"Are you in any pain?" Guilford asked for probably the tenth time that day as he escorted Cornelia down the halls of the Olkari building she and many of the other still-injured refugees were taking temporary residence in.

Cornelia's surgery for her new arm had been two (Olkarion) days ago, and Cornelia had to admit, having such a… unique prosthetic arm was bizarre, even if she wouldn't admit it aloud. Not that she wasn't unfamiliar with prosthetics, but even the most advanced prosthetics weren't this versatile and fluid in motion. She couldn't even hear any gears or other mechanisms creaking or turning when she used it normally. According to Ryner and the other Olkari working on it, it also included a built-in arm blade, its extension and length being very similar to her own bayonet sword. That would certainly come in handy in battle. She would have to ask later if they could add a gun or long range weapon too.

Also, unlike Earth's prosthetics, she'd had yet to feel the common phantom pains she'd heard former soldiers experience when they decided to get their own prosthetics. She wasn't sure if this was due to the unique, bio-like technology the Olkari have adapted to, or if they had simply been extremely precise in connecting the prosthetic to the nerves of her arm.

"Yes, Guilford," Cornelia said warily, flexing the new arm, "I've barely felt any discomfort since it's been attached."

"You sure? No phantom pains at all? I've heard how bad they can get just for normal amputees."

"Guilford," Cornelia said with finality, "I promise, if I feel any pain at all I'll inform the medics about it. Even I'm not stupid enough to try and bear through pain of an unknown source."

Guilford paused, but eventually sighed. Cornelia wasn't sure if he believed her, but it seemed to pacify him for now. She hadn't failed to notice Guilford's new overprotectiveness. She didn't completely blame him. In his eyes, it had looked like she had nearly died twice, first when Voltron captured her and second when fighting Zarkon himself. She made a mental note to get Guilford to see a therapist or counselor when they got back to Earth. Or perhaps the Castleship had an Altean program that he could use.

These thoughts came to an end when the two had reached their destination, a balcony of the Olkari building they were in. Lelouch was there, looking out at the now bustling city below. Now that the Galra had been driven off the planet, the Olkari had gotten right to work with repairing what the Galra had destroyed, as well as providing housing for the Earth refugees. The Olkaris' ability to manipulate metal made this progress go very smoothly so far.

Lelouch glanced behind him as he heard the two approach. He smiled slightly at seeing Cornelia with two arms again and that she was recovering well.

"Can you leave us for a moment, Guilford?" Cornelia asked the knight.

Though still hesitant, Guilford stepped back to give the two siblings some privacy.

There was a pause between them for a moment, neither sibling knowing what to say or how to start the conversation. While it wasn't like they hadn't spoken at all since leaving Earth, Lelouch had been focusing most of his attention on Nunnally, especially after what happened at the Blade of Marmora base, and he had been working with the leadership of the Blade to coordinate attacks and determine the best way to stop Zarkon. That, along with Cornelia adjusting to her missing arm, hadn't given them much one-on-one time to talk.

The silence finally seemed to get to him, so Lelouch spoke, "How's the arm? No problems?"

Cornelia shook her head, "Nothing yet. So far it's functioning like it's been my own arm entirely. It's truly telling how far behind Earth is in medical cybernetics like this."

Lelouch couldn't hold back the chuckle. "It's true. Rakshata has studied that field extensively, and she and her team have barely left the Olkari scientists alone since the battle. If there's so much as a note in the margins of their research, she's reading it. I wouldn't be surprised if they choose to permanently relocate here after the war."

Cornelia found herself laughing too, not surprised as Lelouch smiled back. It had been a while since she had genuinely laughed about something. It felt good.

She sobered quickly though as another thought crossed her mind. "What about Lubos? Have you found out anything from him?"

Lelouch shook his head, frowning, "I used Geass, but he didn't know much about the Galra's operations other than what we already know. Despite being 'cooperative'," Lelouch nearly scoffed, but that was the word the king had used, "with the Galra occupation, all they really asked him for was the designs for that superweapon. So long as he wasn't hurt, they could do whatever they pleased, to his planet or people."

Cornelia frowned in disgust. He was the true definition of a coward. "I'm still surprised you didn't kill him straight away. Considering he sold his people out the same way F… Charles did."

Lelouch huffed, "The thought did cross my mind. Heck, even during the interrogation, I considered ordering him to make a similar cube weapon to fight for us. But… the idea of using Geass to force someone to work for us unwillingly leaves a bad taste in my mouth. I know it's something Zarkon or the emperor would do. And I know none of the other Paladins would approve of it. Besides, executing the leader of a planet we're trying to form an alliance with before the people understand why isn't the best start to building trust. It's best Lubos stands trial and have his own people decide his fate."

Cornelia nodded, "You've changed a lot, Lelouch. In a good way."

"I could say the same about you," Lelouch commented back, "Especially regarding Euphie and Suzaku."

Cornelia looked surprised, but Lelouch continued before she could answer, "Oh don't deny it. We both know how Euphemia feels about him, and I know Suzaku feels the same way. Although," Lelouch faced Cornelia fully, "how do you feel about it? And please be honest. I know it's hard to break out of bad habits."

Cornelia didn't answer right away, but she did eventually, "I will admit, I am still getting used to it. But I can see that Euphemia is happy with him. That's ultimately all that matters to me."

Lelouch smiled, "I'm glad to hear that."

"However... if he ends up breaking Euphie's heart... let's just say facing Zarkon again would be a mercy."

Lelouch laughed. He knew that was the truest statement he would ever hear from his sister.


"Achoo!"

"Oh dear! Someone must be talking about you, Suzaku!" Euphemia giggled as the two strolled through the Olkarion city.

Suzaku chuckled, shaking his head, "I guess so. Hopefully all good things."

Euphemia giggled again as they walked by a low-rise building that suddenly shifted into a more high-rise building. They saw why as they saw several of the castle's refugee families being brought inside with their meager belongings. Thanks to the natural, metal-controlling powers the Olkari had, providing extra (if only temporary) space for the refugees was barely a problem for them. Plus, they discovered to their surprise that Olkarion actually had no tectonic plates, which meant no earthquakes, so the Olkari were at liberty to build their skyscrapers as tall as they wanted without having to worry about possible tremors causing problems in the foundation or support.

Though, in hindsight, they all learned from Lloyd, Cécile, and the other scientists that so far Earth is the only planet (in their Solar System) to actually have plate tectonics (1). They had yet to know if this was something unique to Earth in particular, but that was a study for a more peaceful time.

"They seem to be settling in," Suzaku observed.

"That's a relief. I do hope that everyone is safe here," Euphemia said.

"They will be," Suzaku reassured her, "Coran and Allura trust them, and they're willing to support us against Zarkon. Besides, it's only temporary. We're not invaders like the Galra are."

