Stage 0.723 - Memories of the Alps: Part III

Suzaku ran a number of pre-deployment diagnostic checks from the cockpit of the Lancelot. This was much harder without Lloyd and the rest of the technicians from Camelot (or ASEEC as it was previously known).

The time was only 4.57pm, but the sky was already pitch black - a testament to the short days and long nights of Winter. To add another complication, he could see from the meteorological data that heavy snow and high wind speeds were forecast for this evening. Piloting through a blizzard would be difficult, although at least it would provide suitable cover for the stealth mission dubbed 'Operation Avalanche'.

"Sir Kururugi, the pre-flight checks all show green and we've cleared the runway. We're ready for takeoff when you are, sir," the engineer reported over the commlink.

Now that Suzaku had the all-clear, he activated the Yggdrasil Drive - the system which powered the Lancelot. Narrowing his eyes, he confirmed that the sakuradite canisters were securely attached to the Float System fitted on its back.

"Lancelot, launching!" Suzaku confirmed, adjusting the Lancelot into takeoff position. With a thrust of his arm, he accelerated at full power. Within moments, the knightmare had launched from the makeshift runway and was in the air, soaring south through the French countryside.

"Make His Majesty proud, Sir Kururugi," Kingsley drawled over the commlink.

Suzaku grimaced, wanting nothing more than to crush his headset into tiny pieces to spare him the torture of Kingsley's smug tone. He couldn't believe he was about to participate in such a devious and underhanded operation, but it wasn't like he had much choice.

The purpose of Britannia's movement to the North was to tempt the Swiss forces to extend their Southern line, tightening their formation around the areas overlooking the Lyon to Geneva pass. Once they had taken the bait, Suzaku was to fly South through a number of valleys under the radar and then, after a steep ascent, navigate a predetermined route through the Alps. Once he had successfully arrived behind enemy lines, his instructions were to detonate the sakuradite he was carrying in the marked locations, triggering multiple avalanches with the aim of wiping the enemy out in one fell swoop. It took the phrase 'calling for reinforcements' to a whole new level.

Suzaku winced. In a way this was just like Zero's tactics deployed in the Narita mountains last year, where the Black Knights triggered man-made landslides to destroy, break up and rout the Britannian forces surrounding the mountain. At Narita, the landslide devastated the nearby settlement, causing scores of Britannian civilian casualties. He could still remember pulling corpses from the rubble…

In this case, Kingsley refused to alert any settlements on the French side of the border that could be in the vicinity of the anticipated avalanches. He was concerned it might 'alert' the enemy of their intentions. Of course, Kingsley promised Lafayette that he'd done the necessary computations and that the chance of civilian casualties was negligible. Suzaku knew that the bastard was lying… he just knew it… which is why he intended to deploy fewer explosives than ordered, even if it meant having to clean up more mercenary units in the aftermath…

Stage 0.723 - Memories of the Alps: Part IV

All that illuminated the valley ahead was the bluish glow of moonlight. With the warmth of the sun gone, the temperature was dropping fast. Jack shivered in the cockpit of his knightmare, regretting his decision to power off. While it meant his unit wouldn't appear on enemy scans, it also meant that he had no heating either…

When he had told the General, and other senior officers, that the enemy could be planning to use an airborne knightmare armed with explosives to trigger a chain of avalanches behind their Southern line, they were extremely skeptical. With that said, Jack was permitted to take his Panzer-Hummel, three Panzer-Hummel drones (he requested five) and Naoto's and Amy's Alexanders, to a high altitude position to the South of their rear line. In selecting their vantage point, Jack had plotted the most efficient way an air unit could navigate under the radar from the South through the twisting alpine gorges.

"I can't believe you managed to convince the General to let us wait on standby here…" Amy complained over the radio. "To top it all off, it's even colder at this altitude…"

Naoto chuckled. "He's a 'Reiner', so the General has to put stock in what he says, otherwise he wouldn't be paying us!"

Amy huffed. "I can't believe you got stuck with that as your last name just because the Commandant took a shine to you during Officer Training. I don't care how much of an honor they said it was, I think pretty much any other name would have been better."

Jack raised an eyebrow. Amy always did look a little pouty whenever he was called 'Reiner' by the military staff. "Oh really? And why is that?" he enquired.

"It's just… kind of sad. It means 'military advisor' or 'military counsel' or something like that, doesn't it? Almost like war will always be a part of your life…"

Jack hadn't taken Amy to be someone with such a philosophical outlook on life. Then again, the Japanese were a little more particular about the meaning of their names than Europeans generally, so perhaps it wasn't an uncommon reaction.

"Oh?" Naoto interjected, his tone laced with intrigue. "So what last name should he take? Were you thinking that Matsumoto would be better?"

