A/N: Special thanks to Jameyofthemegacosmos, Icysnowsage, Darklord331, Silkdreamweaver (chief beta reader and editor) and our Gundam consultant and designer Redrat8. Greatkingrat88, and Seerking have also contributed to the development of this story. I had begun in-between projects since early last year.

Thanks to everyone who reviewed, left a favorite and a couple follows, they are greatly appreciated and always encouraging.

I am glad to see my word about the anonymous reviews was accepted so well, while I don't mind a healthy number of reviews, I rather they not be spam and actually related to the chapter/story while questions about it and what is ahead are fine, but some I'll withhold from answering if they are too spoiler heavy.

Anyway this chapter is regretfully short, but its the finale of the CCSE for Lelouch and his new squad with the next chapter being the best character focused chapter ever produced with Greatkingrat88 and Silkdreamweaver going to town on it in beta work, vastly helping me improve it greatly.

Also special thanks again to Jameyofthemegacosmos and Silkdreamweaver for helping me improve the dialogue with this chapter and other improvements.

Then it will be followed by the Battle of Sadogashima, which thanks to Greatkingrat88 has been augmented and heavily improved with Silkdreamweaver going over it to further refine and polish it, so expect good things ahead.

Now on with the chapter, with anonymous reviews replies at the very end of the chapter.

Chapter 12

Graduation Part III

The following afternoon, Lelouch and his squad found a transmission station used to relay communications and signals for the military. Like the lighthouse, Lelouch and Haruka found a way to sneak into the building.

The housing provided a comfortable amount of warmth from the cold outside. There were no beds or any comforts like those Lelouch and Yuzuka found in the lighthouse. However sleeping on a clean concrete floor was far better than sleeping in the dirt with snakes around or on a branch in a tree.

"Not as comfortable as the lighthouse," Yuzuka remarked. "But this should be better than sleeping outside at least."

"Lucky you," Tsukiko commented sarcastically, recalling her unpleasant experience sleeping in a tree .

"Come on now," Haruka said, raising hands trying to disguise a potential argument. "I doubt Yuzuka was bragging."

"We just got lucky. My suspicion about Mariko wording the rule around the Lighthouse just happened to be correct, that's all," Lelouch added.

"And you earned yourself a bonus weapon for your correct deduction," Haruka said enviously as she eyed the rifle Lelouch was carrying.

"Indeed and as a bonus we did obtain extra fresh water to replenish our own and yours as well," Lelouch explained as he turned the conversation to focus on the positives.

"I'd say it sounds like we got the rest of this exam in the bag then," Asagi exclaimed, hopeful they could finish the rest of the exam easily.

"Maybe, but we don't know what lies ahead. I think we should camp for the night and press on tomorrow," Haruka suggested, which Lelouch nodded.

"Then let's spend the night here," Lelouch said.

"I don't mind. How about we make a hot meal for tonight to celebrate our progress so far? A fire shouldn't be too much of a risk right now." Yuzuka added.

After spending a few minutes gathering the wood needed for a fire, the group had dinner. They sat under the night stars as they enjoyed their simple meal. The heat of the fire kept the night chill away.

Once everyone was full, they went to sleep…except for Lelouch.

He chose to sleep away from the girls, for the sake of common courtesy. His mind was not at ease as the possibility of what the final obstacle could be occupied his thoughts.

But he wasn't the only one who couldn't sleep.

"You can't sleep too huh," a voice said, interrupting Lelouch's thoughts.

"Haruko," Lelouch said as the blue haired woman brought her bedroll closer.

Now sitting on the floor with her back against the wall alongside Lelouch, but the two were mindful to not speak too loud to avoid waking their friends.

"Thinking about what we'll face tomorrow?"

"Yes, and seeing the tools we've found, it doesn't seem like it will be easy," Lelouch said, still wondering what kind of obstacle would require an anti-tank rifle.

"Maybe if we're careful enough we can maybe get the drop on it."

"I am just being realistic."

"You know, I've been thinking," Haruko observed the rifle. "If we had a pineapple or something, I would certainly be of better help."

"I doubt a piece of fruit will be able to…Aaah!" Lelouch was interrupted when he felt a pinch on his cheek.

"Silly, I'm talking about a hand grenade," Haruko corrected. "You don't know a lot of military slang words, do you? The point is, I have a great throwing arm. May as well put it to use."

"Yuzuka will do just as fine, so long as she's throwing an axe," Lelouch brushed off the comment. "If anything, I believe that they set up this course for a reason."