"Right..." Euphemia nodded as her eyes wandered down the street, before spotting a man with bright blond hair tied back, sitting on a bench writing vigorously on a notepad. She vaguely recognized him as that journalist that had closely followed her brother's exploits as Zero. Diethard was it? He had been at the Special Zone as well come to think of it…

Euphemia's heart clenched at the memory. The last time she had tried to help people, they were maliciously gunned down, first by an enemy not of their world, then by the emperor's hand. Why was it that every time she tried to do something good, it seemed to do the opposite? She knew that she couldn't control everything, but was she that much of a failure?

"Euphie," Suzaku's voice broke through the fog of grief. He placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. "Euphie, what happened at the SAZ wasn't your fault. You had Voltron, even the Britannian military on your side. They were there to not only support you but to help too. Charles allying with the Galra… no one saw that coming, okay? Not even Lelouch. And even so, it was his choice."

Suzaku had to stop to catch his breath, his left eye twitching slightly from the stress and anger that still lingered. He forced himself to calm down. Euphemia didn't need to see him like this.

"We offered him a truce. Lelouch offered him a truce, but he threw it aside and chose Zarkon instead. He chose war or over peace… Euphie… you aren't responsible for the choices Charles makes."

"I know that…" Euphemia stated, still looking downtrodden, "but I still feel responsible…"

Suzaku sighed. "I get it, Euphie. No, really, I do," he then said insistently, "I felt the same way with my father too."

Euphemia bit her lip, remembering Suzaku recounting what happened to his father when they were back on Earth.

"Back then, I felt like joining the Britannian military was my only option. The only way that I could atone for killing him. Or at least, it would be better to die for a cause that I thought was heroic enough to redeem myself. But… Lelouch and the other Paladins… They saw things differently. I always had a choice, I was just too much of a coward to see that. And even despite what I did, I still deserved another chance at life. It's something I'll always be grateful to them for."

Suzaku finished with a smile, and it was probably the most genuine and real smile she'd ever seen on his face. It was so different from how he smiled when they first met. Despite the lips turning up, she could always tell there was something else underneath, something miserable. Just a mask he wore to appease those around him and hide his own pain the best he knew how. In a way, it was a lot like Lelouch.

Now though, she knew this smile was real. Sincere. Genuine. Happy.

"Suzaku… thank you," she said gratefully, giving him a watery smile.

Suzaku gently pulled Euphemia into a hug, resting his head on top of hers. "I'll always be there for you, Euphie. If you need anything, anything at all, I'll be there." He pulled back for a moment to look Euphemia in the eye, "Not just as a soldier to a princess, or even as friends… but something more too."

Suzaku only caught Euphemia's eyes brightening before he leaned forward, capturing her lips against his, and he wasn't disappointed when he felt the princess push back as well, hugging him tighter.

The moment was promptly interrupted by a high-pitched squeal from behind.

Both jumping, the two spun around to see none other than Milly pop out from around the corner of one of the buildings with Shirley and Rivalz trailing behind her.

"I knew it! I flipping knew it!" the Yellow Paladin declared with an almost maniac laugh, "Rivalz owes me twenty bucks!"

"Wait… you guys bet on this?" Shirley asked, looking shocked, head flipping between the Yellow and Blue Paladins, the latter looking pretty embarrassed.

"I… I bet that Euphie would kiss Suzaku first, while Milly bet the opposite. And I lost," Rivalz finished with a mumble before reluctantly handing a giddy Milly the money.

The blonde didn't look ashamed at all as she snatched the twenty with a smirk, practically basking in her victory.

Shirley shook her head, "Seriously you two?" She then looked at Suzaku and Euphie, "I am so, so, so, so, very sorry! But... you know how Milly is."

Suzaku winced out a smile, "Yeah… unfortunately, I do."

Euphemia, fortunately, didn't look offended or embarrassed by the situation. If anything, she was highly amused by the antics.

"Thank you for looking after Suzaku," she said sincerely to the trio, "and for being there for Lelouch and Nunnally as well. You were a family to them when I wasn't. I don't think I can express my gratitude enough."

"Oh! It was no problem Euphe-um I mean, princess! Er-I mean… um…" Rivalz stuttered before stopping to catch his breath, "...What would you like to be called, I guess we should ask?"

Euphemia smiled, "There is no need for pleasantries. And I'm technically no longer a princess anyway, so Euphemia or Euphie is perfectly fine."

"Oh cool! Then it was no problem, Euphie!" Rivalz grinned, scratching the back of his neck.

"Lelouch and Nunnally… they've been through so much already," Shirley added. "I just wish we could have noticed sooner."

"Hey, don't be too hard on yourself, Shirley. He may not have shown it much back then, but Lelouch appreciated everything we did for him and Nunna," Milly comforted her before turning to Euphemia, "If it means anything to you, Euphie, Lelouch never had anything bad to say about you. He loves you almost as much as he loves Nunnally. I'm just glad you were able to reconnect and be close again."

Euphemia looked touched. She had been grateful when she had found out on Kamine Island that Lelouch didn't hate her, but it felt nice and relieving to hear that he'd never thought badly of her. Not that she really would have blamed him if he had though.

"We're all close to each other, really," Shirley said, "like one big family. If you want, you can be a part of that too."

Shirley hadn't even managed to put her hand out to shake when Euphemia reached out and hugged the Orange Paladin.

"Thank you!" she exclaimed, happy tears falling from her eyes, "Thank you for everything!"

Though surprised at first by the sudden embrace, Shirley quickly returned it, with Milly and Rivalz joining Suzaku off to the side, all smiling at the display.

"Hey, I've been meaning to ask, but how are your families settling in?" Suzaku asked the two of them.

"It's going good so far," Milly said with a smile, "My grandpa's helping to supervise everything. We're lucky that most of the Britannian refugees are pretty open-minded and don't mind living so close to the Japanese."

"Yeah," Rivalz nodded, "I heard Amelia say something about wanting to paint a landscape of one of the mountain ranges, and I saw Isla watching some of the Olkari kids playing some games with those flying cubes. You know, like the one Coran showed us before we arrived? Isla's really into sports so I was honestly kind of surprised she's interested since she's more into the classic sports like soccer and tennis. I saw Ava looking at the food here too and asking questions."

"Well, at least they're all settling well," Suzaku nods in relief. "They should be safe here until we can get them back to Earth."

"Yeah, and the rest of the universe too," Milly nodded.

"Mrow!"

Everyone looked down to find a certain brown feline with a black spot on his right eye.

"Oh, there you are, Arthur!" Shirley grinned, before bending down to pick the cat up.

"You let him out of the castle?" Suzaku asked, looking a little nervous, "Is that a good idea?"

"It's fine." Milly waved off as the cat gave a huge yawn, "We put a little tracker on his collar. So if he wanders off, we can find him."

"We figured he'd appreciate being out of the castle for a bit anyway, even if it's not on Earth," Rivalz added with a shrug.

"Aw, you tired of being all cooped up, Arthur?" Euphemia cooed and scratched the cat behind the ear, making him purr in pleasure.