"Wha—?!" Amy gasped. "D-don't say weird stuff like that, Naoto!"

Jack scratched the back of his head. Matsumoto was Yosuke's and Amy's last name, but he didn't understand what was so 'weird' about it. "I think I'm missing something…"

Naoto laughed. "You really are clueless, you know that?"

"That's enough from you… you… you… !" Amy gasped, clutching angrily at some kind of insult to shut Naoto down.

"Seems like I've hit a nerve, Miss Cherry," Naoto teased. "No need to get so flustered. These sorts of feelings are natural when you're in the throes of adolescence..."

Amy let out an angry, high-pitched grunt. "I… I'm going to kill you for that!"

Jack remained silent, unsure what the big deal was, but was afraid of asking. Better to be thought clueless than to open his mouth and, well, remove all doubt.

Instead of trying to decipher what they were bickering about, he kept his eyes glued to the valley below their position. If this turned out to be a wild goose chase, he'd never hear the end of it…

Stage 0.723 - Memories of the Alps: Part V

"This is the Lancelot," Suzaku reported. "I've arrived at checkpoint Alpha and am now flying east towards checkpoint Bravo. I should be approaching the valley leading to the Lac du Bourget soon."

"Acknowledged, White Knight," Lafayette responded over the commlink. "Be prepared to ascend soon after you reach the lake. Sir Kingsley's predictions have been accurate thus far: our scouts have confirmed Swiss units are advancing westward to the north of your position and have tightened their formation so they shouldn't see you coming from the south."

Suzaku exhaled sharply. He should be pleased that things were going smoothly, but the more successful Kingsley was, the more time he'd need to spend in his presence. What an agonizing thought that was…

Once he had a visual on the valley entrance, Suzaku flew the Lancelot along the base of the valley, which was littered with snow and woodland along the steep slopes. Opting to keep low, he piloted his unit along the river leading to the Lac du Bourget so closely that its feet were almost skimming the water. As he followed the river, Suzaku was careful to weave underneath various bridges and aqueducts. There was no way the enemy would pick up his signal given the altitude he was maintaining.

Soon the Lac du Bourget was in sight, illuminated by the moonlight reflected on its partly-frozen surface. As he soared over the lake, Suzaku checked his tactical display one last time, which showed no nearby enemy signatures.

Once he'd confirmed the situation, he began to ascend the steep climb just beyond the lake, which, according to his data, led to a high-altitude point around one thousand meters above sea level. After clearing that ridge, his topographical map indicated he would reach a gentler slope leading to the summit.

As he ascended, he checked the altimeter on the dashboard.

Two hundred meters…

Four hundred meters…

Six hundred meters…

Eight hundred meters…

Suzaku readied himself to arm the sakuradite bombs once he was over the edge of the steep incline and above the radar line. However, before he could activate the triggers, and just before the Lancelot's altitude broke the one-thousand meter mark, his IFF (Identification Friend or Foe) system started blaring.

"An enemy unit?!" he gasped.

The instant that the Lancelot ascended beyond the ridge, two anti-Knightmare rounds were fired straight at him. At the last moment he dodged the rounds, barely. If he'd been a millisecond slower, he would have been dead.

Not taking any time to linger, Suzaku steadied the Lancelot in mid-air and activated its factsphere sensors, a couple of cameras on the torso of the Lancelot that could be used to relay live thermographic images and data. Scanning the terrain in front of him, it was as the map indicated - a gentle snow-covered slope with the occasional outcrops of rocks and densely populated by forests. The enemy fire had come from towards the summit of the slope at twelve o'clock, and he could see the thermal outline of the enemy knightmare - which looked like a Panzer-Hummel - as it fired another volley.

In a reaction that some may describe as hardwired, Suzaku dodged the enemy's barrage and readied his VARIS particle rifle, a long blue rail-gun designed for long-range combat. He took aim at the enemy and fired without hesitation, sending a dense shot of green energy towards the target, illuminating the surrounding terrain as it cut through the air at the speed of sound. After a second, the shot found its target, causing an explosion in the distance.

"This is Lancelot," Suzaku announced over the commlink. "Enemy units spotted at point Delta. Only one enemy unit has shown on my IFF, but more may be on the way."

Lafayette tutted. "The enemy predicted our movement?! But…how?!"

"I don't know," Suzaku replied. "It might just be a small contingent to guard the Swiss flank, but I'm still on track to—"

Suddenly another enemy signal appeared on his IFF, immediately followed by a volley of cannon fire from his two o'clock.

"Damn!" Suzaku spat, readjusting the aim on his VARIS.

This time, his factsphere failed to pick up a large thermal reading from the enemy unit - the pilot must have powered off. Unfortunately for the pilot, the factspheres picked up residual thermal data, so the heat signature from a recently fired cannon should be visible on a more intense scan.

