lord Kewell."
Lelouch gave his own look to Villetta before looking at Kallen instead as he answered, only Kallen then could see the very slight hurt in the Prince's eye. "The E.U. forces were closing the noose, their reinforcement and main battleline would have caught us. They then would have been in their rights to detain and arrest all of you, and certainly they would have been intent on using... advanced interrogation techniques to draw out a confession that we were there to steal the Beacon."
Lelouch then sighed and allowed himself to fall onto his rear before continuing. "The Alliance already had the Beacon, and they had justification to be there thanks to the Geth, but if we left them with the Beacon, if the E.U. arrived in time they possibly could have struck a significant blow to the Systems Alliance's image. Instead the Beacon has been destroyed and we don't know why."
Villetta paled slightly. "The Alliance destroyed the Beacon?"
Kallen wanted to roll her eyes. "I doubt it."
Meanwhile Lelouch shrugged from where he sat dismissively. "It doesn't matter if they did or did not, now the Beacon has been lost under their watch, the Alliance is certain to come under some scrutiny. If we had remained it would have deflected even more from the Alliance than whatever evidence they already have of our own activities. Retreat deeper into Area Twenty-Six once I'm done reporting this to the Emperor, I may as well assess what remains of the purists to see if you are worth my time and patronage."
Lelouch was about to say something more but then his omnitool chimed and the prince first read something on the tool before paling and activating the communications bead on his ear. As Lelouch did this he hurried towards where a military skycar was left waiting and signalled for Kallen to follow.
"No, everything is alright. No, I'm not lying, I'm safe. I love you too, see you soon." Lelouch then took the passenger seat allowing Kallen to take the skycar's controls.
"Trouble?" Kallen asked a little amused but also knowing the sort of trouble she could be flying them towards as the Skycar began moving towards a less densely populated portion of the colony where she and Lelouch would be switching to a less conspicuous skycar.
"It's nothing." Lelouch reassured but this just made Kallen worry more, Lelouch always seemed so in control, but with certain people things always had a way of falling apart around him, such as with a certain pink sheep of the family.
"Well what's this with the purists? Do you really want to tinge your image with their politics?" Kallen then asked trying to change the subject.
"They've been decimated by this battle, and I'm sure I can change the minds of a few of them, actually I can change the minds of a good number of them probably. I'll then recognize them into something we can use, a new Knight Order maybe, but I'll have to put that project to the side until we can secure some better mainline Knightmares and infantry equipment." Lelouch's answer was... 'he's avoiding something.' that much was obvious to Kallen, but what was it that Lelouch wasn't willing to trust her?
The pair flew silently and switched to a public aircar without a word. The tension only grew as they neared the gates of Ashford Academy, particularly the College gates where two women, tyrannical Deities of chaos and mischief in human form, stood waiting. To the back Milly Ashford lurked, waiting for her chance to cause trouble, despite the fact of what her family had done, and the impact the Ashfords had on her father, Kallen couldn't come to genuinely dislike Milly Ashford. She was even clever enough to be the woman secretly running the family buisness both in the Terminus Systems and in Citadel planets like Noveria and Illium, but on Ashford grounds, as the Student's Chancellor and Dorm and property manager she abused her wealth and position as granddaughter of the president and Principal Ashford may as well been her Kingdom.
And just in front of Milly Ashford, brown curl hair as immaculate as ever, stance wide and hands placed on her hips, but with her Lavender eyes firmly set in a look that Kallen could only describe as subtle regal wrath, stood Nunally Vi Britannia. The hidden Britannian Princess was Lelouch's shadowy supporter who had, despite being a college student, possessed perhaps the greatest unofficial intelligence network in all of Britannia and had a knack for providing for Lelouch without needing to be asked, and knowing far too much. She was also his self proclaimed Fiancee and his younger sister.
Kallen was the first to step out of the Skycar and Nunally ran up to the Knight promoting Kallen to pause to bow only to get a slap on the face, followed by a swift and incredibly short hug. "What the hell were you thinking!" Nunally shouted at Kallen after letting her go.
"Umm, what are you saying Nunal..." Kallen was immediately thrown off balance and again interrupted by the other girl.
