"Stop your advance, that's an order!"
"What unit are you with?!"
The oncoming Sutherland completely ignored the orders and questions being shouted over the radio, raising its rifle to point at the undefended bridge of the Viceroy's G-1 Base-
"I WON'T LET YOU!"
-before a large white Knightmare dove out from a collapsing building and tackled the Sutherland, tearing the KMF's arms off and catching the cockpit block in the midst of the pilot's ejection attempt.
So that's his trump card, Lelouch mused as he changed into a stolen guardsman uniform, eyes narrowed. It seems I was right to send in the pawn as a diversion. Based on their movements so far, I doubt Clovis or his security forces will be prepared to deal with an infiltration at this point.
Slowly, he turned with a smirk to his uniform's previous owner, dozing peacefully against the wall in his underwear. "And certainly not on the heels of such a reckless frontal assault, wouldn't you agree?"
The guard snored in response, and Lelouch chuckled as he donned a helmet to complete his disguise. "You're doing fine work, soldier. I can only hope the Empire appreciates all that you do for it."
With that, Lelouch used the security codes he'd also stolen from the napping guard to enter the G-1 Base...
A hyperventilating Clovis stared in shock at the bridge display, drenched with sweat. The terrorists tricked me into making a hole in my defensive net so they could exploit it and attack me directly, he belatedly realized.
And yet, he thought with a glance to his trusted companion and aide, Bartley's dedication to his work impresses me once again...
The portly, older man was stationed at a remote access console, and had been working feverishly at it almost since he'd ordered the Number purge, unbothered like a machine by any attempt to distract him.
Clovis could hardly imagine a more reliable servant. I can scarcely believe his single-minded focus on destroying the Code-R data! Even if I should die or be disinherited before we crack the secrets of that girl's mysterious power, the last thing I can allow is for any of my siblings to get their hands on it - least of all Schneizel, now that I owe him for calling upon his little brain trust to carry the day!
"Get me Margrave Gottwald on the line," he ordered with a dramatic arm sweep, "and have him take over organizing the defense! I won't permit the enemy a second assault on our base!"
A moment later, his eyes took on a desperate glint. "...and open a line to that test pilot, as well! The very least I can do as a Prince and Viceroy is to offer the proper recognition for saving my life."
Within seconds, it was done, and a small portion of the area tactical display set aside for communications lit up with the image of -
"An Eleven?!"
Had Clovis been any less naturally composed, any less a man of the stage, he might well have looked the part of a bug-eyed fool in a humorous children's comic!
"Your Highness," the wretched Number humbly but awkwardly greeted.
What on Earth is an Eleven doing in a Knightmare cockpit?! ...wait, this is Camelot I'm talking about, the Prince realized after a moment. That schizophrenic scientist running the group might well have failed to even notice… still, even if Camelot are under the Prime Minister's employ, it would present an issue for me among the Purebloods if word got out of an Eleven in such a lofty height.
Then Clovis got an idea, and his charming smile became a little less forced. "Number or not, you have done the Empire a great service this day in directly saving the life of an Imperial Prince and Viceroy. In recognition of your valor-" and convenient timing, "-I will grant you one request of me, if it is within my power."
Then again, the Purebloods haven't exactly impressed me with their results of late. Allowing this Eleven to shame them should provide them the motivation to shape up or risk losing my support - and if he becomes too much trouble, I can just have him quietly eliminated.
The pilot's face showed only a moment's surprise, which Clovis might have anticipated, before setting into a fiercely resolved expression, which he hadn't.
"Then in that case, Your Highness, I beg of you… please, call off the operation and end this bloodshed!"
Clovis's eyes grew wide with shock and anger -
"Surely you must know that Prince Lelouch and Princess Nunnally would never have wished for this!"
Lelouch and Nunnally...?
...before realization and understanding took their place. "...I see. You must be Suzaku Kururugi."
"SUCH IMPUDENCE!"
Clovis nearly jumped out of his clothes in surprise at the sudden roar from so close by, before he realized it was Bartley. I see, he must have finally finished covering our tracks.
Stomping over from the terminal with a furious gravity that made the General seem far more imposing than usual, Bartley slashed with a hand through the air as he glared at the Eleven pilot. "You dare attempt to manipulate His Highness by invoking the names of his beloved late siblings, and what's more," he added with a sneer while pointing at a tactical readout on a nearby screen, "it seems that you've been permitting the enemy to escape with their lives when all forces were ordered to take no prisoners! I demand that you explain yourself!"
On discovering that information, Clovis's gaze sharpened. Suzaku Kururugi… even if you saved my life, I won't be quick to ignore such blatant insubordination!
Suzaku, wide-eyed, began to stammer. "I, that's...!"
Then, the pilot hung his head with a sharp breath, before looking back up. "Yes, my lord," the pilot said in a voice that couldn't fully control its shake, before his gaze shifted slightly, off of Bartley and back onto Clovis.