Suzaku checked his targeting system. What? No thermal data had been detected. But how?

As if on cue while he was distracted, another round was fired from a thick area of forest halfway up the slope at four o'clock. He was able to dodge again, but as with before, no heat signatures were detected by his thermal sensors. How the hell were these pilots doing this?!

"Having trouble, Sir Kururugi?" drawled Kingsley over the commlink, "your unit appears to have…stopped. I hope you realize what's at st—"

Switching his com-system off to ensure he couldn't be distracted by Kingsley's dulcet tone, he switched the Lancelot to landspinner mode and began to descend towards the base of the snow-covered slope. In the air he was a sitting duck against long-range enemies that couldn't be seen on IFF; the longer he drifted around, the more likely it was that the enemy would get lucky. Staging a ground assault using the mountainside forests as cover seemed like a better tactical move. He'd be able to close the gap in range and flush the enemy out…

As the Lancelot landed at the base of the slope, kicking up a cloud of snow powder, Suzaku holstered his VARIS Rifle and activated his twin master vibration swords (MVS), which glowed crimson once unsheathed. With his twin-blades in hand, Suzaku made a beeline for the nearest collection of trees, around five-hundred meters to his two o'clock. "Alright… time to see where you're all hiding—"

Before he reached the tree line, a knightmare came crashing out of the snow. "What the hell - it was buried?!" he gasped, evading a straight punch from the enemy unit. It was an Alexander - a sixth-generation white knightmare known for use by the Europia military in Russia. What was one doing here of all places!?

Somersaulting backwards using his slash harken as an anchor, Suzaku took the chance to assess the situation before contacting the forward base yet again. "Lafayette, I've encountered a few more Panzer-Hummels and an Alexander unit near the summit at point Delta. The enemy definitely knew we were coming—"

A second knightmare suddenly burst from a clump of snow about fifty meters from his position. "What!?" he gasped.

It was another Alexander unit, this time equipped with dual tonfas. The enemy unit took a few bounding steps in bipedal mode before leaping at the Lancelot, bringing one of its tonfas down in a graceful swipe. Suzaku countered with his MVS, parrying the strike and sending the Alexander somersaulting back.

"Make that two Alexander units!" Suzaku yelled over the commlink. "I need an update on the enemy's front line! How long do I have left to carry out the operation?!"

"The enemy forces are still advancing." Kingsley spat before Lafayette could reply. "They must be confident that they can hold you off. Prove them wrong…now."

Suzaku clicked his tongue as he dodged another volley of cannon fire from further up the mountain. This was not going to be easy.

Stage 0.723 - Memories of the Alps: Part VI

"Who the hell is this guy?!" Amy shouted over the radio. "I can't believe he was able to parry my attack like that!"

"He's not bad, that's for sure," Naoto acknowledged. "Did you see how he retreated as soon as I raised my fists? He has keen instincts to understand my martial prowess."

Jack clenched his fists, watching the scene from the cameras set up on the remaining two drones he was controlling remotely. To dodge all of their ambushes like that required outstanding reflexes. He'd heard Knights of the Round were good, but this was insane. As for the White Knightmare itself, its sensors were top-notch, as was the blue railgun currently holstered on its back. Jack lost his first drone almost instantly and was only barely able to detach the second and third drones' cannons in time for them to start cooling in the snow so that they didn't appear on thermal imaging.

Jack knew from the data he'd reviewed earlier that this flying knightmare - known as the White Reaper - had been seen all over Europia. "The pilot must be Suzaku Kururugi, the Knight of Seven," Jack eventually replied.

"He's Japanese!?" Amy growled. "Then why–"

"It doesn't matter," Jack interrupted. "For now, just alternate between ranged and close-range attacks using attack pattern Bravo, and I'll try to find an opening," Jack ordered. "No more jokes. This is serious."

"Roger!" both replied in unison, as each charged at the White Knightmare from opposing directions.

Before Amy or Naoto could get within striking distance, the White Knightmare sheathed its crimson swords and took to the skies. Once airborne, it took aim at Amy with its blue railgun.

Jack immediately activated his third drone and fired a barrage at the enemy's Float System, prompting it to evade.

"Attack pattern Gamma!" Jack ordered, as the White Knightmare refocused its aim on his drone and fired another green, luminescent shot. The shot hit its mark, cutting through the armor of the Panzer-Hummel drone like butter, causing it to explode in flames, sending metallic debris flying out from the woodland. "Damn! I couldn't detach the cannon in time!" Jack cursed. That was two drones down - there was just one remaining.

Following Jack's order, Amy and Naoto switched their knightmares into quadrupedal mode, allowing them maximum mobility to dart and bound around the mountainside. Using the automatic rifles mounted on the backs of their Alexanders, both sent volleys of anti-knightmare rounds at the White Knightmare as it hovered overhead. While the shots were nowhere near as hard-hitting as those fired by a Panzer-Hummel, there were too many to evade.