"Uhh…" Haruko was caught off guard on what to say.

"Haven't you noticed it yourself? Back at the motor pool, they set the pass as something that troubled us, while I needed to guide Yuzuka on disarming the traps she would've easily fallen into otherwise. Then, there's that instance with Asagi. I expected this to be pre-planned to test our skills, but I was careless to not think they would teach us to overcome our weaknesses as well."

"Okay, sure, but we overcame them all so far." Haruko stated..

"And that's not all," Lelouch continued. "The road to the extraction point is a short distance from here. There are no obstacles in our way, but there's an airport along the path."

"What are you getting at?"

"I'm saying that the final stretch feels too easy. The moment we let our guard down is when we're most vulnerable. What better way than to give you a speck of hope that things will wrap up sooner rather than later?"

"Okay, you win. Now you are starting to freak me out," Haruko threw up her arms in surrender. "What happens if you end up worrying over nothing?"

"Then I guess we'll laugh it off," Lelouch replied, which caused Haruko to try and suppress her laugh. "If nothing else I rather be ready and expecting the worst, and if it turns out to be nothing as you are hoping then we'll laugh it off. Does that sound better to you?"

"Yes it does, thank you for that," Haruko said with a relieved sigh. "See you can sound positive if you try."

"Just being honest, because as you said, my worries could be for nothing," Lelouch responded. He doubted the final stretch of the exam would be easy.

He just didn't want to freak Haruko out, but considering what she and Asagi endured he couldn't blame her for hoping the final stretch would be easier. Furthermore, Lelouch didn't want Haruko to go to sleep worried. If she ends up restless and left unable to sleep, she could end up tired and become a liability.. Suspecting how difficult the final stretch of the exam will likely be, Lelouch knew it was best not to allow that to happen.

"I suppose it could go both ways, either you're right or I am. Arguing would be pointless."

"I would be more than happy to welcome being wrong tomorrow."

"Tell me, Lelouch, and you don't have to answer if you don't want to," Haruko asked as she changed the subject, but she seemed more hesitant in her question. "Do you have a sibling? A younger brother…no, younger sister?"

"That's right," Lelouch admitted. He saw little reason to hide that.

"I envy you," Haruko mused. Lelouch noticed something in her eye, something he recognized. "I wouldn't have minded having a younger sister, but I got two younger brothers instead. Having helped my father raise them, I guess I grew into a tomboy."

"Your mother, you…lost her too?" Lelouch asked delicately, out of consideration.

"You can tell?" Haruko said, impressed by Lelouch picking up on that detail. "You really are sharp, but yeah, you're right. My mom was a TSF pilot, she was a squad leader fighting in Korea and China. She survived a couple battles, but…I guess her luck ran out."

"Sorry for bringing it up," Lelouch replied as Haruko seemed saddened by recalling the day she and her father received the news of her mother's death.

"Thank you," Haruko welcomed Lelouch's condolences. "I suppose we're both people who lost our mothers when we were young, so you can tell."

"You're right," Lelouch said, agreeing with her. "So you're following in her footsteps then?"

"More or less, but that is not the only reason," Haruko said, moving closer to Lelouch so he could better listen while the pair remained mindful to keep their conversation quiet to avoid waking the others. "I am proud of what my mother did, even if it meant she wasn't around much. But the BETA isn't a problem that will go away and BETA has been getting closer to Japan so…"

"You want to keep your younger siblings from being drafted as TSF pilots." Lelouch started to understand her motivation.

Haruko nodded, "Yeah, I mean I don't want to fault them for wanting to follow after mom, but as someone who helped care for them and raise them, I worry for them. It's not helped by the fact that most TSF pilots don't even survive their first sortie."

"I understand," Lelouch said, realizing he might've felt similar if he was in the same position as Nunnally.

He would've tried to find a way to keep her from fighting if he could, but somehow Lelouch suspected she wouldn't make it easy for him. Of course that would've depended on how his sister might've turned out if raised in this world. In a way that brought a level of discomfort to Lelouch just thinking about it. He was almost glad Nunnally was paralyzed.

He hated himself for even thinking that, but reasoned it would mean he didn't have to worry about Nunnally ever fighting.

But that has its own pros and cons too, The logical part of Lelouch's mind reminded himself.

"I still worry for them, but maybe these new machines we're trying out with you could change things. I heard about what you and Yui did in Kyoto makes the machines and the tech being them sound promising,"

"Yes compared to what Yui and I were using when compared to a TSF, the difference in firepower and performance was obvious. It's just a matter of producing those machines fast enough to supply them to everyone," Lelouch said, unsure of how fast Japan's industrial capabilities could produce more of the Minamoto units.