"First you let my Lelouch get kidnapped and then you let him run a battle from the front lines? I supported you being his Knight because I figured you wouldn't let him be an idiot!" Nunally's naturally soft and gentle voice sounded concerned and simultaneously more full of wrath than Kallen ever remembered hearing it be in a long time.
"It was my decision Nunally don't punish Kallen for obeying my orders. Besides what use is a disobedient Knight?" Lelouch pulled himself out of the skycar and stood across from Nunally a soft smile on his face.
For his arrogance Lelouch recieved the full body weight of his younger sister slamming into his chest her small frail fists flailing against his chest. If it has been anyone else, with how dainty and weak Nunally was Nunally's assault would have bounced off of them. However Lelouch being Lelouch couldn't support Nunally's weight and momentum for long and the Prince lost balance falling onto his back with the young woman atop of him.
"Don't scare me like that again. You're not supposed to use yourself as bait." Nunally whimpered to Lelouch as she brought her face to his and then planted her lips on his.
Of course Lelouch froze, his lack of ability in being able to deal with the feelings of his sister leaving the Prince frozen in indecision. Which left Kallen, frustrated that Nunally had ever developed such possessive feelings for her brother, to pull the Princess away from the man she claimed to love most in the galaxy. Kallen then stood Nunally up and proceeded to check Nunally for any cuts or bruises from the fall and brushed off a little dust and dirt from her school uniform.
Kallen then took the chance to try and berate the other younger woman. "You know it wouldn't do the Prince any favors to have some unknown schoolgirl assault or kiss him in a public place."
Nunally glared at Kallen. "It doesn't help that the public is convinced that he's shagging his Knight. Besides I have the talent and networking to prevent any negative rumors from our meeting, only that Lelouch has found a woman of immense skill and talent" Nunally gestured to herself, "to court for marriage."
Nunally's look then took on a more cruel, and vindictive nature. "Maybe if you can actually score some real victories in your Knightmare or show some better property management skill, I'll allow Lelouch to consider you for a second wife... or a mistress." And in an instant Kallen was reminded of why each time she met with Nunally she had such flashes of disgust with the Princess, God knew how much she wished she could punch her, but with how frail Nunally could be at times Kallen also feared to ever act on that impulse.
"You know, as much as I'm enjoying the drama show. This meeting unfortunately has to be kept short." Milly interjected with some seriousness, but the Ashford company president's tone was wistful and teasing.
"Right." Lelouch stated groaning as he stood up on his own, his manly pride hurt just enough Kallen was sure the offer to help would have only insulated him.
Now Kallen took interest. 'So this meeting was more than Nunally wanting to see Lelouch?' Kallen knew that Nunally actually had some very decent self control and probably would have ignored Lelouch's presence on planet, if not for something serious occurring, such as Lelouch being taken by terrorists. But Kallen hadn't thought that this meeting would have been about actual business.
Lelouch nodded. "Should we..."
"Yes let's move to the office." Milly stated formally.
As the group walked Kallen finally noted a certain absence. "Hey, where's Sayoko?"
Milly didn't break pace or look back to Kallen just keeping her mischievous grin. "Oh, was it true that Lelouch's Knight has a thing for Japanese maids?"
"What? No! That's not it at all, Milly." Kallen protested fiercely.
"She is on her way to Illium. Our assets there have suffered a string of thefts. We think it's this thief who's been making the galactic rounds, Katsumi. Nunally seems convinced that Sayoko is the only person who even has a chance of catching her trail." Milly confessed just as the group reached the club house that also housed Milly's private office.
Lelouch then smirked. "This doesn't mean you have to ask for more money does it Milly? Another insane start up project, a new 'World's largest' to achieve?"
"No nothing like that. Nunally was concerned about your stockpile of Knightmares and military supplies. Especially since she's got this wild idea about some sort of league out in the Terminus Systems. Obviously I can't be directly supplying you, but I figured I could at least start working out arrangements with you now. maybe show you some of the projects we've been working on that haven't been announced to the public yet, and direct you to some good suppliers for what I can't provide." As she explained this Milly took her seat at her desk sliding a datapad filled with relevant documents over to Lelouch. The Prince immediately set to reading everything listed.