Suzaku smiled and reached out to pat Arthur's head. The cat, however, had other ideas as he swiftly bit down on Suzaku's finger.

"OW!"


"Man, I know the Olkari agreed to this arrangement, but don't you think they're putting a little too much trust in us so soon? I mean, in this situation, we're the aliens to them," Minami commented as he helped heft a box toward some of the apartments set aside for the refugees. Despite now having a new prosthetic leg to stand on, the Black Knight was still restricted from too much heavy lifting. Nothing more than ten pounds at a time. But that didn't mean he wasn't going to help where he still could.

"Guess it just goes to show how much these people trust and admire Voltron," Inoue commented back, flicking her hair out of the way of her good eye. She had yet to get a replacement for her destroyed eye, but the Olkari had shown her a model of one that didn't look too different from a normal human eye, and she was scheduled to have it implanted in a few days. "I bet it's only thanks to the robot that things are going so smoothly to begin with."

"Well, there's also the fact that we helped expose their corrupt ruler," Sugiyama added, rifling through some supply bags, "That probably earns us a few points in their book."

Tamaki barked out a laugh as he passed by, pushing a cart they brought out from the castle. "What can we say, Sugiyama? Lubos may be a dude but he's got no jewels down below!"

"Watch what you say, Tamaki!" Asahina scolded with a scowl as a couple of Olkari actually stopped and stared at the redhead, more in confusion than offense, likely not understanding the metaphor. Sugiyama smiled awkwardly and waved them off, shaking his head. Minami and Inoue just looked embarrassed.

Asahina sighed as the two Olkari seemed to shrug it off and continue on with their work. "Lubos may have been removed from power, but we don't know what may accidentally offend the Olkari. They're the ones gracious enough to host us here, let's not make them regret it."

"Oh chill out, will you?" Tamaki brushed off, "Those Olkari guys are cool, so are the others most likely."

"Still, watch your language either way…" Sugiyama sighed, shaking his head.


The adults weren't the only ones helping unpack, as several of the children from the refugees were also carrying anything they could grab and excitedly carrying the supplies to their assigned spots for distribution.

"Whoa! Careful there!" Ohgi gasped as a younger girl nearly tripped from trying to carry a large bag of rice on her own. He quickly caught it before she lost her grip.

"Sorry…" she mumbled, embarrassed and toeing the ground.

"Hey, it's okay, you were doing a good job." Ohgi reassured her before looking up and whistling to two boys a short ways off, "Oi! You two! Help her carry this bag, will you? It goes to Section C."

The boys quickly ran over and managed to lift the sack up together and drag it off. The girl still looked sad that she couldn't make it the entire way the though.

"Hey, see that Olkari over there?" Ohgi asked, pointing to an Olkari holding a holopad, and counting a group of supply boxes, "His name's Etor (2). Why don't you go ask him where you can help out? I'm sure he can find something you can do if you ask him."

"...Okay," the little girl eventually nodded before trotting over to the Olkari in question. Ohgi watched as the girl cautiously tugged on the Olkari's robe, and he looked down from his holopad to the girl. Ohgi didn't catch what was said next, but he did see Etor point off in the other direction and the girl running off while waving. Etor waved back briefly before returning to his previous task.

"You're pretty good with kids," a familiar voice spoke behind him. Ohgi turned and smiled slightly as Villetta walked up.

"I used to be a school teacher before the occupation," Ohgi explained, "I'm used to working with kids. I'll admit, if you ask me, being in leadership positions aren't really my strong suit."

Villetta shrugged, "You seem to be doing well enough that Zero would put you in charge of your own cell division."

Ohgi awkwardly rubbed his neck, "I guess, but I'm not much compared to him."

"You think you'll go back to teaching once everything's over?" Villetta asked curiously.

Ohgi took a second to answer, "I'm… not sure to be honest. The world has changed so much and there's still so much more to fix. Who knows what will happen during that time… If I'll even live to see it."

Villetta looked at him with sympathy. "Well, you've survived so far. You should give yourself more credit. Isn't there an old proverb that says something about anticipating the end is more painful than the actual pain of it or something (3)?"

Ohgi shrugged, "I have no idea. But I get what you're saying. It's best to just deal with the here and now, right?"

"Right…" Villetta nodded, her smile faltering, though she hoped Ohgi didn't notice.

He did though. "What's wrong?"

"Um…" she hesitated, "I've just been having thoughts about Jeremiah. I assume you remember him right?"

"Jeremiah Gottwald? He was at Suzaku's court marshall, wasn't he? He led the Purebloods."

"Yes. I don't expect you to forgive his actions like you have mine, but… seeing him out there. What the Galra did to him…" Villetta clenched her fists, "If it's at all possible I want to save him."

"We will," Ohgi said sincerely, "No one deserves… that. And besides, you were a pretty loyal Pureblood yourself once upon a time. But now you've joined Voltron's ranks. If I've learned anything out here in this wild adventure, it's anyone's capable of change, just like you were. So, if anything, I'm willing to keep an open mind about it."

Villetta smiled graciously, "I appreciate that."


"I must say, despite their more primitive design, the concept of these 'Knightmares' is rather creative," Ryner commented as she observed the semantics of one of the Seishins that the castle had managed to salvage from the Battle of Earth. She along with Lloyd, Rakshata, and Cécile were overseeing the production of Olkarion versions of the same machines at the moment, incorporating the design and function with their own mechs and even improving some glitches the original Knightmares had.

"If you call this primitive, perhaps you should take a look at the first generation Knightmares when they were first created," Lloyd commented, not sounding at all offended by the comment, as compared to the Olkaris' advances, this was fairly primitive to them.

"The entire concept of Knightmare frames is for soldiers to use them as an extension of themselves," Rakshata explained, "Most models can wield guns, swords, or other weapons much like a normal human soldier can. Each generation is provided additional functions and weaponry unique to their generation. And that doesn't include custom models like the Guren and Lancelot models."

Ryner nodded, "I'm sure if we can implement our interface technology, we can greatly decrease the reaction time between the pilot and mecha extensively, and that's only the beginning of possibilities."

Lloyd smiled widely, "I'm sure we'll be able to get along very well in this endeavor."

"Even so…" Cécile murmured softly, a look of great concern on her face.

"Is something the matter, Miss Croomy?" Ryner asked, noticing her face.

"Don't get me wrong, I do believe your enhancements will provide us an advantage… but that doesn't mean that our enemy can't do the same. Now that the emperor has allied with the Galra, they'll likely have much more access to the Knightmare designs and resources on how to build and improve them. And considering those monsters we've seen them use already…"

"Ah, yes…" Lloyd agreed, actually looking a little worried, "When you do put it like that, I suppose we do need to be vigilant in that case."

"And like she said, due to taking up most of the universe, they have much better access to resources to build them than we do, and likely more Knightmare scientists to build more custom-made ones," Rakshata added. "I suppose Lloyd is correct about staying vigilant."