"I am hoping it will be done quickly, but my dad works at a TSF production factory. I wish I could say with confidence it would be, but that would be a lie.," Haruko said, disappointed.

"I see. Producing new weapons will take time. How long it will be, I can't say," Lelouch said.

"I hope for the sake of everyone it will be fast enough to turn the tide."

Marimo sat patiently within the control room, watching her students approach the destination. The instructor nearly fell asleep herself while watching the monitor. She was taken off duty when the others went to bed but given her schedule, she still felt exhausted herself.

I'm starting to wonder if it will be me who slips up before they do, Marimo thought. I just need to be ready for when they reach the final destination.

The destination was when the twist of the mission would begin. In the monitor, she watched something move on the radar console, an object that flew in a circular pattern several kilometers in the sky. The weather pattern showed clouds over Lelouch, but even then, it would be too small to see from the surface.

Tired of the presence spying on her, Marimo straightened herself and crossed her arms..

"You can come out now," Marimo called out like she was about to scold a student. "It's pointless to hide yourself, even if you're some time entity."

"Ooh, that ain't fair," a familiar young voice called out from behind as she flashed in with her power. She placed her hands on her hips in disappointment. "How did you know I was here in the first place?"

"Woman's intuition," Marimo declared as she turned her chair around. "And what would the time traveling goddess want with the boy trying to save the universe?"

"Lelouch? No, I was about to give out a surprise! And you just had to ruin it, did you?"

"That surprise was no doubt for Lelouch," Marimo suspected. "I am not the type to have those dancing around the truth. You better…Um!?"

Marimo had her eyes closed the entire time, trying to seem unphased. Somehow, despite noticing her initial presence, Claude was able to get near Marimo and stuff something into her mouth. It was a liquid, not as thick as syrup, that she was forced to swallow, but she still choked. If anything, it shared the same taste as medicine and made her queasy. Marimo coughed a bit before she turned her glare back to the trickster girl.

"Oh, dear, didn't expect the taste to be that horrible." Claude played with her spoon. "I thought making it a liquid would be better!"

"Khoff…You better state your reason for being here before I sound the alarm!"

"Nonsense, that wasn't poison at all, and it certainly wasn't an anesthetic," Claude grew annoyed at her. "In fact, that liquid was supposed to help you by the time it gets into your stomach."

"And what will that be, time traveler?"

"A special recipe of mine from another world," Claude tapped her spoon on her finger. "It's made from a world where resources are quite frugal yet make everything efficient. Originally, it was made in a pill form that allows one to have the energy needed to perform duties for at least 8 hours nonstop. That was mixed with at least several of those pills, so you should be able to operate for at least several days without side effects. Or…at least that's how it is in theory."

Claude contemplated that last part as Marimo recovered. For a moment, the instructor was actually distracted by the awful taste.

Whoever designed those pills should at least consider what the troops think of them. Taste may mean nothing in actual combat, but this can hamper the troops' morale more than it helps.

Marimo then shook her head as she stood up, only starting to feel some effects of the liquid…sludge that she had forced down her throat.

"Oh, were there any side effects?" Claude scratched her head. "Didn't think that food pills would cause that much of a problem."

"If I didn't know better, I'd think that you were trying to poison me," the Instructor glared at her. "As if you already caused enough trouble in this world."

"Oh?" Claude showed a dumbfounded face that angered Marimo more. "What do you mean?"

"The technology that you gave us," Marimo clarified. "You must have not seen the political repercussions of leaking out advanced technology to states that are not on top otherwise."

"What does that have to do with me?" Claude placed her hands on her hips. "If anything, I think that would be a boon to Japan, wouldn't it?"

"If we didn't have every superpower crawling all over us," Marimo reacted. "You're lucky there were more than enough states backing us, so that the US and USSR would not be pointing their guns at us by now instead of the BETA."

"Well, if it helps get what you want, do you have any right to complain?"

Marimo tisked as she thought over Claude's statement as Claude continued.

"As for my purpose here, that's less of their concern. What's really a concern here is how much you and the others are going to put Lelouch through for all of this. If anything, I'm the one who's very concerned here!"

"Says the one who has the ability to travel to any time, any place."

"Hmph, you seem to underestimate your capability. Even worse, you overestimate mine, even though I have my own limits."

