Throne of Glass
Part Two: to Wage a War
Chapter 25: The Goddess of Victory
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"So this is the enemy's strategy." Xingke muttered to himself, examining the massive fire spread out of control before him. Fields that fed easily a quarter of the country burned as far as the eye could see, a wildfire covering the entire sky. It was clearly positioned to funnel his forces toward a specified fortification. Otherwise they would have to wait an indefinite amount of time for the raging flames to die out, and given the circumstances, that was not an option. This bespoke of two possibilities: sheer desperation, or the work of someone with little care of the consequences their actions would have. Neither could be ruled out at this point, but he had his suspicions. Something else however, caught his eye.
"Xianglin, that area up there, what is that?" He asked, pointing to a far off plot of land that remained untouched by the devastation.
His subordinate checked over the maps they had of the area, a somewhat difficult task with the smoke obscuring any decent landmark of the area. "That's private property, sir. It's owned by… The Ashfords, actually."
"Is that so." Xingke muttered, narrowing his eyes. Though it could be coincidence, or efforts that had a less sinister meaning, he had his doubts. Something had felt off about this from the start, and he didn't trust Allen in the slightest. Though regardless of how much he speculated, the Britannian's ambitions remained unknown to Xingke. Whatever goal Allen was working toward, he hadn't the slightest idea. Some piece of the puzzle was hidden from him, leaving him in the dark as to his place in whatever games were being played behind his back. His only concern however, was how his Empress could benefit from the arrangement. Whatever side the boy was actually on mattered very little in the end, considering it certainly wasn't his. He had to tread carefully nonetheless, he knew without a doubt that he could just as easily end up like the people he was here to fight.
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G-1 Command Center; 2017 ATB
"We've just received another scout report from our northern wing." Guilford reported to the princess as she examined her advance. "It appears to be exactly as our other scouts claimed, the enemy is consolidating their forces in the city of Kota. We can roughly estimate a total of three hundred knightmares at least, in addition to whatever defenses were already in place. And it can also be assumed those Templars will be there as well."
"It seems like the entire western front had been gathered in one place." Cornelia muttered. "Ignoring them would mean an easy push straight to the capital, but it's quite likely we'll find an army at our backs with a fortress bearing down on us. But it makes sense, to force us into a siege at a single location to buy them some time."
"Since Zero is involved, they may attempt to bring in reinforcements, but to me it seems victory here is not his objective." Guilford added.
"He has to know it simply isn't possible for him." Allen agreed from where he was listening beside Euphy. "Whether his goal is to wear you down, or buy time for himself, he wants this war to drag on. Victory here isn't important, rather Area Eleven. He knows Clovis cannot stop him, and the Prime Minister is too involved with the E.U. to do anything about it either. When you think about it, it seems quite likely he pulled the strings behind all this. That being the case, I don't imagine he has the resources necessary to act here and make a meaningful move back in Area Eleven. At least we don't have to worry about that."
"That is likely the case." Cornelia agreed. "Though that may just simply be what he wants us to believe, but there's no point in worrying over that now. What matters is deciding what to do about their actions here and now."
"It will impede our progress, but it seems we have little choice but to confront their fortification. It may be exactly what Zero wants, but he has left us with little options. I doubt it will be possible to blitz the capital fast enough to avoid getting cornered if they come at us from behind." Guilford added.
"We don't have any more help from the mainland coming any time soon, as this campaign came rather unexpectedly. On top of that they destroyed a large swathe of our support armor in the landing." The princess continued. "We will face their defenses in Kota, with everything we have here already. Send out the order to advance on their location, we'll cut off whatever units have yet to arrive. The sooner we begin the better it will be for us."
Once the command was issued, everyone gathered began to disperse. Cornelia couldn't help but notice her dear little sister tailing behind Allen as he left. And Guilford of course followed her gaze.
"It seems Euphemia has found a new friend." He observed once the rest had dispersed. "You're okay with that?"
"Whatever do you mean?" She feigned ignorance.
"Any other noble boy approaching her would've had their head bitten off by now."
"He was raised by Ruben. Related or not, of course he would be found respectable." She defended herself. Sure she had chased off plenty of fools back home, but something about Allen subtly spoke of familiarity. He possessed a surprising balance of pride and humility.
"Indeed. I actually find I see no issues either." Her knight admitted. "Though of course it's not up to us, is it?"
"No, I think I'll let this one be. Within reason of course." She added.
Guilford smiled. "Of course."
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Ashford Private Facility; 2017 ATB
Kallen let out a slow breath, her fingers curling around the controls of the Guren. In front of her, visible through the machine's display, was her opponent. Even if this was a friendly bout on the surface, to her it was anything but. Unlike Suzaku she had absolutely no real combat experience. This was a true test of her latent skill and talent, the only things she had going for her. It was to fall to her to deal with this knight one way or another when the time came, she had to ensure she could put the woman down no matter the situation.