"My, my Rakshata, do I actually hear you agreeing with me?" Lloyd asked in mock surprise.

"Don't get used to it," Rakshata scowled back.

Any further discussion was paused when Sayoko entered the observation deck, swiftly removing her helmet as she approached the group.

"How did it go?" Ryner asked the kunoichi.

"The testing went smoothly," Sayoko reported, "the interfacing helmets have helped increase accuracy with the Knightmares' targeting systems, and many other systems are showing improvement as well. It was certainly one of the smoothest transitions in communications I've experienced so far."

"Wonderful!" Rakshata said with a smile, "I can assume the data collected has already been transferred to the main computer here?"

"Yes," Sayoko nodded.

"Very well, let's take a look and go from there," Ryner said, "Thank you for your cooperation, Miss Shinozaki."

"My pleasure," Sayoko bowed before following the four scientists to the main control room.


With most of the refugees finally settling on Olkarion, the Castleship suddenly felt much larger and quieter again. Though knowing the trouble Voltron tended to find itself in, that likely wouldn't last very long.

But the silence was appreciated at the moment on the bridge as all the main leaders of the Voltron Coalition and Black Knights, consisting of Allura, Nonette, Coran, C.C., Tohdoh, and Kaguya were in a meeting with Kolivan, who was there via hologram from the Blade of Marmora's headquarters. Rai was also there to represent the rest of the Paladins.

"What's the status of the Galra's occupation of Earth?" Allura asked gravely.

"According to the intel our agents have managed to get back to us, almost all of Earth's remaining governments have surrendered to the Galra. Many of the planet's major cities have been decimated with their inhabitants enslaved or worse. Zarkon has wasted little to no time taking the planet completely over."

"All of them?!" Nonette gasped in horror, similar looks were also on Tohdoh and Kaguya's faces.

"Yes. So far, the only other forms of resistance are coming from small pockets of rebels and what you call 'terrorist cells' that have either formed prior to the invasion or increased enough to become a more noticeable threat."

"We need to get in contact with those resistance cells immediately then!" Rai said urgently.

"If only it were that simple. Most of your world's satellites have also been destroyed as well. Zarkon is completely cutting Earth off from any communication with other worlds. It's also why our own intelligence is mostly general information and nothing specific as of yet."

"Not just contact off-world. With the satellites gone, most areas won't even be able to communicate on-world either," Tohdoh pointed out. "Not without the Galra eavesdropping anyway."

"So… is there nothing we can do?" Rai asked, heart pounding with anxiety.

"While Zarkon's forces greatly outmatch most of Earth and Britannia's combined forces, it will take some time for those resistance cells to be taken out," C.C. stated calmly, but there was a layer of wariness to her tone. "If they can hold out long enough for us to return and establish contact with them, we may have a chance to set up a ground base."

"There is one cell that comes to mind that may hold the best chance of survival. It's a group Kyoto has managed to make contact with on more than one occasion. Has anyone heard of the group known as Peace Mark?" Kaguya asked.

"That name does sound familiar," Nonette said, vaguely remembering Princess Marrybell mentioning a group of that name at one point.

"I've heard of it," Tohdoh nodded, "The Japan Liberation Front did cooperate with them on a few occasions, but that was mostly in the early days of the Britannian occupation."

"They would be a valuable resource if we can convince them to work with us," C.C. agreed.

"Perhaps you could enlighten us to this Peace Mark group?" Coran inquired. "The way you speak of them doesn't sound very… favorable."

"They're a terrorist-deployment organization," Kaguya explained, "They have a worldwide network of contacts and they encourage resistance to Britannia in any country they possibly can."

"Terrorists?!" Allura gasped.

"I know that sounds bad, Allura," Kaguya said, "But all they want is liberation from Britannia just like many other nations do. And besides, we don't have many other options available right now. Peace Mark is likely our best chance to gain access to resources and intelligence as safely as possible."

Allura frowned, still not keen on the idea of allying with terrorists, but nodded.

"Our intelligence has caught wind of the group you speak of," Kolivan stated, "And we're dispatching a group of agents to join them. We will need to remain cautious though, otherwise, we could risk exposing their entire organization, endangering our agents as well."

"While their… methods are questionable at best," Tohdoh said, "I do agree that we need to keep up the element of surprise for as long as we can. At least until we have a plan to permanently dismantle Zarkon and his forces."

"Yes," Allura inclined her head, "that I can agree on."

"What about the data on the prisoners I sent you?" Rai asked, leaning forward anxiously, "Anything?"

To Rai's dismay, Kolivan shook his head, "Our agents haven't encountered any prisoners that match the descriptions you gave us as of yet."

Rai clenched his fist but let out a slow breath to calm down, "Well, let me know the second you find something. Please."

"You have my word," Kolivan promised before signing off.

"Rai," Nonette said, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder, "we will find them."

Rai nodded firmly, "I know…"


Blades clashed in the castle's training deck as the two occupants sparred and crossed their weapons. One in her Paladin armor, and the other in her newly acquired Marmoran uniform.

Kallen jumped back as Nunnally threw a wide sweep with her blade in rapier form.

"Phew!" Kallen gasped, wiping her forehead, "Let's take a little break. What do you think, Nunnally?"

Nunnally sighed, but did notice that her legs were starting to tremble a bit. "Sure. Sounds good."

Kallen nodded and picked up the water pouches off to the side. "Well, you're definitely good with that thing, Nunnally. Your lessons with Colonel Tohdoh have definitely been paying off."

"Thanks, Kallen," Nunnally said, taking the water pouch she was offered, "Again, I'm sorry I kept what I was doing from you."

"No it's okay, I get it. Your brother… Lelouch is definitely the overprotective type. I think he still forgets that you're not in a wheelchair anymore. Just give him time though. I'm sure he'll soon see that you can handle yourself."

"You say that like you have experience," Nunnally observed, taking a sip of water.

Kallen shrugged, "A little I guess. I used to have a brother too."

"'Used to'?" Nunnally asked, frowning sadly at the implication.

"...He died a couple of years after Britannia took Japan. Executed."

"Oh…" Nunnally said softly, "...I'm so sorry."

"It's okay. He treated me similar to how Lelouch treats you, so that's why I ask. It took a long time for him to realize that he didn't have to micromanage my entire life to keep me happy. I just… needed him there…"

Kallen felt her throat close up and her heart clench as memories of Naoto resurfaced again.

She nearly jumped when she felt a hand on top of her own. Looking down, she saw that Nunnally had grasped her hand, her thumb gently rubbing her palm.

"He'd be proud of you. If he was like Lelouch, I know he would be."

Kallen gave a watery smile and briefly hugged the younger girl. "Thanks, Nunnally. I hope you're right."

Nunnally smiled back.

"So… what do you think of Lelouch?" she then asked.

