Throne of Glass
Part Two: To Wage a War
A little later than I wanted it to be, this one actually gave me a bit of a hard time figuring it out in places.
But it's pretty neat.
Chapter 37: Beacon of the Future
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The raging battles in the many ghettos surrounding the Tokyo Settlement all came to a halt as Britannian and rebel forces alike looked up in awe at the majestic sight passing above them. Bolts of crimson death descended down upon the land, laying waste to those who dared stand up against the empire. Though the defenders attempted to fight back against the ship, it was found to be in vain. Not a single attack successfully struck the imposing vessel.
Aboard the ship known as Avalon, Prime Minister Schneizel took in the situation of the battles below. "It appears as though Ashford is as prepared as we feared." He thought aloud, eyes drinking in the many reports coming in at once. "To think he could defend against this massive of an invasion so effectively. It's testament to both the training and equipment he's provided, as well as his own strategic genius."
"It seems as though we still outnumber them, and that was before the special forces engaged their token defenses in the north." Kanon commented beside him.
"I believe we actually did catch him off guard there. Even he wouldn't have expected knightmares pulled from Euro-Britannia to infiltrate away from the settlement surroundings." The prime minister sighed. "Even still, winning this battle will come at a heavy cost. It's miraculous the Chinese Federation will be occupied with the mess in India for the time being. They won't be able to take advantage of the state this will put us in. Perhaps that was the point of it, in the least, it works in our favor and his."
Given all else he had witnessed, it left Schneizel little doubt he had intentionally distracted the Chinese Federation just prior. He knew perfectly well just what kind of state this island would find itself in, and took steps needed to insure its safety.
The more Schneizel unraveled Allen's well laid plans, the more the prince found respect and fear in equal measure.
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Lelouch had begun to think Schneizel wasn't going to show, he was glad he had held out hope. He knew his brother would not disappoint. Had he not been prepared for his Avalon's arrival, Lelouch might have started to feel genuine concern over the state of the battle. Britannia was emboldened by the presence of the prime minister's flagship, further pressing their offensive in the wake of the Avalon's hadron cannons.
The exiled prince watched this unfold with a satisfied grin. Even now, the battle was well within his control.
"Allen Ashford. How disappointing that I've never had a chance to speak with you until now." Schneizel said from within the safety of the Avalon. "I'd have liked to converse without the pretense of this war, I'm sure it would have been quite enjoyable."
"That is a shame. I've always wanted to speak to you face to face again, despite the risks." Lelouch agreed.
The prime minister raised an eyebrow. "Again?"
To that the rebellious lord only smiled. "It's been difficult to outmaneuver you, I will say. Despite my efforts you still managed to surprise me. I guess that itself shouldn't be all that surprising."
Schneizel gave a satisfied grin. "And you as well. I am more than impressed by the achievements you've made here. And without my knowledge too."
"Well, had you known that would have defeated the purpose, right?" Lelouch chuckled.
"Indeed. Regardless, you must know now that you have no hope of victory." His brother said. "Dragging this out now will only create more needless casualties, and further the suffering of the people you are trying to save. If you are willing to negotiate surrender, I will hear you out."
Lelouch narrowed his eyes. "Is that how highly you think of me? Surely you don't believe I've revealed my entire hand to you already?"
"Oh, then you mean to say you've something greater than Britannia's forefront of technology? Or perhaps you believe that knightmare can withstand the full force of the Avalon's firepower, and retaliate in greater measure?" He mocked, believing he did hold the better hand.
"No, my Fukushū was not meant to deal with the Avalon." He agreed. "I however still believe that victory is well within my reach."
Schneizel frowned. "Is that so? Well, I look forward to watching you prove that."
"I hope you don't come to regret it, your highness." He gave a confident smile. "Perhaps when this is all over, we might get a chance to talk once more." He held up his queen piece, ensuring his brother could see it. "Maybe over a nice game of chess."
Lelouch could see the gears turning in his head, but he responded simply. "That would be pleasant."
"Until then, Schneizel."
He ended the communication, a faint smile still upon his lips. He might have his eldest brother beaten today, but it was fatal to underestimate the prime minister of Britannia. Both in martial combat and in negotiation, he was a force to be reckoned with.
But that was a problem for another day.
"Suzaku, how are you faring?" He reached out to his knight, examining his duel from afar.
"She's no push over, and it's clear she trained with a float unit extensively, or just has a better aptitude for it. I am out of my element here." Suzaku admitted.
"I'm going to pull back to the bureau for now. I don't feel like being targeted by the Avalon." He told his friend. "Once you've beaten her, proceed as planned, nothing's changed."
"Of course. It won't take long."
Lelouch nodded in satisfaction. "Good luck then."
Turning his gaze down below, he issued a few orders to remaining units as they made an organized retreat. "Kallen, I'm keeping route C open for you. If your battle lasts longer than fifteen minutes, pull back to the rendezvous point."
"Understood. I'll do my best." His second knight responded with a determined voice.
He breathed out, guiding his knightmare back to the heart of the settlement. He had done all he could at this point. For now, he would simply wait.