"Dodge this!" Amy yelled in triumph as their bullets filled the night sky.

In an instant, the White Knightmare activated a green energy shield with its spare arm, sending the hail of bullets rebounding in various directions.

"This thing is a fucking monster," Jack hissed. There was no other option; he'd need to sacrifice his last drone. Powering it up for probably the final time, he fired as many precise shots as he could at the enemy's shield. His barrage made contact with the shield, but was not enough to pierce it. "Damn!" Jack winced.

Not content with just acting on the defensive, the White Knightmare lowered its energy shield and exploited its aerial mobility, flying overhead and dive-bombing the drone's position, decimating it with a shot from its rifle.

While he'd lost all three drones, that last pass was enough for Jack to briefly see the canisters attached to the White Knightmare's Float System - those must be the explosives at the heart of the enemy's plan.

"Listen up, you two!" Jack commanded. "We need to aim for its Float System. That's where he's carrying the explosives, and if we take that out, then we win."

Stage 0.723 - Memories of the Alps: Part VII

Suzaku checked the energy readings on the dashboard of his cockpit. The Blaze Luminous' energy had been depleted in that last barrage. Lafayette wasn't joking - cannon fire from a Panzer-Hummel packed a punch.

Before he had a chance to take a breath, anti-knightmare rounds rained upwards from the two Alexanders vaulting up the slope towards his position on all fours. "Damn, those things can really move!"

Suzaku took evasive action, but without the protective shield provided by his Blaze Luminous, he couldn't avoid being peppered with enemy fire. He took no material damage, but with the explosives the Lancelot was carrying, he couldn't take any chances.

Tightening the grip on his controls, he holstered his VARIS, unsheathed his MVSs, and charged the nearest Alexander, crashing into the snow as he landed to strike. His first swing was a backhand downwards diagonal slash, which unfortunately hit nothing but air as the target Alexander leaped backwards at the last moment towards a rocky outcrop, switching to bipedal mode in mid-air. As soon as its feet made contact with the rock, it charged boldly with its fists raised.

"Tch," Suzaku spat as he prepared to engage in hand-to-hand combat. This pilot enjoyed fighting unarmed, but he wasn't going to be drawn into their rhythm. Rather than use his MVSs, which could leave the Lancelot open to a counter if he slashed and missed, he fired a slash-harken from the Lancelot's torso at close range. As the wire-guided projectile shot out, the enemy used one of its fists to deflect the metallic tip. "What the hell!? At this range!?" he gasped. The precision required to pull that off was almost inhuman!

With a calculated step, the enemy unit closed in tightly and aimed an uppercut at the Lancelot's torso. Suzaku was able to block the strike by crossing his swords at the point of impact and then, using the Lancelot's kinetic power, drove the enemy backwards with a cross slash using both MVSs.

"This guy…" Suzaku hissed. Where the hell did the Swiss find a pilot like this? They appeared to have no desire to fight at long range or even to use melee weapons. However, their coordination with the fists of their knightmare was remarkable. Then there was that other Alexander which… wait — where did it go!?

As if to answer his question, the second Alexander suddenly came charging at him from behind, swinging its tonfa down in a vertical strike.

Reacting at the last millisecond, Suzaku was able to dodge the attack, but as he repositioned, the unarmed Alexander gracefully stepped in again and unleashed a tirade of blows consisting of uppercuts, straight punches, and hooks. Even with the Lancelot's superior specifications, parrying all of these blows pushed his skills to the limit. Countering was almost impossible, but the main problem was—

"Damn!" Suzaku spat, as the second Alexander circled around to his flank in quadrupedal mode, firing a barrage of rounds at his exposed Float System. Unlike the first pilot, this guy was more flexible in their fighting style.

Exploiting the speed and power of the Lancelot, Suzaku was able to (just barely) counter a punch from the unarmed Alexander, grazing its torso with the tip of his MVSs, while firing a slash-harken at the quadrupedal Alexander. Both enemy units retreated slightly, but it would still be a problem if they came at him from opposite sides again - he couldn't afford to give the enemy scope to damage those canisters…

Without pause, both Alexanders continued their assault, charging him head on. The unarmed Alexander continued its flurry of punches while the second switched to bipedal mode and readied its tonfas. With graceful movements, the enemy units alternated between attack and defense, parrying, blocking, and countering each of Suzaku's carefully aimed slashes.

Suzaku leapt backwards to gain some breathing room and fired off two slash-harkens. Both projectiles were dodged, and to his sheer amazement, the Alexanders grabbed the wires attached to the metallic tips and, using their collective strength, hurled the Lancelot further down the slope towards the cliff edge.