"The Liverpool?" Kallen asked looking over Lelouch's shoulder and speed reading the data.
Milly giggled. "Sorry Kallen, but that Knightmare is everything a Knight despises. We're planning to make them for cheap to sell to mercenaries. It's basically just a turret with legs and a pair of landspinners. Though one of the developers did have an interesting idea of implementing a VI system into the frame to make them serve as independent pilotless chaff or support units."
Lelouch took a seat on one of the couches in the office before asking some of his own questions. "I'm seeing a lot of biotic work, I didn't think Ashford was interested in Biotics."
Milly sighed. "A consequence of working on Illium. Biotics are such a common place fact of life for Asari that tools for Biotic soldiers provide a better stream of income than Omnitool upgrades, and we don't yet have a stand out product in that field. Especially since most Asari militias and gangs can barely afford a single top of the line Knightmare and forget about them ordering in bulk. Ashford has had to take a rather unconventional approach to business on illium."
"And 'The Batarian Project' really?" Lelouch teased and Milly puffed her cheeks before laughing herself.
"I didn't name it, we're using the Ganymede as the frame concept for developing a Knightmare that's going to be sold to the Batarian Hegemony, or course we have made sure Batarians are going to be the face of the project and its marketing. Should open up a few new markets for us, and a way to subtly track how committed the Batarians are to supplying the pirates out in the Verge." Milly was nonchalant, but Kallen could tell, this was a risky venture any way you cut it, if the Batarians used the Knightmares openly and the machines were tracked back to their source the Citadel Council would come down on Milly's head her Britannian blood would be more than proof enough for most people to claim she had some vast evil intentions, meanwhile if the Batarians rejected her project outright she'd lose everything she invested into the project as Britannia rejected the idea of blind stockholder responsibility, so secretive projects like this often required seperate investors or for out of pocket funding.
But now Milly stood up with a wide grin. "But then we get to the end, Let me introduce you to our newest Knightmare variant coming out from Noveria allow me to introduce you to the Crucader and Lionheart upgrade packages. The Sutherland Crucader will come with a new Blaze Luminus, a project Professor Lloyd had been working on and off with for a few years, directional high capacity energy shield with a rather outstanding cycle rate, we had to do away with the Stun-Tofa on the arm, but we also managed to work in some upgrades for the Lances both a system to lighten the Lance and a thruster system to add momentum to a strike. Then the Gloucester Lionheart is also equipped with the same Blaze Luninus shield for both arms, a improved landspinner system, ans a mounting for Sattel Waffen missile launcher system, and then they also mentioned something about wrist articulation and swords but that was a little over my head. All the units have a slightly larger Element Zero core improving on the armor loadout as well."
As Milly was giving the sales pitch she pushed a pair of datapads over to Lelouch and Kallen. As Milly talked Kallen swiftly looked over the schematics laid out before her. The improvements were impressive and expensive, though it was Ashford, even when Knightmares were more or less their exclusive product they built the machines to be the tools of Champions. Lelouch noted the one thing that Kallen hadn't gotten to yet, but what she was looking for. "Looks like the costs of this are, what is this, around twenty percent more, thirty percent more than the base models?"
"Yes, most of that is in the Eezo requirements to keep the performance up with the heavier equipment loaded on, but with durability, mobility and firepower both improved as well as the base frames still being familiar to any maintenance on the Empire they should be good for an upcoming and relatively small but well funded force. I even suspect these might turn into a present for you, if you don't jump the chance to buy it now." Milly stated her voice going from business to teasing.
"Milly!" Nunally grunted unhappily from her side of the office and prompting Lelouch to look between his sister and the Ashford heiress.
"What is that supposed to mean?" Lelouch asked cautiously.
"Just that I've been catching Nunally making a LOT of calls to Barla Von. If you can find her little war chest I'm pretty sure she's been planning to give her beloved big brother a whole Orders worth of Knightmares once she had saved up enough. That or a ring made of pure diamond and filled with Element Zero and a statue of the same made in his honor." Milly was now laughing while Nunally was gasping in shock and quickly turning red.