"Oh," Marimo crossed her arms again. "Define that."

"To start, for something an expert like you know very well, or at least will know very well, time travel is little more than jumping to another world that's slightly similar to ours but with notable differences. Well…okay, okay, there are many worlds out there with even bigger differences. Like other creatures running this planet, or humanity being on another world. Some have neither the Earth nor humanity existing in the first place. The point is, any normal human can only go into a similar timeline and create something new inspired by the original."

"That still leaves you as an unknown entity," Marimo points out. "You, on the other hand, seem to do whatever you please."

"Oh, please. Did you listen to me?" Claude once again huffed in annoyance. "Even with unlimited time power, doing whatever you please with it can be a major headache. If there weren't any consequences, I would've solved the crisis by now without getting anyone involved. Even then, just one big nudge…one major mishap, and even I could vanish from existence. And that's the absolute worst case scenario that I'm trying to prevent here!"

"In other words, even time is not on your side," Marimo concluded. "Well, all you have to do is to be patient then. The more impatient you get, the more likely you'll fail due to haste."

"Isn't that why you made your exam this long?" Claude inquired as she walked up to the radar. "You know, this feels like quite a cheap move, even for me."

"As I said, time isn't always on your side, sometimes you have to be hasty."

"Yet, it looks like he's doing more than fine here." Claude tapped her foot. "Are you absolutely sure that you calculated your ETA properly?"

"We incorporated all factors, including environmental and physical ones." Marimo approached the controls. "But despite giving him something beyond his limitations, this test looks too easy for him. It's to the point that it might make it just below minimum expectations. I can now see why you made him one of your seven candidates."

"Yeah, that's the problem…"

"You think it's not enough, or rather…" Marimo glanced at Claude. "You favor others far more than Cadet Lamprouge?"

"Boy, you're perceptive," Claude fumed. "The serious problem I have can wait. A long time, if you ask. But the other candidates…there are those who will fight and want to coerce him to their side. Of course, and Lelouch conversely will want to fight or coerce them as well. If I were to answer at the bottom of my heart, I only give one space whale about it since there are at least two of them I can't stand at all! Yet, even with my refusal to give special treatment, I have no choice but to accept them."

"Nonetheless, it sounds more like favoritism on your part," Marimo once again faced the monitor. "Very well, it looks like all we can do is play our role and see if Cadet Lamperouge succeeds at the end."

"Speaking of coming out, I have a big question for you," Claude's voice changed into something more sly.

"Just spit it out," Marimo sighed to Claude's goading.

"Don't you have any fantasies about Lelouch?"

Marimo's eyebrow twitched in annoyance and there was a part of her that wanted to slug the woman. However, any overt reaction, no matter how deserving, would be giving Claude what she wants. Lelouch was undoubtedly a highly intelligent and capable leader, for sure, but for Claude to presume she had some kind of attraction was very presumptuous of her.

"If you don't drop this conversation now, I will report you for sexual harassment."

"Oi, oi! I was just asking a mere question, that's all!"

"Entertaining personal hobbies and desires is not in my job description."

"Well, you're no fun. I swear you'd look a lot better if you were the sweet and kind motherly type instead of the gruff, rough and tough instructor you display."

"Perhaps if you started wearing a lab coat and behaved more appropriately like a top scientist, I could treat you better," Marimo retained her demeanor as she shot back at Claude.

"I'll keep that in mind," Claude said before making her leave. "By the way, something else I also came here for. Did you ever have any thoughts on how to get there without the team noticing?"

"Without notice?"

"I mean, a helicopter by air seems a bit too expected. Why not play with them a little bit by appearing right before them, like you were there the whole time?"

"That was the plan all along," Marimo sharply answered. "I will be traveling there by boat instead."

"Boat? Uuuuh, that might take too long, considering the speed Lelouch is going," Claude raised a finger. "Say, since you'll be needed anyway, I can give you a taste of what it's like to be traveling through spacetime. Shall we?"

Claude's cat smile made Marimo clench a fist. However, she was correct about Lelouch's unusual rate. If anything, she wasn't so sure that she would get there in time at this rate. Therefore, she gazed at the hand that time traveler offered.

Following a filling breakfast, Lelouch and his group had continued on their way and after avoiding a few simple traps, the group had arrived at their destination. Or so they thought.

"Well, this looks like the place." Tsukiko bent backward upon stopping at their destination.

Their destination was an old airfield, like a lot of the buildings they had seen many of the structures had become overgrown with nature. But the runways remained clear. No-one moved onto the airfield yet, especially since they didn't know if there wasn't one last challenge for them to overcome.

