Throne of Glass
Part Two: To Wage a War
Chapter 35: The Ashford Rebellion
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Kawagoe Ghetto; 2017 ATB
Naoto watched as enthusiastic Japanese unraveled a large flag that draped across the wall of a building built by Ashford. It's design was similar to that of the Japanese banner of old, but now the bottom half was completely red. A sun breaking the horizon.
"This is completely insane!" Ohgi exclaimed, even as soldiers were handing out armbands with that same flag on it. "He can't possibly believe the Japanese will accept this. It's like…being forced to throw away everything we were trying to get back!"
"That's the sentiment you'd think people would share. But the thing is, it wasn't Ashford who renamed Japan; it was Kaguya Sumeragi, the last of the Japanese imperial family. That was very deliberate." Naoto retorted, turning away to return back to the settlement. He'd seen enough here.
"I guess I can see why that would matter, but that doesn't change the problem with that idea." His friend argued.
"Maybe not immediately, but then again the immediate problem isn't the name of this island, it's the dozens of warships coming to its shores. And right now, the only thing standing between us and them… is Ashford."
"I see your point." Ohgi frowned. "That begs the question though: do we really have a chance at winning?"
Naoto turned to him, wearing a deadly serious expression. "In all honesty, I don't think he could possibly lose."
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HBN Artemis, International Waters; 2017 ATB
"This is a most troubling development."
"That's a very mild way to put it." Cornelia snapped at her brother, glaring at his nonchalant attitude.
"My apologies, sister, this must be much harder on you…considering your relationship with Ashford." Schneizel offered an apology with a disarming smile.
"You have no idea." She muttered. Schneizel had no clue what was really going on, and she feared what he might do if he were to learn of the truth.
"It should come as no surprise that the nobility is in an outrage over this. They're calling it the Ashford Rebellion, and do not recognize this 'Yoake' as an independent nation." Schneizel explained the situation.
"And what of the emperor?" She asked.
"His Majesty finds all this most amusing." Her brother replied with thinly veiled irritation. It was obvious their father had left dealing with this vital crisis completely up to him.
"That really isn't all that surprising however. What's important is support for stopping this insurrection is swiftly growing. Ashford had many enemies, and the more vocal among them are offering resources to help put him down."
"So are you saying I should expect assistance from the homeland?" She asked. All things considered, Cornelia could use all the help she could get.
"I'll do everything I can to get you all the strength we can muster. Our time is nearly up however, and we cannot afford to delay the attack. That being said, this doesn't change your objective here. Only now, the true face of the enemy has become apparent. No matter what, we cannot fail here. Ashford has played a very strong hand here, it's clear he's worked very meticulously to stack the deck in his favor. His victory would put the empire in a critical state on top of all the other issues piling up. I'm afraid it may break us."
"I understand the gravity of the situation well enough, Schneizel." Cornelia glared.
"Of course. And I have faith that you will win. There can be no other outcome." The prime minister said. "I shall let you know the moment I have more support for you. I wish you the best of luck, sister."
Schneizel ended their call, and Cornelia's face fell into a heavy scowl.
Why did this have to be so complicated? Even Schneizel acknowledged that Lelouch truly was on the cusp of crushing Britannia under its own weight. He really…he actually could do it.
But did she ever doubt that?
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Ashford Manor; 2017 ATB
Kaguya found Lelouch gazing out into the night sky toward the sea. In a matter of hours now there would be foes upon that horizon, come dawn.
"How are you feeling?" She asked him, coming close behind to watch the same view.
"Honestly, more nervous than I'd care to admit." He answered, surprisingly truthful. "I've done all I could, there's little more that I could have done at this point. Even still I fear it won't be enough, that there's more I should have done."
"You've already achieved more than any one person could hope to do. But you're no ordinary man, that could never be enough for you. This impossible dream is one you've made a reality, with your own hands. I know you will see this through until the end, when you finally win. Because you understand what it's really about, what this battle really means, and what is truly at stake." She told him, her hands finding his. "You will win, because you must."
Her prince was silent for a while, his eyes gazing upon a world beyond their own. "You know, I've let my hate push me forward for so long now I almost lost my footing once I finally let it go. Understanding what it is I really wanted actually began to make me doubt my own ability to achieve it. I suppose there's a reason for that-it's not something I can reach on my own."