"Are you ready Kallen?" Emilia asked from inside her knightmare, the Bedivere. One of Camelot's special products, it was equipped with what was called a maser1 vibration sword, and a reinforced shield to evoke the image of a staple knight. But you could throw those fancy toys on any old frame, what made a prototype was the insanely suped up specs that almost no one could handle. It took superhuman coordination, reflex and instinct to control such a machine. Like the difference between automatic and manual, if manual meant you had to micromanage every single little operation of the engine at every moment of time. But because of that, the frame could be controlled down to the most minute detail. Only a handful of people are capable of it, and Lady Strauss was one of them. Apparently she was to, if the simulations were anything to go off of. Now it was time to see if that meant anything.
"Yeah, I'm ready."
Their duel began in the blink of an eye. Using modified weaponry, they wouldn't be dealing any actual damage as long as they were careful. The victor was the one who scored three hits on their opponent first, and in a fight like this one, crushingly decisive blows weren't all that likely.
Kallen went in low, moving to press the attack early on. But her opponent's shield proved to be difficult to outmaneuver already. It was obvious the Bedivere was a durable machine, without any flashy techniques or tools. It simply held its ground against anything thrown against it, slow and steady until it won. Kallen found this very irritating however. Unrelenting in her assault, the redhead found a brief gap however. In a fraction of a second, she succeeded in scoring a glancing scrape of a blow. In real combat it was a meaningless accomplishment, but here it meant everything. First blood was hers.
Amelia fell back, putting a good distance between them.
"Not bad." The knight complimented her. "But we're just getting started!"
This time, her opponent came bearing down on her. Shield forward, and sword ready to thrust, the Bedivere appearing an unstoppable force coming right for her. She sidestepped right as they were to collide, but found that obnoxious shield already in her face. Pushed off-center, she barely had time to react to the sword coming right for her Guren's head. Kallen ducked underneath it, preparing a counterattack with claws at the ready.
But that move was expected, and Amelia twisted in a way only her advanced knightmare could achieve, bringing her weapon back around. The redhead cursed as the blunt sword scraped against her overextended arm. She quickly corrected her stance, firing slash harkens in the process. They were obviously blocked, but they provided her an opportunity to move back in, putting back on the offensive. Kallen grabbed hold of the Bedivere's shield, briefly wondering if the radiant wave surger was capable of destroying the chunk of metal. But that wasn't the point.
"Let's see which one of us has more muscle huh?!" She declared, putting everything into simply pushing the offending thing aside. For several painful seconds they stood deadlocked, unable to make any other moves.
"Wha?!" Before she knew it, Kallen found herself flung forward. Or rather, her own momentum carried her off balance straight into the ground. All Amelia did was slide out of the way, like letting go in a tug-of-war.
Knocked around and severely disoriented, she heard two light taps echo through the frame. "And that's game."
"Wait, that's-" She tried to protest, but the white haired knight had already opened her hatch. With a disappointed sigh, she did the same, powering off her knightmare.
"You did really well, Kallen." Amelia told her. "You definitely have what it takes to become an ace pilot, I'm impressed. The only thing you lack is experience. But that's easy to get, it only takes time."
"Thanks, I guess." She grumbled.
"I'm curious about the specs of your Guren though. Did you really think you'd be able to overpower me like that?" Amelia asked.
Kallen shrugged. "I have no idea. In that situation, I felt like my options were pretty limited."
"Maybe. But the longer you spend in combat, the more you realize just how many options both sides have to turn the tide."
The one thing she did conclude though was she did in fact need more experience. Raw talent alone couldn't win her the battle here, when time put into honing that talent was the only real difference between the two of them. She had a lot to learn.
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Kota Outskirts; 2017 ATB
Cornelia wasted no time closing in on the city before her. Her forces spread out as the approached the slums that dotted the edge of the city. Further in, loomed a wall that was erected some several decades before India became part of the Federation. It was a city of decent size, well defensible and well armed. She had no time to lay siege to such a fortification, but she had no delusions that overpowering them would be easy. The slums would provide cover, creating an urban environment in which the knightmare excelled. The general was confident her troops were better trained for that, and she had greater numbers as well. But Zero has several trump cards that he knew exactly how to play. And there was no telling just what else he had in store for her.
Cornelia was not deployed this time, as she was directing the entirely of her forces. She was not sparing anything in this attack. She pulled all her Commander's together, and deployed Nonette as well as Allen's Lancelot piloted by that Eleven.
"Our vanguard is approaching the outskirts of the city ma'am." An officer informed her. "He have yet to encounter any resistance, although we are unable to determine if any enemies lie in wait for us."
"Stay in formation, and proceed with caution. Until we start getting blasted with artillery, it's safe to say an ambush is waiting." She ordered, watching with bated breath for any sign of trouble.
"You're highness, we're getting a transmission over open channels."
She frowned. "They're trying to hail us?" What was the point of that now? "Answer it."
What came through was still a surprise however. The image of a masked person, similar to the design made infamous by Zero. It wasn't the same however, and if she wasn't mistaken, she was looking at a young woman.
"Greetings, Princess Cornelia." A feminine voice, speaking English with an eleven accent called to her. "I'm overjoyed you've chosen to meet my challenge. I would have been quite disappointed had you chosen to ignore all the efforts I've made here."