"Awww, I embarrassed her." Milly coed while Kallen just rolled her eyes.
However before anyone else could speak on the moment Lelouch's omnitool chimed again. The Prince quickly read the tool before looking to Milly with a firm expression on his face. "Milly, do you have a private comms terminal, somewhere secure?"
"Yeah, in my room. Why?" The Ashford responded.
"The Emperor is calling me, I am to go to the Citadel immediately a ship is already being prepared to take me and a full force of my own preparation there." Lelouch responded already standing and moving towards Milly's bedroom.
"What the hell? Why?" The blond asked as Lelouch reached the door, but the Prince just walked out without another word. Now both Nunally and Kallen shared the same concerned expression as the Knight tried to mentally prepare for whatever might come next.
Images flashed through Shepard's mind, Aliens, maybe Protheans burning, flesh being torn open as machinery is forced into it, microchips welding themselves to bone, stars, planets, countless faces each shifting and changing going from race to race, species to species, almost all unrecognizable, almost all torn apart my massive ships, all unified by the same strange symbol in red upon their bodies. And then Shepard was flying through the stars launched by the relays until she lingered over an unrecognizable world, and then the universe went dark.
And then with a startled gasp Hana Shepard woke, the familiar hum of artificial gravity and the perpetually annoying tint of medical lights telling Shepard most of where she was. She lay on a medical bed, and it seemed that thanks to Kami she hadn't been forced to sleep in one of those damn Sleeper Pods. Shepard began to slowly sit up in the medical bed hearing Ashley speaking as she was getting up.
"Doctor, Doctor Chakwas I think she's waking up." In response Shepard clutched her forehead while the doctor walked around her to look Hana in the eye.
"You had us worried there. How are you feeling?" The elder doctor woman asked.
"Who thought it was a good idea to pump me full of Soju? This is worse than new years." Shepard responded.
"Well you were out for nearly twenty-five hours, something must have happened down there with the Beacon, I think." The Doctor provided.
"It's my fault, I must have activated some sort of security mechanism when I got close, you had to throw me out of the way." Ashley stated sounding very remorseful, almost like she was ashamed at being saved.
"Where's the Beacon now? What happened to it?" Hana then asked, feeling tired and sore, but determined to know how the mission ended.
"The Beacon exploded, some sort of failsafe or maybe an overload, thing was ancient. The blast knocked you out cold." Ashley then responded walking around so Hana could look straight at her. "Alenko and I had to carry you onto the ship."
Shepard scoffed. "Am I too good for the hospitals on Eden Prime?"
Then Chakwas joined back into the conversation. "They just suffered a major attack, and apparently E.U. forces were pulling up and more or less everyone is looking for someone to blame. Any Eden Prime hospital would have had you waking up in irons. Now, physically you're fine, but I detected some very unusual brain activity, abnormally high beta waves as well as neuron activation typically associated with a severe flashback episode or refrain usage. I also noted very rapid eye movement, which is typically associated with intense dreaming."
Shepard felt this was a chance to mention what she saw, but the more she thought of what she saw, the more she knew that she didn't understand what she saw at all. "I saw, well I'm not sure what I saw, a lot of death, destruction, machines and people. None of it is really clear."
Chakwas frowned. "I better then add this to my report it may..." The doctor cut off as the medical bay door opened. "Oh Captain Anderson."
Anderson walked up with a serious look on his face behind him Susaku stood firm at attention though the guy looked like he was about to cry in relief. "How's our XO holding up, doctor."
"All of our readings are now looking fine, I'd say she's going to turn out fine." Chakwas answered and Anderson gave his own relieved smile.
"Glad to hear it. Shepard, I need to speak with you, in private." The Captain sounded cordial but there was the implicit order underneath the Caption's tone. And everyone else also got it and soon only Shepard and Captain Anderson were left in the medbay.
Once everyone had left Anderson turned to Hana. "Sounds like that Beacon hit you pretty hard Shepard, are you sure you're OK?"