Kallen blinked, seeming to not quite understand the question. "Um, well, he's a good leader. And passionate about his beliefs that's for sure. I… I feel safe around him, to be honest. I guess?"

"So… is that why you like him?" Nunnally asked, a teasing tone in her voice.

Kallen's face nearly turned as red as her hair as she looked at Nunnally, mortified, "Wha-no! I mean-! That's not what I-"

Nunnally laughed, "Don't worry Kallen, I'm not Milly. You can talk to me about things like that. It's fine."

"Um…" Kallen stuttered, her face mostly returning to its natural color, "Well… okay, I would be lying if I said I wasn't completely attracted to him. It… also helps that he's pretty easy on the eyes."

Nunnally giggled, "I'm glad you think he's cute."

'Gorgeous,' Kallen thought and was thankful that she didn't accidentally blurt it out.

"And well… I'll admit when I first found out he was Zero… I wanted to slug him in the face. Zero, this amazing man that could do anything in my eyes, that was actually giving the Japanese hope, he was the same, stuck-up, class-skipping Britannian pretty boy that I hated just as much as the others, in Ashford and in the settlement. And… I don't know, it was hard for a while. I was confused with my feelings, and I focused on my role as a Paladin to distract myself. And it worked for a while. But after we barely escaped Galra HQ the first time, and he got hurt… I guess it was at that point that I realized I'd follow Lelouch into hell if he asked me to. I still would. I don't know…" Kallen groaned into her hands, "Is this me loving him? And besides, it's not like I can confess my feelings now. We're right in the middle of a war. War's no place for stupid feelings like this…"

Nunnally remained silent as Kallen rambled, mulling over the redhead's words for a few moments before finally speaking.

"If you ask me, I think it's the opposite. You should tell him if only to get some closure and answers. And besides, both of Allura's parents were married and still Paladins."

"Okay, well yes. But they were married first, before they became Paladins," Kallen argued.

"Kallen, my point is, you should follow your heart. If being with Lelouch makes you happy, then you should be with him."

Kallen was stunned at Nunnally making such a bold statement. "Thanks…" she finally said, looking down to try and hide her blushing cheeks.

Nunnally grinned, "Take some advice from your future sister-in-law!"

The two girls laughed, enjoying the rest of their break before Kallen heard a beep on her ear comm. Quieting down, Kallen answered, listening on the other end before frowning and standing.

"What's wrong?" Nunnally asked, noticing her look.

"It's Lelouch," Kallen stated, "He said it's time to get answers out of a 'certain someone'. Way past due if you ask me."

As Kallen headed for the exit, Nunnally caught up to her, "Wait, if it's who I think it is, I want to be there too. I deserve answers just as much as Lelouch does."

Kallen bit her lip, thinking about it. Nunnally was right. Lelouch had a suspicion that V.V. knew something about Marianne's murder, and Nunnally did deserve to know if he was right. But would he want her there for the initial interrogation?

But looking back at the younger girl, she saw that she likely wasn't taking no for an answer anyway

Kallen sighed, "Alright, but stick close, okay?"

"Right…" Nunnally nodded and the two girls exited the training deck.


Lelouch felt a huge sense of déjà vu as he and the other Paladins, plus Allura, C.C., and even Nunnally descended toward the castle's main holding cell. The last time he was down here was when they had first captured Cornelia, and now they were holding an even more dangerous enemy. Not that V.V. could escape, and even if he did, he had nowhere to go, and Earth was lightyears away even if figure out how to pilot one of the ship's pods. Not that they were going to give V.V. a chance to actually do that.

As the elevator slowed to a stop, the group was comforted only by the fact that Coran, Tohdoh, Ohgi, Cornelia, Euphemia, and a few other Black Knights would be watching the entire interrogation from the Castleship's bridge. And they had been given very strict orders on how to respond if V.V. somehow made a run for it.

Shirley's eyes wandered to C.C. and she noticed the uncomfortable look on the woman's face. She could only guess why considering what little the immortal had told them about her relationship with V.V. and Charles so far. But they weren't here to question C.C., so Shirley stayed silent as Lelouch led the way across the narrow one-way path toward the cell.

Unlike how Cornelia acted last time they were down here, pacing and occasionally trying to break through the cell's reinforced walls, V.V. was sitting calmly on the small outcropping the cell provided as a bed or couch. He looked up as the group approached, blinking and tilting his head curiously like a young child. This freaked some of the group out, as despite knowing this guy was certainly not a child, the fact he still had such mannerisms was pretty creepy.

Lelouch stared the man disguised as a boy down.

"Just so we're clear, even if you somehow break out of there and overpower all of us, every single Black Knight in this castle has orders to gun you down like a rabid dog and throw what's left of your regenerating carcass into an airlock to be launched into space, where you will remain frozen for the rest of eternity. The price of being immortal."

V.V. merely leaned forward, elbows on his knees, and supporting his head with his fists. His eyes met Lelouch's. "You think of everything, don't you?" he asked, mockingly.

"Okay, mega creep points to the fact that he even still sounds like a kid," Shirley muttered.

"We'll be the ones asking the questions," Allura said authoritatively, "We would usually won't adhere to violence to get prisoners to talk, but considering your unique… condition I don't think that will be as much of a problem this time."

V.V. just chuckled, "Do your worst. It's like Lelouch said, I'm immortal. Nothing you do will completely kill me."

"Maybe not, but it will definitely hurt, won't it?" Kallen growled back, cracking her knuckles.

V.V. simply narrowed his eyes slightly but stayed silent.

"Okay, I think we should start with something pretty obvious. If you and the emperor are really siblings, how come no one's ever heard of you?" Rivalz asked, stepping close to the cage, "Like seriously, not even Rai was able to find mention of you in the Britannian archives! But come on, someone must have seen you at some point!"

"And don't bother denying you and the emperor's relation," Milly added, "C.C.'s already told us you're officially marked as deceased, but someone was bound to have heard about the death of a royal family member regardless."

V.V. shrugged, "Maybe Charles simply decided not to mention me in front of his children. I've never been too fond of kids."

"Unlikely," Rai said, "it's not just the royal family. Like Rivalz said, there's no mention of you in any database I could access. Hell, even though you're 'officially' deceased, I couldn't find a death certificate anywhere. I did find your birth certificate though after C.C. told us about you. Guess you weren't as thorough as you thought."

V.V. looked annoyed but still stubbornly remained silent.

"...We know my father has a Geass," Lelouch finally said after a breath of silence. V.V. just blinked, eyes flicking to C.C. briefly, "One that you granted him years prior. It wouldn't happen to be involved in your cover up somehow, would it?"

"You actually told them, C.C.?" V.V. asked, sounding intrigued and surprised, "How interesting considering that would partially implicate you as well."

"Hey, leave C.C. alone!" Shirley ordered, "You're the one that gave the emperor Geass. Not her!"

"Even if that's true, that doesn't mean his Geass has such an ability," V.V. debated.