Despite acting as though he's regained composure instead of lost it, his voice sounds less steady now than it was a moment ago.
"The fact of the matter is that after coming into initial ground contact with the stolen poison gas capsule, I was caught up in an explosion caused by friendly fire, and fell unconscious. After being recovered from amidst a room full of casualties, ASEEC offered me a chance to deploy in their prototype Knightmare. The chaos and my own inexperience may have led me to forget the no quarter order, and if you wish it then I will take responsibility for that..."
He's telling the truth, Clovis realized after a moment's consideration. That Eleven looks and sounds too genuinely terrified to imagine that lying would avail him, and yet… I can tell from the look in his eye that he thinks he still has some other card to play, and he's about to gamble on it.
"However," Suzaku continued, "my actions in sparing the lives of the terrorist forces were not entirely without logic, if I may be permitted to explain."
Bartley's eyes widened with fury, but Clovis raised a hand to forestall another outburst. "I've elected to humor you on a whim, Kururugi. See that you entertain me with your logic."
Suzaku's mouth twitched, doubtless holding back a sigh of relief, before he swallowed and began to speak again. "To summarize, I allowed the terrorists to escape with their lives as a way of sending a message."
Suzaku visibly grew a bit more confident in himself on the screen, even daring to smirk a little. "A brief demonstration of this Lancelot's power and capabilities, and teach the enemy that in the face of its engineering - even when controlled by a mere number like myself - it frankly doesn't matter if the enemy survives. They're welcome to come back and challenge it time and again, and be crushed just as easily every time."
That's the kind of thinking I'd expected from the propaganda office, Clovis mused with narrowing eyes.
"With this method, the Lancelot can be used to overwhelm rebel forces and erode away at their morale, without giving them the motivation to continue fighting a hopeless battle out of grief and rage for the loss of comrades and loved ones."
With bated breath, I try to play things cool. Y'know, as if I hadn't just spent the last few minutes staring down a genocidal fop who doesn't need an excuse to have Suzaku executed - and me along with him - while trying to pull a good enough reason for him to spare our lives out of our ass.
Huh, what's that? Honoring a life debt, you ask? I'm not taking for granted that the guy I'm talking to would even acknowledge something like that when dealing with a number.
Eventually, the head honcho opens his mouth, and I brace for the decree of our inevitable doom -
"Rank amateur!"
…
…
Say whaaa...?
Clovis la Britannia, 3rd Prince of the Holy Britannian Empire and Viceroy of Area Eleven, is giving me a deadass serious glare in combination with a stern pointer finger.
"It seems as though even you, the performer, have no idea what your chosen character is supposed to be! And whatever it is, you stepped into that character far too awkwardly and clumsily, not to mention the fact that your chosen script is rambling and inelegant!"
I… am so fucking lost right now.
"Still," he muses with his chin in his hand, evaluating me through the screen, "the core premise of your act is just intriguing enough that I can set aside your utterly abysmal improvisation skills. With a competent director and more experience, you may have some potential after all."
His gaze abruptly sharpening, Clovis proclaims, "Very well! As a fellow man of the stage, I shall acknowledge your audition and grant you an understudy role to prove your worth."
A "man of the stage"? Suzaku sounds as confused as I feel. What on Earth is he talking abou-
Hold the damn phone, I suddenly realize, he thinks that me taking over to save your hide was actually you putting on an act!
I put on a humble face and salute, fucking thankful that between Suzaku's muscle memory and his actual memories I can do it pretty crisply. "I'm deeply honored, Your Highness."
"Naturally," the bastard bishie replies with a smug nod. "To repay your saving my life, I shall grant your request and order all other Britannian forces to withdraw."
Oh shit, really?! FUCK YEAH, we actually managed to pull it off!
Of course we did, Suzaku chips in with what feels like a proud smile. No matter what he's done... he's still got a human heart, for better or for worse. By appealing to that, we were able to stop the killing today without having to contribute to it. And… honestly, I doubt I could have done it without your insights, One. So, thank you.
Oh no, now I'm getting feels. L-look, it doesn't make sense to thank me for the only thing my otherwise-worthless self can do to contribute, and it's not like I wanted to die, so… you can take your appreciation and shove it!
Wow, are you an actual tsundere? Suzaku asked with a nostalgic laugh. I don't think I've personally seen one in years...
Shut up, you stupid idiot!
"However," Clovis says with narrowed eyes as he unknowingly comes to my rescue, "you realize of course that Britannia can not accept a defeat or even a stalemate in this matter, nor can the Eleven rebels be trusted to accept and hold to a ceasefire. For today at least, you may continue to spare the pilots' lives if you wish... but you will take Lancelot back into the ghetto and crush all remaining forces."