"Urgh!" Suzaku choked, retracting the slash-harken projectiles. These pilots were not only good but incredibly well-coordinated. There's no way they were acting alone. Their commander must be here somewhere, giving insight into the battle.

Before he could gather any more of his thoughts, both Alexanders bounded down the hillside, opting not to use their landspinners due to the thick snow gathered near the precipice. Suzaku sheathed his MVSs and chose to dodge and parry using the Lancelot's upper body and counter using a flurry of high speed kicks. It proved to be the correct decision, allowing him to go toe-to-toe with both units. It also helped that in this position, with his Float System facing the precipice, it would be harder for the enemy to get a clear shot of the sakuradite he was carrying.

One opening was all he needed to turn the tide in his favor. The Alexander units were not known for energy efficiency. Soon they'd be out of power and victory would be his…

Suddenly, the unarmed Alexander took center stage, widening its stance and planting its feet in the thick snow while the other stepped back to Suzaku's two-o'clock. "So you're that confident you can take me on alone? Very well, I accept your challenge!"

Suzaku lined up a roundhouse kick, which the unarmed Alexander parried with a flick of its elbow. The frame of the Lancelot shook as an alert message appeared on the dashboard. "Damn!" he hissed, "just what the hell - damage to the left factsphere?!" That guy had countered so quickly it was scary. Were they holding back before?!

Suzaku fired two slash-harkens to force the unarmed Alexander to use its fists for parrying rather than attacking and took the opportunity to reach for one of his MVSs. "Alright, now let's see how—"

There was another crash. "What!?" he gasped. That second Alexander wasn't just standing back to enjoy the view, it was waiting for this moment - the moment Suzaku reached for one of his swords - to grab the Lancelot's right arm with both of its hands. Suzaku activated the Float System and lashed out with a kick in an attempt to shake the enemy unit off. Unfortunately, the unarmed Alexander matched its ally's move, grabbing the left arm of the Lancelot, forcing it to stay grounded. In synchronization, both Alexanders then started pushing the Lancelot towards the cliff edge.

"What the hell are they planning?!" Suzaku spat. The Lancelot could fly, so pushing it down a ravine would achieve nothing, unless the other two pilots were planning to sacrifice themselves to weigh him down. Did their commander order this?!

As the three units reached the edge of the precipice, Suzaku pushed his landspinners to full power, finally gaining traction at the edge of the slope where the rock peaked out from under the snow. He angled the Lancelot forward and activated the Float System for extra power. Once he had enough forward momentum, he could shake these Alexanders off and continue to his objective. "Almost… there…" he said through clenched teeth as the Lancelot finally started to move forward, inch by inch.

Suddenly, his IFF System picked up a new enemy unit. The signal was coming from… almost directly behind him? That couldn't be accurate - behind him was a steep drop.

Then he saw it - two slash harken projectiles embedded in a collection of exposed rocks by the cliff edge. A knightmare was using its slash harkens as anchors and clinging to the steep incline below! "It was powered off this whole time!?" Suzaku gasped. "Damn… in this position—!"

Stage 0.723 - Memories of the Alps: Part VIII

"It's now or never, Captain!" Naoto roared over the radio. "I've only got a couple of seconds of power left!"

Jack narrowed his eyes and steadied his breathing; he needed to focus. If his aim was off by even a tiny margin, then Amy and Naoto could be obliterated along with the White Knightmare. Using his targeting system, he could see the canisters of explosives were secured in a line along the wingspan of its Float System using a clamping mechanism. That was his target.

After accounting for environmental factors, he fired two shots, one aimed at each side of the Float System. The first shot missed the White Knightmare entirely, but the second hit its mark, clipping the Float System with just enough force to shatter the clamping system, causing the canisters to detach from the enemy unit and fall into the abyss below.

"Get out of there!" Amy shouted over the radio.

Jack didn't need to be told twice. There was no telling when those canisters could hit a tree or piece of exposed rock on their way down the mountain with just enough force to trigger a detonation. Activating his landspinners and retracting his slash harken, Jack was able to quickly maneuver his Panzer-Hummel up the steep incline.

Just as his knightmare reached more stable ground, one of the canisters falling down the mountain exploded in a pink flash, causing a chain reaction and shaking the ground underneath him. Jack grimaced as his body was thrown around in the cockpit by the shockwaves from the distant explosion. "That's one way to do things…" he sighed in relief, happy to be alive and grateful that the explosion hadn't caused an avalanche above their position.

"Captain, watch out!" Amy yelled over the radio.

Jack glanced around, his eyes widening in shock when he saw the White Knightmare making a beeline for him, its crimson swords raised. Naoto's energy filler must have been spent, meaning the enemy was easily able to break free of the two Alexander's grasp.