Fueling these worries was the lack of finding any live turrets guarding the only route to this area, which put Haruka and Tsukiko on high alert.

I could still be wrong, but… Lelouch decided to push ahead.

"Let's keep to the trees and use the buildings as cover in case this is some kind of trap," Lelouch suggested as the rest of his squad agreed.

The group moved closer, reaching one of the hangers on the far side of the airport. As they neared the site where they were meant to use a flare to call for pick up Lelouch decided to play it safe.

"Alright, which one of you is the fastest runner?" Lelouch inquired, before Yuzuka spoke up.

"I am," Yuzuka stated, as she seemed aware of Lelouch's plan.

"Yuzuka, I am going to have you fire the flare, but once you do retreat to where we are just in case it triggers some kind of trap," Lelouch asked.

"I understand," Yuzuka said, opening her pack to retrieve her flare gun.

"Now then," Lelouch went to Yuzuka. "Ready?"

"Uh, r-right," his requested companion complied.

While Lelouch and the others hung back a safe distance away, Yuzuka ran through the hanger, exiting from the back where its door was long gone. Once she reached the other side Yuzuka aimed the flare gun skyward before she pulled the trigger.

Once the flare was fired, Yuzuka hurried back through the hangar and quickly rendezvoused with Lelouch and the others.

The green flash hung in the air as it slowly fell towards the ground, but after five minutes of waiting, nothing happened. Feeling something was amiss, Lelouch brought his radio and decided to use it to contact command.

"Command, what's going on there?" Lelouch called out.

"It appears that we have a miscalculation," Marimo addressed. "The enemy has a UAV operating in the area, confirmed to be armed with air-to-air and air-to-ground missiles. With that drone operational, the extraction point has been relocated."

Lelouch heard silence coming from his other teammates. Their faces showed shock and despair after realizing what their final obstacle was.

"That drone is no doubt automated. Is there any way you can disable it?"

"That's a negative. Unless we figure out the appropriate security codes, we cannot shut it down."

"So where is the next point of extraction?"

"The map should show a shrine north of the island. Head over there and fire another green flare. A chopper will approach for exfil."

"Understood. We'll meet you there shortly."

"One last mention," Marimo interjected. "I assume that you obtained a GPS scrambler along the way. Keep that on you as it will disrupt the UAV's targeting system. Remember to stay within its range of effectiveness and traverse carefully. That is all."

The radio went silent afterward. As Lelouch expected, most of the girls around him exclaimed the exact same reaction.

"EEEEEEHHH!?"

"What is that woman thinking!?" Yuzuka snapped.

"We already struggled to make it here. Now we have to make another hike!?" Asagi complained.

"It's not like this was going to be easy," Tsukiko remained the only one to remain calm. "Not everything goes according to plan, you know."

Lelouch maintained a stone-faced expression. He had actually suspected something like this would happen. He wouldn't have minded being wrong, but Lelouch suspected correctly it wasn't just going to end just like that.

"Yuzuka, bring out the map again," Lelouch ordered. He looked at the map and noticed the shrine up top. "As I figured, there was definitely going to be far more than what appeared."

Contemplating their options, Lelouch considered the rifle he and Yuzuka had found. Thanks to his recent training and Yui's skills with firearms he gained when using the Coupling System, Lelouch believed he could handle the rifle well enough, but he recalled their marksmanship scores and remembered that Haruko scored the highest.

"Haruka, I want you to take the rifle," Lelouch stated. "Will you have any issues?"

"None. Not a model I've used often, but I can handle it well enough," Haruko said, prompting Lelouch to give her the rifle.

"Very well," Lelouch put everything into place. "I want you to take place at that cliff over there."

"Got it," Haruko replied as she checked the rifle.

"When we came in, I noticed a radar dish that was fully active. That is probably what's guiding the drone. We need you to head to that cliff edge, where you can get a clear shot and take it out. Once that's done, we'll regroup here to reach our destination," Lelouch pointed out on the map of the island.

"What about that UAV? What happens if it spots her?" Asagi asked, worried for Haruko.

"It's likely not to take to the air until we draw close to the area," Tsukiko began in a matter of fact tone. "Like the other drones we've seen it cannot stay in the air indefinitely, to save on fuel it likely won't take to the air until we near the area it's supposed to patrol."