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"Is this the best you got?!" Nonette taunted, expertly parrying Suzaku's strikes. Once she had a better grasp at his offensive style, she had gotten far better at dealing with him.
But no, he had yet to show her his best.
"I don't seem to feel all that threatened either. It seems that neither of us are taking this very seriously." Suzaku replied. However, with the Avalon now blazing a path, he was on a rapidly counting timer.
"Hmm, I guess not. At least, I hope you've got more in you. I'd be disappointed otherwise. All that talk of transcending your arhaic ways and that's what it gets you?"
"Well, I think it's about time I show you." Suzaku answered. "I'll have this finished before you even realize it."
"Don't get ahead of yourself."
He rushed forward, swords raised to strike. A feint, catching Nonette off guard. He conditioned her to believe he never pulled away on the first strike. Her attempted counter left her open, and he seized his opportunity. The knight's reaction was too good to get a meaningful blow, but he had her on the backfoot now. Suzaku continued his relentless assault, raining precise attacks aimed to kill in quick succession. Eventually, she was forced to break away. This gave him his chance for a coup de grâce. He fired two harken boosters in a wide flanking arc, weapons Nonette hadn't yet seen. At the same time, Suzaku surged forward, swords raised to strike. The knight had no choice but to defend head on lest he cut her frame in two. And so, the harkens landed true, burying into the float unit attached to her knightmare.
"Dammit…not bad." She ground out, before her frame sank down into the earth below.
No sooner did Suzaku hear a beeping warning telling him the Lancelot was running on fumes. The float unit consumed an obscene amount of power, and his knightmare was too small to use the nuclear power source on board Megumi or Fukushū. Still, it was time to return anyway.
"Lelouch, Nonette's float system has been disabled." He reported. "I need to head back and recharge as well."
"Well done. Having an airborne knight was a little worrying, I'm glad that's dealt with. Go ahead and retreat for now. And careful of the Avalon, its firepower is nothing to laugh at."
"Will do, I'll see you later."
Nonette wasn't finished yet, but without flight she wasn't nearly as dangerous. So satisfied with the result, Suzaku left the battlefield.
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Kallen was not having an easy time of it. She'd hoped that without her shield, Emilia would be much more vulnerable. After all, all she needed was one solid grasp with her right arm. But the knight of the round was equally adept at fighting without her superior defense.
"Tell me something Kallen." Emilia began as she knocked away another attack. "You might be part Japanese, but you're still Britannian nobility. And exiled royalty or not, Lelouch obtained the title of an extremely influential noble as well. You have power; power to do whatever it was you wanted. There was no need to go this far to make change, and risk everything you had worked for thus far."
Kallen scoffed. "Like that actually means anything."
A shadow passed over them as the Avalon cruised on unimpeded. "There isn't a damn thing Kallen Stadtfeld could do that would have mattered. That's how skewed and corrupt this world is. It's a system designed to prevent anyone from ever changing it. Nothing short of tearing it all down will mean anything."
"Any you think what you're doing will make a difference? How do you know the world you plan to make will be any better than this one?" Emilia questioned, reaching for a second sword to brandish. "If you ask me, you should take pride in what you've accomplished for yourself, and settle with that. There's nothing wrong with wanting more for yourself, but thinking you should try to 'change the world'? Don't make me laugh."
"That's easy for you to say. Your talent only means anything because you were fortunate enough to have a title in your name. You think you would be in the rounds if you were a commoner, or a number?!" Kallen argued, trying to find an opening through two weapons. "Not everyone gets to have more for themselves!"
"That's just the way it is, the strong devour the weak. I don't know why you are so upset about it. It's not like you are one of those unfortunate masses." Emilia spoke as she began her own assault with her twin swords, far more aggressive than she had ever been. "Not everyone can have it all, a utopia like that just can't exist."
Now on the defensive, Kallen backpedaled away from the onslaught. "Maybe not, but denying everyone from even having the chance…that's what I can't stand for."
Pushing Emilia away, she pointed a clawed finger at the knight in accusation. "But that power of yours, you've forgotten what it was even meant for, or maybe you never even knew to begin with. Noblesse Oblige. If everyone just used their strength to help each other instead of taking, then maybe we could have that better world."
"My strength is in service to a greater whole: the Britannian Empire." Emilia defended. "I am knight of the emperor, it is he I serve, and by extension all the empire."
"Don't kid yourself. If being a knight of the round didn't grant you prestige and status you wouldn't have bothered. You only became a knight to save yourself, and prove you deserved to be a noble. It was never for anyone more than yourself, and you hardly got there on your own merit alone."
"Don't you dare look down on what I have achieved!" Emilia roared, raising her swords as she raged forward.
Kallen blinked at the sudden animosity, bracing herself for the approaching assault. But something was off, it was clear to her as she analyzed her opponent. The redhead dipped below the overheard blades, lashing out to grasp hold of Emilia's right arm. The knight realized her mistake in an instant, but there was nothing for her to do. Thus Emilia was forced to make the only choice available, and abandon the doomed limb.
Within moments, the arm Kallen held exploded. Now at a noticeable disadvantage, Emilia pointed her remaining sword at Kallen in fury. "Damn you, this isn't over yet!"