He turned to her, a gentle smile upon his face. "So I can't express how much it means to me having you by my side. It's something I never knew I needed, but I won't ever let go."
His words alone were enough to utterly captivate her. "I'm not going anywhere." She promised once more. "Even if I'm the only one."
"That's enough for me to believe that I can win." He pulled her close, continuing to surprise her with his openness.
"My Goddess of Victory."
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HBN Artemis; 2017 ATB
There it was, looming on the edge of calm waters that betrayed none of the tension felt in the air. Cornelia stared firmly ahead as Area Eleven grew ever closer. Even as her officers scrambled around her, she remained stoic steadfast. Anything to hide the internal turmoil that only grew as she came closer to confronting him. Strangely enough, she wasn't even that concerned over the difference in strength between the two of them. No matter what forces they could muster she had no way of knowing just how extensively Lelouch had prepared, or what cards he had yet to play. She should be worried about the outcome of the battle, given the stakes in it for the empire. But she couldn't bring herself to care. Not when he was waiting for her.
"Your highness, we have an incoming message from the Tokyo Settlement."
They were crossing out of international waters, there was no going back now. It appeared he saw that as well. "Put it through."
Seconds later, she saw him once more. His eyes were again a deceptive blue, but she could never see them that way again. It was all too obvious to her now.
"So it seems you have continued your course despite my warning. I can't say this surprises me though, I always believed open hostility would be necessary." Allen Ashford spoke in a tone that almost seemed condescending. "Still I'll say this only once: you are trespassing on waters belonging to the sovereign nation of Yoake. Any further act will be treated as open hostility, and will be responded to accordingly."
"I'm afraid Britannia does not recognize this Yoake of yours." Cornelia replied, maintaining a defiant appearance. "As such I will demand that you relinquish Area Eleven and stand down peacefully. Surely you understand the might of all Britannia will come down upon you for this."
It was an empty threat, one she knew fell on deaf ears. His resolve was far greater than she could imagine, but even still… "This doesn't have to end in bloodshed."
Lelouch stared at her a moment before sighing. "So be it."
Their connection was terminated moments before alarms sounded across the bridge.
"We have incoming artillery fire from within the settlement!" She was warned.
And so it began.
Cornelia grit her teeth. "Ready point defense, and prepare to counter fire with our surface to surface!"
Her forces were much more vulnerable than the settlement was to long range attacks. All she could do was hope to protect her transports before they reached the shore, and hopefully soften their landing. They hadn't exactly departed prepared for an unwelcome arrival.
Powerful shells erupted in the waters surrounding the Artemis and her other ships, a few scoring minor hits to some of the vessels. Britannian carriers were durable, but not invincible. She prayed none would be lost.
"Fire missile volley!" She ordered as her fleet returned fire, dozens of smoke trails racing toward the city.
In a shocking twist however, none of them ever reached their targets. The entire wave exploded spontaneously, as if they hit some invisible wall. In their wake, she could make out some kind of green shimmer.
"What was that?!" She could hear murmurs and cries of surprise at the failed attack. Whatever Lelouch had employed completely nullified their barrage. All the while their own fleet mercilessly pounded by unending fire.
"Launch second volley!" Cornelia ordered.
A dread began to creep upon them as once again the missile strike was deflected by the same eerie glow. If she wasn't mistaken, it reminded her of the blaze luminous shielding utilized by the Lancelot. But from what she understood such a scale shouldn't be possible for that technology.
An artillery round slammed into an escort vessel, and a great ball of fire billowed out on the deck.
The opening move had concluded, the advantage distinctly in Ashford's favor.
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The third attempt made by Britannia's fleet to strike at the settlement ended the same way. Lelouch smiled in satisfaction as the miniature luminous rounds fell from the sky, their job complete.
All around the bay was a line of launchers that propelled small devices that emitted the same defensive field Lloyd Asplund created for the Lancelot. With the help of SAGE, the trajectory of incoming projectiles could be calculated, and blaze luminous shielding deployed to interrupt them. He called it the Luminous Shield Screening system. It was a near flawless barrier against all attacks. Of course, it couldn't last forever, as the system only had a finite number of rounds to launch against threats. But it worked more than well enough for what it was.