"Which is why you should go on ahead of us, so you can be in position. Since they are tracking our progress they'll use our estimated position to time when to launch the helicopter against us. You will likely only have one or two chances to shoot it down, so it will be in your hands," Lelouch said, while trying to not put pressure on the young woman.

The success or failure of this exam was now in Haruko's hands.

Haruko went off towards her destination while Lelouch and the others began making their way towards the shrine. Lelouch and the others took their time to ensure Haruko had sufficient time to reach her destination to get into position.

Meanwhile, alone on her way to the cliff to get the best vantage possible, Haruko could feel the weight of the situation upon her.

"You got to do this." Haurko spoke to herself. "After all, we have reasons beyond ourselves to fight for. For those relying on us we can not afford to fail here."

Observing their movements, Yui and her friends were gathered around as Yui sat before a computer looking at the latest positions of Lelouch and his squad. Thanks to Yui's uncle they were able to observe what was happening.

"You're kidding right," Aki asked. "Our exam never had THAT! Ours was just fighting one another in a maze of shipping containers."

"Yes, a fully prepared, drone-controlled gunship," Eiji said with a straight face, causing Aki to sweat in worry for Lelouch while Kazusa and Izumi looked at the older man wide eyed.

"That can't be serious though. People barely survive the automated turret," Shimako said, reflecting the worry and concern Yui had for Lelouch. "Why did they feel it was necessary for such an escalation?"

"It's mostly because Lelouch is a foreigner. Regardless if he's from another world or not, he is seen as an American and relations between our countries haven't been the best, especially with the Tragedy of the Gwangju Operation that happened months ago," Kazusa stated, calmly deducing the reason.

"That's right," Eiji confirmed.

"But that's crazy, especially after what he and Yui did in Kyoto," Aki said in disbelief. "Heck, he and his squad took down a force twice their size in the mock battle. What more does he have to prove?"

"A lot, because even for his accomplishments, the fact remains he piloted a powerful new machine Japan produced while being perceived as an American. Many will not like that regardless of his accomplishments so far," Kazusa mentioned calmly, but her expression displayed her disagreement with her own statement.

Izumi and Yui, who had been quiet, were in silent agreement with Aki, but they also understood the reasons why, as much as they may hate them.

"No one here disagrees with you," Eiji said. "But that's the minefield called politics."

"Damn. I'm just glad I chose to stay out of politics," Aki said and no one disagreed with her.

Meanwhile Yui was still quiet, focused on watching the movements of Lelouch's group. Lelouch no doubt was aware of the final challenge ahead, so the question on her mind was how would he succeed?

Huh!?

Yui noticed one person breaking away from Lelouch's group, causing a confident smile to grace Yui's face. Kazusa noticed it as well, and she quickly deduced what Lelouch was planning.

Lelouch is sending someone to cliffs overlooking the area to give them a better vantage point. Up till now they kept the drone in reserve to conserve fuel and to avoid potentially alerting Lelouch's group prematurely. Kazusa thought.

It will come down to how good the one they picked to take the shot.

Later that day, Haruko reached the cliffs, finding an ideal spot to set up in a small clearing. She set up the rifle. Being an anti-tank rifle, she knew the recoil and shot itself would be monstrous. Haruko hesitated over wearing the earplugs as she wouldn't be able to hear the UAV if it came after her, but considering there was nothing she could do if she was discovered, Haruko pushed aside her concerns.

I just hope I don't break my shoulder with this, Haruko thought as she loaded the rifle.

Meanwhile around the same time, after looking at his watch Lelouch got up from the tree stump he was sitting on.

"Alright, Haruko should be in position, let's move forward," Lelouch ordered as Yuzuka, Tsukiko, Asagi and Haruka moved for the shrine.

They advanced towards the shrine, keeping the scrambler in the middle of them. In the distance the group could hear a drone beginning to approach. As it drew near, Lelouch and company kept to the trees, avoiding any places that could allow them to be spotted from the air.

But something went wrong, the the helicopter-style medium-sized multi-payload UAV began firing its weapons, using its mini-guns to begin razing much of the area surrounding the shrine.

"What the hell! It shouldn't do that right?" Tsukiko said, hearing the sound of the UAV's mounted minigun firing.

"Something is wrong, we should pull back." Lelouch stated.

"Well, it's firing on an area that is nowhere near us. It will run out of bullets soon right?" Asagi asked, hopefully.

"Maybe, but what about its missiles? They don't need to hit us to hurt us with the shrapnel they'd turn the trees into.," Yuzuka pointed out.

Is this intentional or some kind of malfunction? Haruka wondered. Lelouch was thinking the same as he and the others hurried to get away from the area.