Kallen smirked though, "Well, then it's a good thing we don't necessarily need you to tell us. I'm sure C.C. knows what it does. We'll just ask her later."

"Tch," V.V. glared, "You really are a traitor, aren't you, C.C.?"

"Hey, eyes over here!" Milly snapped, purposefully stepping in front of C.C.

"So now that we've basically confirmed you are Charles's brother, and he somehow made sure no one found out about you, I guess the next question is why?" Suzaku stated.

"Indeed," Lelouch nodded, "Why would that man go through all the trouble of hiding your existence so thoroughly? People only go to such lengths when they're trying to hide something."

"What of it?" V.V. asked, "Last I checked, everyone is entitled to their own secrets, aren't they?"

"Right, like your little secret Geass Order thing?" Milly asked. At the sudden anger on V.V.'s face, the Yellow Paladin continued, "Yeah, C.C. told us about that too, stop looking so surprised."

"And trust us, we're planning to pay your little organization a visit once we get back to our planet," Rai added.

V.V. sneered, "If you can find it. C.C. may have once known where it was once, but the moment she stepped away, we changed our location. Oh, and a little piece of advice, even if you somehow manage to kill me, the location will simply change again. It's how it's remained hidden for so long."

"Maybe from Earth eyes," Allura said, "but Voltron will find it, rest assured."

"We're getting off topic," Suzaku said, "What are you and Charles hiding? It's got to be something else if it's not this Geass Order thing."

"And it's been something you two have been hiding for a long time," Lelouch continued, "Long before the Galra came. Even long before Voltron came into the picture. So… what is it? What must you keep so secret that you practically had to erase your own existence to keep it that way?"

V.V. stared deathly back at the Black Paladin, "Why? So you can destroy everything Charles and I have worked to build?" His gaze then wandered to the other Paladins, "I can understand why you three, Kururgui, Stad-oh pardon me, Kozuki, and even you Zephyr would side with Lelouch. Hatred toward Britannia, honoring an old friendship, maybe even both, but the rest of you?" All three of the prior Paladins scowled at V.V. further as he then turned to Shirley, Milly, and Rivalz, "You seemed perfectly content with your lives. Blissfully happy as school children. So, why throw that away for a further where your lives are constantly on the line as soldiers?"

"Have you been stalking us, you little creep?" Rivalz scowled in response.

"Don't flatter yourselves," V.V. scoffed, "I wasn't even remotely interested in any of you, at least not at first, but I try to keep an eye on a potential threat…" His eyes traveled back to Lelouch, "such as a naive little boy who thinks he can change the world because his mother was murdered, as well as his one and only weakness," he sneered at Nunnally, "But you still didn't answer my question. Why help Lelouch? Why throw away your old lives for these more dangerous ones?"

"Didn't you forget that we're the ones asking the questions here?" Kallen interjected venomously, "You better start answering us."

V.V. paid Kallen no mind, his eyes back on Lelouch, "Don't tell me you've actually come to care about them, Lelouch. I know you, as does your father. You say they're your friends, but they, as well as Voltron, are just a means to an end for you. A way to wipe away the old world that made you so miserable and build a perfect one."

"You don't know Lulu!" Shirley shouted, "You have no idea what kind of person he is or how much he's changed!"

Once again, V.V. ignored the protest, this time scowling at Nunnally, "Have I mentioned how much I hate the way you look now, Nunnally?"

"Excuse me?!" Milly gasped, appalled.

"You little…" Rai growled.

"What, you think with your brother playing 'hero', you can play along too?" V.V. asked Nunnally directly, "You think with your eyes and legs all better, you can be just like him and the rest of your worthless friends? Try as you might, you're still that helpless little blind girl in a wheelchair. So stop pretending to be something you're not."

"You would like to see that, wouldn't you?" Lelouch said, his temper flaring, "Just like how you'd love to see everyone else, as lesser people than you!"

"You… you have no idea how strong she's become!" Kallen shouted in rage.

"You truly are that monster's brother," Allura spat, "You both share that disgusting view of the weak versus the strong."

"Even in a wheelchair, Nunnally was one of the bravest people I ever met," Suzaku said angrily, "She's stronger than you'll ever be!"

Before any further comments could be thrown at V.V., Nunnally herself stepped forward, almost face-to-face with her uncle.

"I already know what you're saying," V.V. raised a curious eyebrow at the response, "You were right, I was helpless. I was weak. And when I got better, I thought I could do more to help Lelouch and my friends. And you know what? That's exactly what I'm doing right now."

"...What?" V.V. looked like he was unable to comprehend what Nunnally was saying.

"Maybe it won't happen right away, and there's not much I can do for them right now," Nunnally continued, "But I'm working hard so that I can become someone they can count and depend on. And until I get there, I'll keep working. And you know what else...?" The smirk that appeared on Nunnally's face was practically identical to Lelouch's, "I don't care whether you or your brother approve or not."

"Oooh. You want some ointment for that burn?" Milly practically cackled.

"For all her innocent smiles, you tend to forget that she and Lelouch are still siblings," Rai smirked.

"Yeah," Suzaku nodded, "They can be as stubborn as mules at times."

"Are you trying to imply something, Suzaku?" Lelouch questioned, narrowing his eyes, but a small knowing smirk was plastered on his face as well.

"I don't know, should I be?" the Purple Paladin shot back with an identical grin.

"It seems you don't know these two as well as you thought you did, buddy," Kallen flashed a feral grin at V.V.

No one could see, but even C.C. had a subtle smirk on her face as well.

V.V. didn't even try to suppress the volcano of anger boiling inside him. That girl, it was just like with Marianne! That witch still found ways to taunt him from beyond the grave even now!

"You should have never been born!" V.V. screamed in fury, leaping to his feet, "You… your existence was a mistake. You and your brother's!" His fists banged lividly against the cage walls, but like Cornelia, they didn't budge, "You don't deserve to be Charles's children! He shouldn't be burdened with such ungrateful brats like you!"

"Ungrateful?!" Shirley gasped, "It's the other way around! Charles doesn't deserve amazing kids like Lulu and Nunna!"

"And brats?" Rai could only smirk back, "Have you looked in the mirror lately?"

"You don't just look the part, do you?" Kallen taunted. The others shared similar looks as they watched the pitiful tantrum that V.V. threw.

"You may be older than you look, but you truly are a child," Allura frowned like she had just stepped on an old piece of chewing gum, "You haven't matured one bit since gaining this power of yours."

"And that's exactly what we're here to talk about," Lelouch spoke again, "You're going to tell us everything you know about Geass."

V.V. breathed heavily as his tantrum slowed, only for his heaves to turn into nearly maniac giggles, "Why are you asking me? She knows!" He gestured to C.C. who looked away uncomfortably "You said so yourself, she's already told you plenty about Geass. She knows far more than me and Charles combined. Why, she didn't even know her true age when she came to us. Volunteered herself to aid in our endeavors. Everything she did in our long time together, she did of her own accord and choice. So, C.C., if you're willing to tell them little bits and pieces, why not tell them everything? You have all the answers anyway. You could have told them about our little project anytime you wanted, so why didn't you?"