Shepard growled. "It was the freaking Geth, intel left us without any way to be prepared, their weapons, tactics, we were fighting blind out there. I mean it's like one of those old movies, the Geth had freaking zombies as part of their arsenal."
Anderson let the statement wash off him with his usual stony expression. "The Geth haven't been outside the Veil in nearly two hundred years, nobody could have predicted this."
"Still I don't like losing my men this way." Hana snapped back.
"And Jenkins knew the risks. He was a damn fine soldier, but there wasn't anything to be done. Hopefully Williams can fill in his shoes." Anderson replied.
"She will, she's a damn fine soldier." Hana replied with a smirk.
"Is this 'damn fine' a professional assessment, or coming from the trainee who broke into the showers so she could make a chart grading the ass of every cadet in her year?" Anderson replied in good humor.
"No comment." They failed to catch her then, and there was no way she was admitting she was the one who did it now. So instead she changed the topic. "You said you needed to see me in private Captain?"
Now Anderson took a more formal stance, a parade rest as he spoke. "I wont lie to you Shepard. Things look bad, with Nihlus dead, the Beacon destroyed and the Geth escalating perhaps for a full invasion, all while the Britannians are threatening another war on Earth. The Council is going to want answers and like everyone else, they're looking for someone to push the blame onto."
Hana shrugged. "Well I didn't do anything wrong sir, the Council is going to see that, and so will the rest of the Alliance."
"You're a damned fine soldier, a Hero in my Books Shepard. I'll stand behind you and your report every step of the way. But that's not why I'm here. It's Saren, that 'other Turian', Saren is a Spectre, one of the best. Pretty much a living Legend. And if he's working with the Geth it means he's gone rogue. Any Spectre going rogue is trouble, Saren's dangerous, and he hates humanity." Anderson explained.
But this just left Hana with more questions. "Why?"
"Short of it is he thinks were spreading too fast, that were out to conquer the galaxy. A lot of Aliens think that about us, but most wont act on it. Saren has the tools to make his prejudice into reality. And he's allied with the Geth, I don't know how, I don't know why. All I can say is I feel it has something to do with that Beacon." Anderson's face turned hopeful. "You were there just before the Beacon self destructed, did you see anything? Anything that tells us what Saren was after?"
"Nothing certain, but just before I lost consciousness I had some sort of vision." Hana now folded her arms as she stared into the ground.
"What sort of Vision?" Anderson asked.
Hana shrugged. "Hard to say, there were Synthetics, I don't know, maybe Geth, they were slaughtering people, wholesale butchery."
"We need to report this to the council." Anderson stated seriously which caused Shepard to laugh.
"What, trying to win their sympathy by claiming I had a bad dream because of all this?" Shepard almost felt insulted, it was a dream, and if that was what Anderson wanted to put their case on then he might as well just tell her the truth and let her know that they have nothing and that the council was going to eat them all alive.
"Listen Shepard, we don't know what information was stored on the Beacon. Could be lost Prothean technology, blueprints for some ancient weapons of mass destruction. Whatever it was Saren took it. And I know Saren, I know his reputation, his politics. He believes humanity is a blight on the universe. This attack was his sort of war a means to try wiping us out. He has whatever secrets came from the Beacon, an army of Geth at his command, and he's got our own superstates at least each other's throats, and he won't stop until every human is dead." Anderson was getting serious and passionate as he spoke.
"He can't do it if I kill him first." Hana felt there was more bravado in her statement than actual certainty but the statement was still fact.
"It's not that easy. He's a Spectre, he can go almost anywhere, get away with doing almost anything." Anderson stated.
"You have to be kidding me, Eden Prime has to be too far, there's no way the Council could support one of their own committing such an act." Hana then flexed a wave of blue energy rushing down her arm.
"I'll contact our ambassador and see if he can't get us an audience with the Council. He'll want to see us as soon as we reach the Citadel. We should be getting close, head up to the Bridge and tell Joker to bring us into dock." Anderson ordered then turned and walked away.
This left Hana to brood for a moment. She was a soldier, and had been since the day she first picked up a mass accelerator, the day she first took lives. It was her purpose, her reason to exist, to fight and suffer so others wouldn't have to. The idea that politics would soon be in the way of that just didn't sit right with her.