Cornelia would reach land within the hour, but he would be completely unharmed until that point. The same couldn't be said for her fleet.
"Move P-Six to sector fourteen." He ordered, assessing where Cornelia's ships were most likely to land. As they drew closer, dozens of aerial transports began to flood the sky, each bringing a knightmare to the front line.
"Fire gefjun cannons, targeting the transports. Focus fire on the left wing." He also ordered his forces be adjusted to match the result. Britannian VTOLs were durable and agile, and actually performed rather well against conventional anti-aircraft fire, unfortunately they ran on sakuradite.
"SAGE is reading over six-hundred individual signals matching knightmare frames." Kaguya told him from where she was positioned above the ghettos to the east. "Within our expected parameters, but our agents have reported additional battalions have already departed. If they take long distance aerial transports they may reach the battle in time to make an impact. And, as you've predicted, Schneizel is making some sort of move we can't monitor."
"I have a good idea what he might be up to." He replied, looking over his units' new positions. "And their reinforcements are likely to attempt to flank us in the north, but we have Jeremiah protecting our rear. And of course, the Mirai will stop what Schneizel had in mind."
"Your confidence puts me at ease. I'll admit I'm a bit nervous."
Lelouch glanced at her image displayed within the cockpit of his own knightmare. It truly shocked him how quickly his perception of her had changed in the last few days. She was beautiful. "Well I do have my Goddess of Victory by my side after all."
Her face turned red, and she turned away. "Well, then I'll just have to stay with you till this is over then."
"Only until then?" He asked.
She smiled. "Perhaps a while after that."
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She rested her hands firmly over the controls of her knightmare as it started up. The Knight's oath on display before the flag of Britannia in front of her.
She never imagined someone like him could betray that flag.
Never mind his beliefs, Nonette really had no say of knowing if he was true to them or just using it to gather support. Allen Ashford betrayed his country, and his people. He spoke against the very foundation of Britannia's ideals. As a knight defending that belief, and sworn to the emperor who championed that ideal, she could not allow this traitor to go unpunished.
"Lady Enneagram, your goal is to clear out as many defenses in the southern landing zones along the docks as you can." Guilford explained to her. "Princess Cornelia will lead the vanguard assault directly behind you. Exercise extreme caution, we have no idea just what else Ashford has lying in wait for us."
"Understood. I will uphold the honor of the emperor." No ambitious fool of a noble was going to spit in the face of Britannia and get away with it.
The moment she was cleared to launch, Nonette propelled herself outward, Weaving through oncoming fire as she passed by the VTOLs and headed straight for the settlement beyond. She was a paragon of the empire, and would act as such.
Upon reaching the mainland, she wasted no time raining destruction upon whatever she could see. Artillery cannons and other emplacements were a priority, but she scattered many groups of knightmares who were unable to do much against her. Some were brazen enough to return fire, as futile an attempt it was.
Her reign of terror went unchallenged for a few minutes before something successfully managed to strike her knightmare. Stopping to assess the danger, Nonette saw that she was no longer alone in the sky. Before her was a frame of white and gold she was familiar with. Though she hadn't known it could fly, that didn't exactly surprise her at this point.
"Kururugi. I was wondering if you'd show up." She greeted the other pilot who was pointing a rifle at her. "Finally come to see which of us is really better?"
"I already know the answer to that." Her opponent answered. "I've merely come to put you down."
She chuckled. "Those are some bold words. Let's see if you can back them up!"
Racing forward, their duel in the skies began.
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His knightmare landing upon the rubble of an old city, Darlton was immediately thrust into combat on all sides. Even as more of his comrades dropped into battle, his position was being relentlessly assaulted. "Form a battle line, don't let them surround us!" He shouted, attempting to get his knights into a cohesive unit.
The general thrust his spear into the center of a Marianne frame, rendering it defeated. It seemed as though many of the devicers Ashford was fielding were below average in ability. He supposed there was only so much one could do with what they had. That said, he knew full well that underestimating the leading arms dealer would not go over well.