C.C. continued to look to the side, not answering as the others glanced at her as well, more out of concern rather than suspicion however.

"If you think for one second that she actually cares about any of you, you're wrong," V.V. sneered, "Just like Lelouch, each of you is a means to an end for her. Once she learns you won't be able to meet her contract, she'll abandon you just like with Mao and so many others before him."

"Shut up!" Shirley suddenly screamed, making the other Paladins jump in surprise. It was rare to see Shirley blow up like this. "You don't know her! You have no idea what she's been through! So don't act like you can speak for her when you have no right to!"

Despite the shouts, the sneer never left V.V.'s face, "I have no right to speak for her? I actually thought she was a kindred spirit to myself and Charles. Someone who's seen the true and irredeemable nature of humanity. Someone who would want their lifetime of suffering to end. I know you, C.C. Better than any of them do. And it's not too late to come back. We can still have that world we dreamed of together. A world where we no longer have to suffer."

Mentally filing that last piece of information away for later, Allura stepped forward, eyes burning, "Do not speak as if you are the victim! You and your wretched brother have been leading an empire that has caused nothing but suffering! And that suffering has only grown since you sided with Zarkon!"

V.V. turned his glare onto the Altean. "You want to blame someone for that? Blame yourself, you filthy alien! And that goes for the rest of you! The minute you children brought Voltron to Earth, you practically invited the Galra! That witch came so close to discovering our plan that we had to side with her so she wouldn't learn of it!"

"Haggar…" Rai murmured, clenching his fists and looking down slightly.

"Ah, so you know of her as well, Zephyr?" V.V. said, sounding a little intrigued in his anger, "So you of all people should know she's not the type of person you can say 'no' to. We didn't choose to side with her or Zarkon. They came to us with a knife at our throats."

"Can't say it wasn't unearned," Suzaku interjected, "We spoke with Lloyd, he told us about the Thought Elevator on Kanime Island. That's the real reason Britannia invaded Japan, wasn't it? The Sakuradite at Mt. Fuji was just a cover and an excuse to attack. It's also why you've been invading other nations, to get to these Thought Elevators across the world, right?"

"Tell us everything you know about them," Lelouch ordered, nearly manifesting Geass before remembering at the last second it wouldn't work on V.V. because of his Code, "What are the Thought Elevators? What is their purpose?"

"I don't know their origin, none of us do," V.V. admitted with a reluctant shrug, "Charles guessed that it came from some ancient civilization that predates even the Ancient Egyptians or Greeks, but it doesn't matter. I don't care for their origins, as long as they serve our purpose."

"And what is that purpose?" Nunnally pushed further.

V.V. growled, "You sound just like her…"

"Who?" Nunnally narrowed her eyes.

"Marianne." V.V. practically spat out the name.

"Lelouch and Nunnally's mom?" Rivalz asked, the name grabbing all their attention. C.C. looked away once more.

"Yes, I knew her too, as did she," V.V. gestured back to C.C. again, "Another one of Charles's consorts... Or at least that's what I thought. He never did really care for any of those women, most of them were political marriages anyway. I never really kept track. Because I knew how he felt." A small but sinister smile spread over his lips, "The bond between siblings is amazing, isn't it?" The smile faded just quickly as it appeared. "That is until someone else comes, threatening to steal that bond away from you. Charles really did change when he met her, even told me how special she was. More special than any of the other women he laid in bed with. But... that's what made it all the more satisfying... to fill her full of holes."

Time seemed to stop like everything was frozen in ice. Surely they heard that wrong. If that was true then.

"...What…?" Lelouch's voice calmly cut through the silence like a bullet. Everyone's head snapped toward the Black Paladin. His expression to any outsider would look supremely calm. But to the Paladins…

"I could have sent an assassin," V.V. carried on, grinning psychotically, "but that wouldn't have been as satisfying. This one, I was thrilled to do it myself..."

V.V. didn't even register that the cell door had slid open before he was shocked full of red electricity.

The others apparently hadn't been expecting that either as they all scrambled backward as Lelouch shot blast after blast at V.V., his face slowly morphing from serene calm into pure, unadulterated fury. His Geass glowed so brightly they were shocked that lasers weren't shooting from the eye itself.

After a long while, and Suzaku even cautiously approaching from behind to snap Lelouch out of it, Lelouch ceased his attack, his hands still sparking with lightning as V.V. coughed and hacked from where he had been crumpled to the floor, his body smoking and bleeding excessively from all over his body, but true to his Code, they could see that he was already starting to regenerate.

"Who…" V.V. gasped harshly, his eyes wild and wide, "...in the hell… do you think you are?!"

"YOU KILLED MY MOTHER!" Lelouch roared, a spark of energy leaping from his hand and nearly shocking Suzaku's foot, to which the Purple Paladin jumped back again to avoid.

"That bitch had it coming!" V.V. screamed back, pretty impressive considering half of his face was burned and charred, "Just like your sister when I shot her legs! But maybe I should have shot her in the head…"

With a howl of rage, Lelouch charged at V.V. pulling his Marmoran knife from its sheath and plunging it through V.V.'s torso.

But this was exactly what V.V. wanted as he latched onto Lelouch's arm, his grip like iron, grinning widely and evilly.

Lelouch suddenly went rigid before crying out.

"NO! Get away!" Lelouch shouted, trying to push V.V. off, but his efforts were futile.

"Oh no…!" C.C. gasped, realizing what was happening as Nunnally was the first to move.

"Lelouch!" she cried, taking her brother's arm but she gasped moments later as she found herself in a vortex, colors and sounds barraging her everywhere.

"Wait don't-!" C.C. shouted as she saw the other Paladins and Allura rushing to help as well. But it didn't help as they all were pulled into the same vision. The vortex suddenly turned to a white void, their bodies shadowed, but standing. They weren't alone for long though as the sound of marching feet could be heard. In the blink of an eye they were surrounded by Galran sentries, their rifles raised and firing at them. They tried to move but their bodies would let them as they were shot full of lasers.

"Pathetic…" V.V.'s voice sneered, but it so closely resembled Zarkon's at that moment they couldn't tell. "That's the best you've got?" True, he may not be able to escape, but that didn't mean that he couldn't do some damage. He'd make them suffer so badly that they'd all want to end their own lives to make it stop. They deserve nothing less!

"That's enough!" C.C. shouted and V.V. blinked as he felt another person grab him from behind, but he didn't connect to their psyche the same way as the others. Which meant…

Almost like two pieces of metal scraping against each other, V.V. shouted as another presence freight-trained into his mind, efficiently disrupting his plan and he felt himself being pried off Lelouch and thrown backward, his head hitting the outcropping hard, a resonating crack could be heard as his skull knocked into it.