Codex:
Britannian Culture:
Britannian culture to outside observers is an almost frustrating mixture of contradictions. First the Britannian culture is built around the framework of the old Earth Noble Aristocracy complete with four broad castes that their population can fall under, Nobles, Britannian citizens, Honorary Britannians, and Numbers. But then the system presents a front of meritocracy and Britannia encourages not just competition between social equals but encourages cut-throat competition occasionally even turning a blind eye towards criminal behaviors taken by individuals who are attempting to climb the societal ladder.
Britannian Nobles are primarily all inheritors of their titles and fiefdoms, though the distribution of inheritance is determined not by blood relation or order of birth but by the perception of skill and abilities among the potential heirs. It is often the case then that the first born child of a noble may lose their inheritance to an adopted sibling, or to the spouse of a younger sibling. This has caused the Britannian nobility to adopt a system of political marriages that are as much determined by the talents of a potential suitor or suitress as it is by inter-family dynamics. Also while discouraged among the lower castes, limited mixtures of incest, polygamy, and bisexuality are not only tolerated but actively encouraged. For Britannian Youths of the Noble castes immense pressure is placed on them to display excellence in one or more fields of governance, warfare, or the sciences and to seek out potential partners who complement their skills and can provide healthy offspring, there are also growing rumors of a conspiracy by the nobles to court Asari in order to provide greater talent or a superior biotically capable offspring. It is also common practice in theory for the Royalty and councils or governors given authority by the Royalty to continually judge nobles stripping and redistributing rank based off the perception of talent and the lack there of among the nobility.
Among the Commoner and Honorary Britannian castes. Less pressure is put upon the individual to seek means to present themselves as individuals of extreme talent. Commoners and Honorary Britannians live much like the majority of humanity from other cultures. However due to their engagement with the Britannian nobility the people of these castes live in a state where cutthroat competition, to the extremes of industrial sabotage, corporate espionage, theft, and even the rare murder are not only given a blind eye by the nobles in the justice system but are subtly encouraged. For Commoners and Honorary Britannians alike it is possible for them to be elevated to noble status due to recognition of their talents, but it is far more frequent that a individual of noteworthy talent is courted by a noble seeking to secure their yet to be determined inheritance or who can not secure a spouse who can complement their skill set. The main dividing line then for the Britannian Commoner and the Honorary Britannian is the status of their birth, as Honorary Britannians were either born as numbers, or as foreigner and that Honorary Britannians can thus have their rights stripped under very particular circumstances.
The Numbers are the residents of regions conquered militarily or diplomatically by Britannia in the past. They typically have been forced to live as a type of serf caste providing cheap labor for the rest of Britannian society. As in theory any number can become a Honorary Britannian via contracted service under a noble or military service, It's theorized that the Britannian government has a program in place to try and regulate and sustain the population of the Numbers. To this day the Numbers possess deep resentment for their societal superiors and many still identify with their long destroyed former cultures, making their ranks a hotbed for internal conflict within Britannia.
Reviews:
Guest Dantalien: Hope this chapter gives some context. But Well its Shepard, no one even blinks when Shepard committed Genocide and violated by orders of magnitude the council's ordinance against WMDs entirely wiping out multiple garden worlds. And before being a Specter, well Shepard has multiple UCMJ violations under their belt. Also remember Britannia and the E.U. more or less hate each other as the E.U.'s founder Napoleon kicked Britannia's ass so hard they lost Britain and their entire nobility had to flee to the American colonies, while also losing their Canadian colony, and maybe India (that one isn't very well covered with the Chinese Federation and India and when the Chinese conquered India) But so while the Europeans are very self serving and have a lot of short signted characters, they have more reason to blame Britannia and try to extract some profit or revenge there. and as for why Shepard would be OK shooting the Britannians, its called armed intervention, the Britannians were where they weren't supposed to be conducting warfare without permission of any kind, where Shepard is covered by the Alliance Charter.
Akmaleeee: Hey hey hey, Britannians are classist shits not racist shits ;).