"Are you pissed off now that your little mission has ended in failure - Sir Honorary Britannian?!" Jack shouted to himself in anger, wondering if there was any way he could get out of this alive.

Jack reversed his unit at full speed along the cliff edge, firing at the White Knightmare. As expected, his shots were easily dodged and barely interrupted the enemy's stride. With one graceful movement, the White Knightmare leaped forward and sliced off both of his Panzer-Hummel's cannons.

"I suppose this is it…" Jack winced, as the White Knightmare lined up a second attack. With his death virtually certain, all noise seemed to drown out and time itself began to slow…

…

Wait… no… there was still something he needed to do…

"Amy, retreat back North!" he gasped. "Don't try to stop this guy! We've prevented the enemy's plan, but you'll need to relay the situation to—"

Before Jack could finish giving his order, an Ulna Edge Knife whizzed past his cockpit, striking the White Knightmare's arm before it could finish its attack.

"Get the hell away from him!" Amy yelled with vitriol, as her Alexander leaped over Jack's disarmed unit and brought a tonfa crashing down on the White Knightmare. The enemy was able to block with one of its swords, but had to dart backwards given the sheer weight of her attack.

Without any hesitation, and as soon as her Alexander's front foot touched the ground, she accelerated forward and unleashed a wild flurry of blows, with no thought for defense.

After parrying the majority of Amy's attacks, the White Knightmare pushed her back with an acrobatic kick and then attempted to ascend to the sky once more. However, Amy wasn't going to let her prey leave so easily. Pushing her machine to its limits, she pounced up at the White Knightmare and hung on to its torso as it flew backwards over the ravine. One wrong move and she'd plummet to her death.

Without missing a beat, the White Knightmare activated the slash harkens attached to its torso in an attempt to shake Amy off, but she preempted it, grabbing onto the enemy's Float System to dodge.

"Die, you fucking bastard!" she screamed, as she managed to get a clean strike with one of her tonfas on the right-hand engine of the Float System. The White Knightmare faltered in the sky for a moment - its Float System damaged but still functional - and aimed its wrist at Amy's unit.

"Damn! That monster has slash-harkens attached to its wrists, doesn't it!?" Jack spat. "Kingfisher! Get back here now!"

Without responding, Amy kicked off from the White Knightmare, somersaulting back to level ground. Her Alexander immediately went limp, most likely out of energy. The three of them—each sat in a Knightmare without function or power—were now sitting ducks. To Jack's relief, the White Knightmare descended down the steep incline, most likely due to Amy's last-ditch attempt to save them all. With its Float System damaged, and its mission objective no longer achievable, it seemed that 'Sir Kururugi' had no choice but to leave.

Silence reigned for a moment as Jack processed the skirmish that had just taken place. After a few deep breaths, he switched his radio to the officers' frequency.

"General… this is Reiner…" he droned, still shaken up. "Britannia sent a single flying KMF - more accurately the White Reaper - through the pass leading to our Southern Flank as predicted. It was carrying explosives - most likely sakuradite judging by the pink explosions. We managed to repel the enemy, but will need pickup at coordinates EF-56. I'm sending through the video data now…"

The channel was silent for a moment.

"Impeccable work," the General said with an uncharacteristic hint of admiration. "We managed to capture the land vacated by Britannian forces to the West. Many of our soldiers would be dead if it weren't for your efforts, so… thank you…"

Jack couldn't quite believe his ears, but he wasn't going to question it. "Just make sure we get paid…" he responded wryly.

The General chuckled. "Of course, provided you don't find a new employer. We'll be needing your assistance in this region from now on…"

Jack sighed. "After that last encounter, our rates might go up substantially."

"Fair enough," the general replied brusquely before signing off.

Jack stretched back in his cockpit, wincing at the mild pain in his limbs. He'd be feeling this tomorrow… even if all he did was fire a couple of shots and get jostled around a little.

"So… did you report in?" Naoto asked over their private channel. "Did the General approve of my incredible fighting style?"

"Yeah… they were impressed." Jack replied in a daze, choosing to ignore Naoto's chest-puffing. "Amy… you really saved me."

Naoto chuckled. "She really did; I don't think she's ever used that kind of language before. What has she always said - swearing isn't lady-like? I guess even Miss Cherry has her moments!" he said before roaring with laughter.

Surprisingly, there was no response.

"Amy?" Jack asked over the radio.

Again, there was no response. What the hell was going on? Was she injured during the landing? Regaining his focus, Jack squinted to see if he could get a visual on Amy's Alexander from his cockpit.

After a moment of searching, there it was - partially buried in the snow - with its cockpit open. Following the trail of footsteps leading from her knightmare, Jack saw Amy, walking briskly in his direction, her black hair lashing in the direction of the wind. From this distance he couldn't see her expression, but he imagined she was pleased she'd managed to take on such a skilled opponent single-handedly towards the end.