After a moment, he adds, "...and if you can return to me the stolen classified material, or capture the enemy's commanding tactician, you will be rewarded handsomely."
Oh, I should probably warn this guy about the coming assassination attempt, it'd be a waste to lose the connection and resource we're starting to build -
"Yes, Your Highness!"
Wait, huh?! I didn't mean to say that! What the fuck is-
Clovis nods solemnly, and sends us on our way as Suzaku works the Lancelot's controls so that we're speeding back into the ghetto.
Not TWO FUCKING MINUTES after you talk out of your ass like I'm doing a good job, you fucking BACKSTAB me?! Suzaku, you fucking douchebag!
I can't take the risk of betraying that Lelouch and Nunnally are still alive, he explains with infuriating calm, anymore than we already have. And aside from that, my world's Lelouch isn't like that!
...YOU STUPID NAIVE MOTHERFUCKER!
Lelouch is a lot of things - among them headstrong, vindictive, and sometimes petty… but he's a good man with a strong sense of justice, and a strategic thinker too! If he's going to do anything, it's more likely he'd use Geass to take control of Area Eleven from the shadows and guide both Britannia and the resistance in preparation for… some kind of public transfer of power, declaring independence from Britannia, and using the combined Britannian and Resistance assets as a launching pad for a more direct attack on the Empire? If someone like me can think of it, then I'm positive that Lelouch has, too! That way, the Elevens can be liberated with an absolute minimal loss of life for as long as possible!
The only problem with your theory, Suzaku, is that right now, today? Lelouch doesn't fucking care about justice, liberating the Japanese, or mitigating collateral damage beyond what's needed to make the local resistance cooperate with him! I fucking promise you, he's on a damn power trip with his newfound ability to make a serious attack on the Britannia he despises so completely, drunk on rage and vengeance! Just because he's smart enough to think of it doesn't mean he will!
You're wrong!
"Mister Suzaku, what's happening? Your brain activity is spiking off the charts."
You total shitheel, you made us worry Cecile!
"I don't feel anything out of the ordinary, Miss Cecile. Or at least," Suzaku assures her, "as far as the present circumstances can be called that. How's the performance look from your end? Where I sit, this Lancelot handles like a dream!"
Cecile doesn't look too convinced on the comms screen… but she doesn't argue the point either, at least not yet. "There have been some unusual spikes that Elle and I are currently investigating, but operating efficiency is still hovering around 80%."
With a gentle smile, she adds, "It's honestly incredible work, especially with only simulator experience."
She's only smiling because of Suzaku… it has absolutely nothing to do with me.
And yet you're the guy she spoke with earlier, Suzaku has the sheer gall to tell me. The positive impression you made on her then helped bring this about.
I'm not dealing with you right now.
As the Lancelot sped back into the ghettos, Prince Clovis turned to the bridge's command staff. "The very instant my withdrawal orders have been relayed and verified as carried out, you will all leave at once. General Bartley and I will begin drafting our plans for the aftermath in private."
Bartley knew his lord and Prince well, and that somehow he'd earned the Viceroy's anger. And yet, in hindsight I can't fathom anything else I might have done that would have made a difference!
The Prince said nothing else as he returned to his throne to oversee that his commands were translated into reality, leaving Bartley to sweat in silence like a pig being led to the slaughterhouse.
Once the other staff had left, Bartley was a second too late in opening his mouth.
"That pilot mistakenly referred to the Stolen Classified Material as poison gas," the Prince snarled. "Where the hell did that misinformation come from - and furthermore, how did it spread so far as to reach even rank-and-file Numbers in the infantry?! If any such rumors made their way to the populace, the public unrest would be a nightmare to deal with!"
Bartley's eyes widened, even as the detail in question finally fitted into place in his mind. Yes, now that he mentions it...! The insinuation of chemical weapons development within a Settlement populated mostly by loyal Britannians would be disastrous! It could galvanize resistance movements into more aggressive actions, and give Eleven sympathizers the final push towards treason in joining their ranks! How could it be possible for that kind of toxic rumor to gain such traction our organization without my realizing it?!
"I'm waiting on an explanation, Bartley!"
Sweat pouring from his brow, Bartley wracked his brain for any kind of answer... and nothing came to mind. "Your Highness, I..."
Clovis began to press the General harder, but stopped in alarm when he saw the older man's expression. I've known this man almost my whole life, he thought. And I've never once seen him shed a single tear.
Sobbing in anguish and guilt over his failure, so torn up that his eyes were becoming red, Bartley cried out, "I... I can't think of anything!"
Clovis narrowed his eyes, as realization struck him. Someone arranged this entire debacle! Someone devious and resourceful enough to use even the Viceroy as a mere pawn in some sick game they've made of Area Eleven...! "Bartley... we have a traitor in our midst. And if not for that Ele- ...for Kururugi, we might never have realized it."
[-to be continued...]