But even as she spoke, Kallen spotted encroaching enemy knightmares behind the knight. "No, it looks like it is."
Her window of escape was now rapidly closing, so she chose to seize it while she could. "If you really want to go another round, there might be a chance for it further in. If you can get that far that is."
"Get back here!" Emilia cried out as Kallen fled back toward the settlement. "We're not finished yet!"
She did not look back. She had no need to.
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Schneizel's debut heavily affected the state of even the further battlefields. Despite her solid control of the region, Kaguya's foes fought with renewed vigor and spirit. While Lelouch was making a controlled retreat, Todoh and Jeremiah especially were dangerously close to facing a route. It was assumed to happen, but the Avalon's presence severely swayed the balance of power across the entire board.
Soon they would tip the scales back in their favor.
Kaguya for her part had dominated the eastern front, taking negligible casualties as Britannia was completely unable to overtake her. She felt great pride in that, knowing her title was well deserved; that she truly could stand at her beloved's side.
In her hand she held a black king piece, given to her by Lelouch. As far as engagement rings went it was a little odd, but so very precious, and more than fitting.
"Kaguya, I've ordered Jeremiah to make a full retreat, so it's about time you do the same." She heard Lelouch speak to her. "Both Nonette and Emilia have temporarily been dealt with so I'm moving us to the next phase. As soon as your units cross the threshold, we'll initiate the launch."
"Of course. I've been eagerly awaiting this moment." She replied with a smile, already issuing commands to disengage. "I can't wait to see it."
"I'm going to remain on the roof of the government bureau for now. I'll continue to manage the southern defenses, but I think with how it's developed I want you to take command of Jeremiah's region as well. We'll deploy our first reserve there to supplement, and I'll have him assist you." He explained.
"Leave it to me. I won't let you down." She replied, clutching her memento.
"I know you won't, my Goddess." That sent her soaring.
Kaguya could make out his knightmare sailing toward the heart of the settlement, as the great Britannian airship slowly gave chase. In the least, their version of the hadron cannon was unable to accurately fire at that long a distance. It was however very good at decimating wide swathes of land indiscriminately below it. For now, she was still safe from its devastation. And no other rogue knights would attempt to strike her down.
So she could afford to be thorough with her withdrawal.
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Deep within the bowels of the Tokyo Settlement, Clovis had waited patiently as the battle unfolded beyond him. What they were doing held significant risks if their calculations were wrong. Not only would it be horribly embarrassing, failure on any part of this ludicrous plan would be catastrophic. And to think it was the lesser of another similar to it.
And so he had engineers and scientists working nonstop since the fighting began to double and triple check both the Mirai and her entrance would go smooth as silk. Until at last, the final confirmation from Lelouch himself came that it was time.
The now former Viceroy of Area Eleven breathed deeply in anticipation.
"Let the new future dawn."
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His battle had been an arduous one. Since he first landed Darlton felt like he had made little to no progress. It wasn't until Prime Minister Schneizel graced the skies that things started to finally take a turn for the better. Though he himself was unable to properly deal lasting damage to the rebels, they had some sense to retreat from the eastern ghettos lest they be surrounded by their superior northern front and advancing southern flank. It was unfortunate that he wasn't contributing all that much, but the old general was determined to prove his worth going forward.
And so Darlton felt great relief once he finally found himself on the settlement proper having finally left the deteriorated ghettos behind. But contrary to what he was prepared for, the naturally defensible settlement border was completely empty. Not a soul was in sight, both civilian and traitor. It was understood that Viceroy Clovis had been extensively pressing for evacuation across the entire city, and that was evidenced by his surroundings. The streets looked like they hadn't seen any activity in near months.
He should have been relieved by that, but it brought only suspicion. Ashford had been planning this for months, and was even in league with the Viceroy. They should have had extensive defenses, hindering them every step of the way. So where were they hiding?
The answer was heralded by an abrupt rumbling that shook the very ground beneath them, not unlike an earthquake. That is, until the massive structure he stood on fell away. Steel panels, streets, even entire buildings sank down into the bowels of the great megastructure. And as a colossal chasm opened up, swallowing countless soldiers before Darlton's eyes, something of impossible scale stirred in the darkness below.
"What the hell." Was all he could come up with as the shadow of a titan rose into the light of day.
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Totally bewildered, Schneizel couldn't believe what he was seeing. The entire eastern district of the Tokyo Settlement had collapsed in on itself, just as general Darlton had reached the area. A staggering number of units were reported as lost, caught up in the inexplicable destruction. But that wasn't the part that truly left the prime minister speechless.
Like a phoenix from the ashes of total devastation, a gargantuan behemoth brought itself up from within the crater of the settlement. Casting a shadow below the dumbstruck pilots who were not caught in the pit, a ship of extraordinary size took to the skies. It surpassed the Avalon by an unmeasurable degree, making the state-of-the-art carrier look like an ant facing the sun.
Brilliant blue light flared as float units as large as his entire ship propelled it to the same heights he occupied. Coming face to face with this godlike vessel, Schneizel could see emblazoned upon its hull the flag resembling a dawning sun. And written beside it in both English and Japanese a single word:
Mirai.
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