"She'll freeze like that…" Jack sighed, activating the power-off sequence, exiting his cockpit and descending to the snowy mountainside. As his boots made contact with the snow, he almost stumbled. "Damn… I really don't need to be doing this right now," he complained, wishing nothing more than for reinforcements to arrive and transport them back to base.

Turning towards where he'd last seen Amy, Jack trudged through the snow, his boots making a satisfying crunching sound with each step. As expected, she emerged through the snow. Eventually, her features came into view, illuminated by the moonlight. Was she… crying? No - it was probably just snow melting on her—

Before he could finish that thought, Amy slapped him across the face. "Urgh," Jack gasped, rubbing his cheek. "W-what was that for?"

Suddenly, Amy pulled him into a tight embrace, burying her face in his chest.

"You really are horrible, you know that?" she said after a short moment, her voice quivering. "I… I can't believe it. You thought I would just follow your orders and… leave you like that…?!"

With each syllable, her voice wavered more and more. Jack was speechless; he'd never seen her like this.

"Y-you're… not going to say anything?" Amy sobbed.

"Thank you…for saving me," Jack finally responded, placing his arms gently around her shoulders. Unable to completely hide the lump in his throat, he tried to explain his actions retrospectively. "I'm sorry… I just didn't want you to die too… if I could help it…"

Amy continued to hug him tightly, as if she was scared he might vanish into the snow. "Fine…" she said, her tone more stable this time, "but if you ever say anything like that again, I'll never forgive you…"

"Okay..."

With that cleared up, Amy pulled away quickly, folded her arms, and attempted to adopt her usual imperious expression. She didn't quite look the part this time, mostly because tears were still streaming down her face. Jack couldn't help but try, albeit unsuccessfully, to stifle a laugh.

"W-what!?" she stuttered. "N-now you're laughing at me!?"

"Would it kill you to look happy to be alive after all of that?" Jack smirked, returning to a more relaxed persona. "After all, you did just take on the Knight of Seven…"

"Yeah… and we barely survived." Amy pouted. "Although I bet if I had a flying knightmare with high specs, that jerk would have been eaten dirt in five seconds flat."

"Well, I'm not going to even try to argue with that…" Jack chuckled, feeling much lighter all of a sudden. "Just make sure to protect me if I'm piloting some old clunker of a machine again."

Amy broke into a wide smile. "If you're the one giving the orders, I'll be there, whatever happens…"

Jack couldn't help but stare at her. Finally, she was smiling again… She really was amazing, not only as a soldier but as an individual, too. Anyone can learn the skills to fight, but it takes a special kind of person to be at their strongest when they're protecting someone.

"S-something wrong?" Amy stuttered, turning her face away for a moment. "You're not going to make fun of me again, are you?"

He scratched the back of his head. "No… not this time..."

Stage 0.723 - Memories of the Alps: Part IX

"What a disgrace…" Kingsley drawled, as Suzaku entered onto the bridge of the G-1 Base. "Here I thought that the Knight of Seven could do better…"

Suzaku's eyes twitched. It took every drop of self-control he had to refrain from pummeling Kingsley into his unreasonably opulent chair. Opting to act like a knight should, especially with so many ex-Europia military present, he took a deep breath before responding.

"The enemy was able to see through our plan, somehow," Suzaku commented, ensuring that his tone held no malice. "If you check the visual data from the Lancelot, you'll see why even I had trouble dealing with them."

"Dealing with them?" Kingsley parroted, "that's an interesting way of saying that you failed to achieve your mission objectives."

"Sir Kingsley," General Lafayette interjected. "I am as surprised as Sir Kururugi that the enemy was able to see through our attack. Personally, I thought there was no chance they would intercept us at that location."

"I wouldn't give the enemy too much credit," Kingsley sneered. "That plan was something I came up with in a matter of minutes. Now that we've established they have a basic understanding of the finer points of strategy, I think our next step should be to gather more intelligence on the types of mercenaries we're dealing with."

"O-of course…" Lafayette stuttered. Suzaku picked up a hint of exasperation in his tone, perhaps because test running Kingsley's hastily concocted strategy had cost the Britannian military some hard fought ground.

"Perrin," Lafayette continued, turning to face a shorter man with a pencil mustache, "do you have any specific intelligence as Sir Kingsley requested?"

"It's not detailed," Perrin responded in a thick French accent, "but we have reason to believe that the Swiss Guard has hired a number of new mercenary battalions along with a tactician named 'Reiner'."

Lafayette clicked his tongue. "What an inconvenience. I told the politicians in Paris that we should have seized that esteemed family's estate long ago…"

Kingsley reclined in his chair, a devilish smirk now adorning his features. "Reiner means 'military advisor' in German, does it not? How interesting…"

Stage 8.9

"Alrighty, that's all for today, folks!" Rivalz announced proudly, stretching as he turned to look out the window of the Student Council meeting room.