"You're in charge of India's forces?" She asked "You work for Zero don't you?"
"That's right. I've been leading the effort to slow you down. Though I must admit it's no fun being given an assignment knowing full well you were already meant to fail." Through this girl's mask, Cornelia was given the impression of a child pouting. "They call you the Goddess of Victory isn't that right? I too, am known by my people as a Goddess of Victory. You may call me Megumi; it is a name I share with the weapon gifted to me by Zero. So Princess Cornelia, shall we see which one of us is truly the Goddess who shall claim victory? Though I am not meant to win on this battlefield…"
A light laugh filled the room, and numerous warning sirens filled the command room all at once. "You certainly will not feel as though you won. Unless of course you aren't what you claim to be. That would be quite the disappointment. Don't disappoint me now, alright?"
The transmission cut, and a single enemy signal appeared on their sensors, several thousand feet above ground. Then a brilliant red beam cut across the sky, and everything went to shit.
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Kaguya smiled as the Hadron cannon arced across the battlefield, utterly annihilating everything in its path. In the blink of an eye, dozens of knightmares were simply erased. But that alone was hardly the most alluring feature of her personal knightmare.
Suspended in the sky with experimental float technology, and standing more than twice the height of an average frame, was the Megumi. Shining white, with blood red wings and ornate detailing. It was untouchable, and ethereal like a goddess like which it was named.
The true strength of the frame however, was the highly advanced AI on board known as SAGE: Strategic analysis of the geometric environment. The AI was capable of determining terrain advantages and proper unit positioning. That of course, meant very little without the last function the Megumi was capable of. A long range sensor that picked up traces of sakuradite reactions found in knightmare frames. When crossed with the IFF data provided by its allies, the Megumi was able to provide SAGE with dead accurate locations of every enemy knightmare within the sensor's effective range. Using this information, SAGE had an unparalleled level advantage over any foe. Unless her opponents opted to bring weapons that did not utilize sakuradite in any way, she could see every move they made, and SAGE would counter it perfectly. Megumi provided absolute air superiority with its hadron cannon, and gave her ground forces unrivaled tactical information all at once. Even now, she ordered her forces through the ruined slums, preparing to intercept each one of them where they least expected it.
Truly, she was a Goddess of Victory. She would bring her beloved Zero exactly what he wanted. This fake couldn't hold a candle to her.
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"You're actually being serious right now."
Thoroughly unamused, Lelouch demanded an explanation of the one who had brought him such an outlandish request.
"I'm afraid so dear boy." Ruben replied. "It is becoming more and more apparent it is you who runs Ashford now. The chairman has specifically requested your attendance, and many others are expecting you as well."
"You know what I'm doing right now, I don't have time to go to a conference and rub shoulders with a bunch of worthless fools!" He retorted.
"Those fools are in charge of allocating sakuradite resources across the entire world. A resource which, need I remind you, is the sole production of a nation you are attempting to liberate from an empire that has exploited that resource for the last seven years." The old man chastised.
"I know that." Lelouch ground out. "What I fail to see, is why I need to associate with them now of all times."
"Think ahead, son. Sakuradite is your lifeline. It is the reason Japan fell, but it can also be its savior. Do not make the mistakes your predecessors did. Whatever is decided at that convention is international law. Whether it affects Area Eleven, or Japan." Ruben explained.
Lelouch closed his eyes, thinking for a moment as he paced the room. Witnessed only by Suzaku who silently stood vigil.
"Leave the situation to your subordinates, they are more than capable of handling things as they are now. It will only be for a few days."
"Alright fine. I'll arrive the day of the conference, and I'm leaving the moment it concludes." The boy relented.
"You're sure you don't want to inspect the progress we've made here?" Ruben asked.
"I have faith those I left in the settlement have things under control. I don't have any time to waste." He argued.
"Exactly. Have faith your allies there can do the same. You can't be everywhere at once, so be where you need to be."
Lelouch sighed, realizing the man's point. "I get it I get it. I'll be there."
"Very good. I'll see to it everything is ready for you when you arrive. We'll give you a brief review of where things stand during the intermission. You won't lose any time."
"Right, thank you Ruben. I'll see you there."
After ending the call, the exiled prince fell into a nearby chair, sighing heavily.
"He has a point you know." Suzaku added after a moment. "This will be the only time they view you as a Britannian. It will be much harder to negotiate terms with the sakuradite council acting on behalf of a new Japan. The long term survival of a new nation may very well depend on this."
"I know Suzaku. There are just so many things that could make or break us. I need to prioritize, even if opportunities are lost." He tried to justify.
"Kaguya has this covered. I don't think you being here will change the outcome of this siege. You'll be fine." His friend reassured him.
"Yeah, you're right. Are you sure you'll be fine here though? I can't exactly take you with me, I have no reason to." Lelouch asked.
"Stop making excuses and go Lelouch. I'll be fine on my own." Suzaku shot back.
"Alright I get it, I've already decided as much." He stood up. "I suppose I should inform Cornelia though. I'll be gone a few days, and I am quite important around here now."
Suzaku laughed. "Whatever will we do without you."
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