Eventually, as most of his vanguard secured their initial foothold, the situation began to become a little more stable. Seeing as how they were able to clear out the immediate defenses, Darlton gave the order to advance. Moving through these ghettos was highly dangerous, as there were too many places where traps or ambushes could be lying in wait. Nevertheless, they made their way west toward the settlement. That is, until the actual defenders made themselves known.
Dozens of templars burst from the shadows, mercilessly cutting through his own knightmares. The old general himself soon locked in melee combat with one of the machines. There were more of them here in front of him now than he'd ever seen in India, and this was the eastern flank. To make things worse, he could see above them that damnable Megumi from before was rising to the center of the battlefield.
"Son of a bitch." Darlton muttered. "If this is a joke, it isn't funny."
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After an hour of relentless attacks, Cornelia's fleet finally reached the Tokyo Bay. In an instant, she gave the order for her landing parties to get to shore. Many of her advance groups had already been fighting for some time now. Darlton to the east and Alex to the west. Nonette had engaged the Lancelot, and Megumi was confirmed to be facing Darlton. That worried her. Lelouch would know full well she would commit herself and the bulk of her forces to the southern ports directly on the lip of the settlement proper. So then what did he allocate to combat her?
Even as she landed ashore, accompanied by Guilford and the Glaston Knights, she had yet to determine where Lelouch himself might be. He wasn't the kind of man to hide away in battle, she knew that.
The immediate threat however, was the alarming number of Templar frames fielded against her. They numbered more than the Mariannes used to fill their ranks. Though it was clear not every one was piloted by an elite devicer like what she'd seen in India, but the sheer power of the frame was enough to overwhelm the average knight all the same. That being said, she held a distinct numerical advantage, and it became more evident that she would be able to break their line with a strong enough push.
"Your highness, our heavy support has begun to disembark. Shall we begin our assault on the settlement?" Guilford asked.
"The resistance thus far has proven lacking. In all honesty that's more concerning than disappointing." She replied. "This isn't some decaying backwater, it's Ashford we're dealing with. Let's proceed with caution as we move on to the industrial district. The men know their objectives: seize key locations and close in on the government bureau!"
With great ferocity, the princess cleaved through an enemy templar after evading its attack. The more she faced these frames the more she understood how they fought. They were without a doubt extremely deadly to the average devicer, giving their pilots a clear edge over others with the same skill. But she was no average pilot.
"Is this all you've got?!" She demanded after piercing another straight through.
Her challenge did not remain unanswered for long.
Heralded by a great roar from above, a thunderous crash shook the ground around her. When she regained her bearings, she was faced with a truly monstrous knightmare. It stood a good eight feet taller than any other frame, with one of her Glaston Knights bodyguards pinned beneath it. Its overbearing gaze locked solely upon Cornelia, even while the surrounding knights were too stunned to react.
"Leaving aside what I've said before, I should warn you that I will show no mercy when we are on the battlefield, Cornelia."
It was him. She knew it even before he spoke, this immense a knightmare could only belong to him.
She hardened her gaze. "Then you and I are in agreement."
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Deep beneath the subsections of the settlement below Ashford Tower, Emilia could still feel the earth shaking as the battle began in full swing. Though she desperately wished to fight, it was rather pointless to struggle. There was no escaping this cell, and not a soul had stopped by since the first shots were fired.
The knight lamented her foolishness, having been too eager to expose what she had discovered. She allowed herself to be completely neutralized without so much as a fight.
"Damn it all" Emilia spat.
Lelouch vi Britannia, fallen prince of the empire, was to soon topple the nation that abandoned him. It sounded like a story from a fairy tale, yet it was very real. Not only that but the greatest danger Britannia has likely ever faced. It was fitting that only a prince of the empire would be capable of destroying it.
While she was busy brooding, Emilia almost missed the soft click coming from the door to her cell. Looking up, she watched as it opened by itself, its sliding the only sound she heard. Bewildered, she cautiously stood up.
"Hello?" The knight called out. "Who's there?"
No one answered her, nor did anyone make themselves known to her. Yet the door before Emilia was now open.
So she passed through it.
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And so begins the penultimate battle. Thank you to everyone who expressed approval and the like. I know I can't please everyone, but I wanted something unique, and it made a lot of sense. And being perfectly clear: Kaguya genuinely won that contest a while back, so…