"Thank goodness…" Shirley sighed as she crumpled onto the table between them. "I almost fell asleep at least three times looking through all that student information."

"You both need to work on your stamina," Jack smirked, straightening some papers on the table and filing them away into corresponding folders. "It wasn't all that bad."

Kallen lazily tilted her head in his direction. "Big talk coming from the guy who got here thirty minutes late. If I were in your shoes, I–"

"The sun's still shining brightly outside too - I'm so glad we could finish before dark this time!" Jack interrupted cheerily, without meeting her gaze. "If I'm not mistaken, that means we've finally done all the administrative prep for this semester. Good job, everyone."

Kallen's mouth opened in disbelief, but rather than fire back, she simply turned away. It seemed even she was drained after sifting through all that paperwork. Processing an almost entirely new batch of students had not been as easy as they'd originally thought.

"Y-yeah, great job everyone!" Rivalz agreed tentatively, hoping they could avoid another argument. "Why don't we see what's happening in the world?" he said nervously, switching the TV on and hoping to steer the conversation to a different topic.

When the TV powered on, a familiar blonde-haired woman appeared on the screen.

"Oh wow, Milly's wearing that dress again!" Shirley chimed, clapping her hands together. "It looks even more vibrant on TV!"

"Wait, you saw Madam President recently?" Rivalz asked, trying to hide the surprise in his voice. Ever since Milly had become a reporter, it had been hard for him to get a reply from her over email or by text. Now he finds out she's been meeting up with Shirley?! He really couldn't catch a break…

"Oh yeah… didn't I tell you?" Shirley responded, as if her thoughts were on something else entirely.

"No… you didn't," he sighed. "It's not really important, I guess, but—"

"Isn't that Zero?" Jack queried, scratching his chin while gazing at the TV, oblivious to the internal struggles of Rivalz Cardemonde. "And look, he's with Princess Nunnally of all people. How interesting…" he trailed off, as Milly began to report the situation on screen.

"It's been three hours since Princess Nunnally, accompanied by Zero, arrived in Spain. In that short time, they've arrived at a peace conference with the Spanish National Assembly. According to our reports, this is the seventh such event they've attended in Europia, the last one being in Austria just three days ago."

After Milly's explanation, a map of Europia appeared on the screen, showing the events Nunnally had attended recently, along with the routes taken between destinations.

Shirley pointed at the TV. "It looks like Nun — I mean Princess Nunnally — flew over the Alps to get to Spain. I bet the mountains looked gorgeous from the sky! The last time I saw them I was still very little, so I don't remember much…" She then turned to Jack. "Come to think of it, I don't think you ever told us where in Europia you come from. Have you ever seen the Alps up close?"

"I went skiing there from time to time," Jack replied after a brief pause. He then cast his gaze towards the ceiling. "Although it could be quite dangerous… snow can be more treacherous than you think."

"I bet you blended in with the scenery quite well," Kallen smirked, glancing briefly at his hair.

Jack made a rather grand display of faux amazement before turning towards Kallen. "Wow, Kallen, you're a genius. No one has ever said that to me before."

"V-very funny!" she fired back. "You know what they say about sarcasm being the lowest form of wit…"

Jack raised an eyebrow. "Yet that joke you just made sank to even greater depths… Pretty impressive, I have to say."

Kallen clicked her tongue. "Do you always need to have the last word!? You're—"

"Play nice, you two!" Shirley frowned, wagging a finger at them.

Kallen averted her gaze while Jack broke into a gentle grin. "Sorry," he nodded.

"So, did you have any close calls when skiing, Jack?" Shirley continued. "I only ask because I'd love to try it, but I'm a little apprehensive. I just think my dad would be overprotective, you know?"

Jack smiled. "Don't let my comment put you off. The view from a mountain in winter can be breathtaking…" He leaned back in his chair and returned his gaze to the ceiling. "After all, I think snow is beautiful… especially in the moonlight."

- END

Author's note

This was another chapter I'd looked forward to writing from the beginning. It's also my first time writing an action scene (not just KMF combat), so I'd be interested to hear anyone's views on that e.g. whether it's too long or not.

It always seemed a shame to me that the Akito OVAs never had Suzaku take on the W0 Squadron… or really had Suzaku do anything at all. With that said, I wanted to add an action scene involving the Lancelot vs Alexanders as a way to make up for that. Also, I don't think it's unrealistic, in the context of the show, to have two ace pilots with Alexander units take on the Lancelot but I'd be interested to hear views on that. (NB: they didn't really win (as Jack implies in the story) - at most it was a stalemate).