Seeing the situation from the cliff, Haruko was horrified. Fearing for her friends that were potentially in serious danger, she took aim. Using the scope to line up her shot, aiming for the UAV itself. She was hesitant at first, but hardening her resolve, Haruko pulled the trigger.

The bullet was fired with the force of a small cannon as a sudden burst of fire cut through the air, hitting its mark despite the considerable distance. The bullet, due to its immense penetrating power, went clean through the UAV's engine block. Fire and smoke erupted from the UAV as it veered off to the side before crashing somewhere in the forest in a fireball.

"I don't think it's a good idea for them to go to the shrine now," Haruko remarked.

Meanwhile, after hearing the sound of the UAV going down, Lelouch brought out his radio.

"Enemy UAV eliminated proceeding to the shrine," Lelouch reported.

"Belay that, head for the beach near it. Use your flare then we'll recover you, consider your mission accomplished once you rendezvous," Marimo replied over the radio.

Lelouch took notice of the change of tone, wondering if what had happened was either a malfunction or intentional sabotage.

"Let's go find Haruko then rendezvous on the beach near the shrine," Lelouch said.

"What the heck happened? Drones aren't supposed to attack unless they have a target lock." Aki stated, having just seen what happened with Yui, and the others.

"You're right, that wasn't meant to happen. Either there was a malfunction or someone sabotaged it, but we won't know until we can investigate the wreck," Eiji said, disturbed by the UAV acting outside its orders.

"Hopefully they came out ok. Looks like their signals are moving away." Kazusa pointed to the screen, causing Aki to breathe a sigh of relief.

"Geez, talk about a close call. Good thing Lelouch had a teammate take up a sniping position on a cliff beforehand," Aki remarked.

"Yes, it was a good idea," Shimako agreed. Yui remained silent, but she was also relieved.

The sun was setting when Lelouch and his group arrived on the beach to call for pick up after they rendezvous with Haruko. They had found an area of the beach marked for a helicopter to land.

"It looks like we're here," Lelouch declared as he stopped at the center of the LZ.

"What's wrong?" Asagi pressed. "Just fire the flare and be done with it!"

"This is odd," Lelouch noticed. "Ever since we neutralized the threat of the gunship, we should've expected the helicopter to approach us."

"Maybe they already chickened out or something?" Tsukiko questioned.

"There's no such thing as being too careful." Lelouch was aware of his words. "They should have still seen the initial flare."

"Very perceptive, as usual," a familiar voice came in. Marimo walked out from behind some boulders in her usual uniform.

"Madam," Lelouch greeted Marimo as she walked into the scene.

"The CCSE is now finished," Marimo announced. "Form up, cadets!"

"R-Right!" Everyone followed suit and lined up along Lelouch.

Lelouch and the rest of his squad stood straight as a mixture of anticipation and unease filled the air.

"Now, for your evaluation," Marimo reviewed. "The time spent to complete all objectives was most certainly below the minimum requirements, exceeding expectations from the course. Despite the increased difficulty, you made it look easy. There is also your capture and use of tools that also get you all well earned marks."

There was a sense of relief from Asagi, but everyone else knew better than to get their hopes up so they remained stoically silent.

"For the drone, I must apologize that a malfunction caused it to indiscriminately attack. However, that being said, I must commend Cadet Kashiwagi for her swiftness in shooting it down and you Cadet Lamperouge deserve credit for sending her to the cliff to take up sniper position to provide cover. A good show of cautious and well-thought out preparation," Marimo said, seemingly annoyed and embarrassed by the malfunctioning drone going wild.

No one said a word, remaining quiet, but the part Lelouch knew was coming was next.

"However," Marimo said sharply, which shook all of the cadets. "Despite your quick time, each and every one of you completed your objectives in broad daylight against standard procedure. Would you care to explain that?"

"The objective of the goal is to complete our objectives as fast as possible," Lelouch explained. "There are times where time and the weather will not be on our side. Our means of infiltration were also ill-suited to conduct at nighttime. Therefore, it was imperative to complete our objective and leave ASAP."

"Then, as commander, perhaps you could have ordered the others to scout the area as well before conducting their own operations," Marimo said as a counterpoint.

"That was an oversight," Lelouch admitted. "I simply issued the teams to reach the nearest destination on my insistence."

"Unfortunately, that has penalized your team for each objective by a lot of points overall," Marimo said, causing looks of concern on the faces of Asagi, Haruko, Tsukiko and Haruka. But Marimo's expression did soften before she added in a reassuring tone. "However, despite the demerit, you all managed to pass the evaluation anyway."

Everyone was visibly relieved, except Lelouch, as he was being careful not to show any emotion. Something that caused Marimo to give him a faint smile of approval.

"As Lamperouge stated, the purpose of a mission is to complete it as timely and efficiently as possible. Standard operating procedures mean nothing in an actual firefight. Cadet Lamperouge knew that well when faced with an obstruction to the mission, and he'll certainly lead you with absolute patience, even in a heated situation, or am I wrong?"

"Yes, he was willing to take some of the same risks with us," Yuzuka said, speaking in his defense.

"And he trusted us with tasks we were best suited for," Haruko added, in Lelouch's defense.

"I believe Lelouch is the most capable commander here," Haruka added in a show of support "I have no problems continuing to serve under him."

"I wasn't sure how good I would be against the BETA, but with someone like him leading us I feel like we're in good hands," Asagi said, giving her support.

"Thank you, I appreciate it," Lelouch replied.

"How he led us during that mock battle, I think dispelled any doubts I had about him. He has guts and a good head on his shoulder. A good combination, wouldn't you agree ma'am?" Tsukiko said, folding her arms under her chest, giving Marimo a knowing smile.

"Absolutely," Marimo said, smiling in approval as well. "Now then, I suppose that we get the celebration underway?"

In the distance a helicopter could be seen approaching, Lelouch and his group came to the island as rookies, but now they would leave as full fledged members of the same unit.

I've taken one step forward towards taking down Britannia, Lelouch thought to himself, cherishing how he now had his own unit of professionally trained soldiers. Now, I just need to see where this goes.

A/N: Despite the UAV going haywire, which could've been an act of sabotage or something did just go wrong, but thankfully due to Lelouch taking Haruka's story about the dangers of the CCSE exam serious from the start and correctly guessing they had one final dangerous challenge to face. Then sending Haruko who had the best marksman skills of the group to a vantage point to take it out.

Not only has Lelouch taken the first steps to building what will be his army to take down Britannia and become the Black Knights, but he did something else, he learned the trust of his squad which would be vital for having those with military training willing to follow him anywhere. He'll have more members added to it in chapter sixteen bringing it to a full squad.

And after making this chapter and playing "The Imperial Capital Burns" I saw the CCSE exam Yui and her friends went through were team on team battles in a changing maze of cargo containers, judged on your overall performance, more so if you win against the other side or run out the clock. Outside of the Royal Guard the CCSE is more difficult and involves a full on survival challenge from what I've seen at least, which led to some additions and enhancements for chapter.

Lastly I've made a google document keeping track of the potential candidates for Lelouch's harem/polygamy relationships, keeping notes on those who should stay in the running and get kicked out. If any are interested in looking it over or offering their own comments on a candidate they are welcomed to offer their own two cents if they wish, its not required, but I am trying to kick start more serious discussions with Jameyofthemegacosmos, Icysnowsage, Darklord331, and Silkdreamweaver to narrow down the candidate pool, which my efforts to do so have, because for those who have seen it the possible candidate list is HUGE, especially for the Muv Luv folks and I want to do something about it. I am out of ideas on who to boot and who to keep. So if you are interested in offering comments to defend a candidate or see them removed you can request a link which you'll have to reassemble by review or PM.

Next chapter, its time for celebrate, so see you guys in two weeks from today.

Anonymous review replies:

Samurai Seven: He might get one, but I haven't decided yet. But Claude won't give him the stuff needed for one since that would be playing too on favorites for her own game she has created. And besides he can just use a Knightmare Frame to do that easily enough when it comes to Britannian soldiers since an IS suit would be overkill for a bunch of grunts.

Samurai seven: Next time could you space out your words a little more, but I will say Charlotte is out of the consideration for Lelouch with ONLY Tatenashi Sarashiki and Laura Bodewig (who is just a year younger than Lelouch when they meet mind you, and any romance would happen much later) are being considered for him. Laura I am aware of her issues, but there are reasons she is being considered, but Tatenashi is so far the favorite of that series to have a chance with Lelouch.

Rest assured some of the girls Lelouch are dealing with are less of a pain than the ones Ichika are dealing with if that is what you were asking, but yes Lelouch see that. Canon Suzaku and Lelouch wouldn't make sense since I am not bringing in any different versions of the characters. I think I've said before Zero Requiem won't happen and there will be no need for him to run away.