"Stay away from them!" C.C. shouted as the cell doors closed. The Geass Code on her forehead was just fading as V.V.'s vision slowly returned to normal. She was standing protectively in front of Allura, Nunnally, and the Paladins who were slowly recovering from his Code attack. "I won't let you lay another finger on them, Victor!"

V.V. snarled like a wild animal, even looking a bit of the part as blood gushed from his head wound, matting his hair and soaking his face. "Why…? Why defend them?! They will destroy our dream!"

"Your dream!" C.C. barked back, "Yours and Charles. It's not mine, not anymore. And that's exactly why I left! Whatever choices I made in the past, whoever I was back then, it's not who I am now. Not anymore. I may not be a Paladin, but I'm a part of Voltron!"

Even as they struggled to their feet, the Paladins looked not only in amazement but also gratitude for not only saving them but defending them as well.

This declaration only seemed to enrage V.V. further though, " A part of Voltron!? Don't kid yourself! It's a means to an end for you! Just like them! She doesn't care about any of you! How can any of you trust her after what you've just learned about her!?"

The group glared at him but Milly was the one that voiced their thoughts, "You say that like we don't already know."

"...What?" V.V. hissed as C.C. looked back at them all, surprised.

"We already told you, we knew Cera knew you and Charles before," Milly said, "Or did you already forget that?"

V.V. balked, "What did you just-"

"Cera?" Rai asked, dusting off the front of his uniform, "Yeah, we know her name. You didn't mishear."

"And yeah, we know she still has secrets, some she may never tell us. But you know what? That's fine," Shirley said with a determined frown.

"You said so yourself, she doesn't even know her real age, but she's obviously been around a while if she's older than you," Rivalz said, "Someone like that is bound to be a little closed off at first."

"And she's entitled to her secrets, just like anyone else," Allura added.

"She's clearly shown that she's on our side," Kallen said, "She's saved us on more than one occasion."

"We trust her," Nunnally piped in.

"And we already know one of those 'ulterior goals',' Suzaku revealed, "She wants to get rid of immortality. She wants to be normal again. And we're going to help her do that. No one has to die for that to happen."

"You know why?" Lelouch finally spoke, eyes narrowed but a vindictive smirk on his face, staring their captive down, "Because she's a part of our family."

"Family…?" V.V. whispered before rage returned to his face, "FAMILY!? YOU'RE NOT A FAMILY! NONE OF YOU CAN BE A FAMILY! YOU'RE NOT EVEN RELATED!"

"We don't have to be blood to be family," Allura stated matter-of-factly.

"We could try to explain it to you, you little shit. But I don't think you'd understand," Kallen sneered.

"Voltron will return to Earth. We will free it from the Galra and Britannia. We'll destroy whatever it is you and Charles are working on. And we'll build a peaceful future for our world," Lelouch said as everyone began to turn to leave.

"YOU UNGRATEFUL BASTARD! LELOUCH!" V.V. screamed bloody murder from the cell as the group reentered the elevator, "I WILL GET OUT OF HERE! I'LL KILL YOU AND ALL YOUR WORTHLESS FRIENDS! EVERYONE YOU LOVE WILL DIE BY MY HAND! YOU HEAR ME?!"

The doors to the elevator slid shut, cutting off V.V.'s threats and ascending back to the main level.


"Allura! Are you alright?" Coran asked. He and several others had run to meet them by the elevators, anxiously waiting by them once they saw what V.V. was trying to do.

"Yes, we are alright, Coran," Allura reassured him.

"We should get him back into a stasis pod," Suzaku said, "we're not going to get anything else out of him, and considering what happened, I don't think it's safe for him to be awake anywhere in the castle."

"We're still keeping him in the castle?" Ohgi asked.

"There's still a chance we can try and use him as a bargaining chip with the emperor. Besides, I don't want to risk any Galra ships picking him up if we do eject him into open space." Lelouch stated.

"Maybe have some of the castle's droids deal with transporting him?" Rai suggested, "I don't think we should risk trying… whatever that was again."

"I agree, and think that can be arranged," Allura nodded.

"Right, let's get that done as soon as possible," Milly said.

"Is it true…?" Cornelia whispered, her lips pressed in a thin line and eyes flashing, "...Is he the one that killed Lady Marianne like we heard?"

"Yes, Cornelia…" Nunnally nodded, eyes sad but also haunted, "He admitted it several times."

Cornelia grit her teeth, her new arm creaking from the force. "...At least he's been caught. And father's new and has been hiding him this entire time?!"

"Why though? Why would hide Lady Marianne's murderer?" Euphemia asked.

"I wish we knew," Shirley shrugged helplessly, "All we know is that they're… were… are still planning something?"

"All we got out of him was that it was important enough to side with the Galra to keep it hidden," Rivalz said.

"We'll find out what it is," Kallen said, "They won't get away with anything else!"

"Quite right…" Allura nodded.

Coran did too, but he also noticed how shaky some of the Paladins were on their feet, "Why don't you all rest in the lounge for a few ticks. We'll assist the gladiators in transporting V.V. to the stasis pods."

"Thank you, Coran," the princess said, before leading the Paladins, C.C., and Nunnally toward the lounge. They all practically collapsed on the couches when they arrived.

"Well… that was crazy," Rivalz finally said, lifting his head but from his slump.

"Still," Suzaku muttered, "We may not have the info we want but we did learn some things…"

"Like who killed your mom," Rai said, glancing sorrowfully at the vi Britannia siblings.

"Yes…" Lelouch said, clenching his fist, before looking up, "I… I apologize for my outburst back there. I let my anger get the better of me."

"Lelouch, we don't blame you one bit," Kallen immediately consoled as Nunnally took Lelouch's hand, "If it had been my brother he'd killed, I would have reacted the same way."

"We still don't know why though," Shirley pointed out, trying to sound positive, but knowing it probably wouldn't do much. "Like Suzaku said, we got some info, but it's still not much to go on."

"That guy was a total psycho!" Rivalz exclaimed, "He made Mao look completely sane, and that's saying something."

"No kidding…" Rai agreed with a shiver.

"Listen... all of you…" C.C. spoke up hesitantly, "I... what Victor said, I…"

"Cera, don't," Milly said firmly but kindly, "You don't have to apologize or anything. It's okay. Like we've said, you're entitled to your secrets."

"I know we've said this already, but if you're not ready to tell us something, we're not going to force you to talk," Rai said.

"You really trust me that much?' C.C. asked.

"We do," Nunnally said resolutely, "You've helped so much already."

"Yeah, we've had a few road bumps, like Mao for one, but we've all pulled through and that's what matters," Rivalz said.

"There's been no reason for us to doubt you so far," Shirley stated.

"And we meant what we said earlier as well, about helping you. We'll find a way to cure you. There must be something out there that can provide the answer," Allura said.

"You're one of us, Cera," Kallen said, "Both in Voltron, and the Black Knights."

"Whatever secrets you have…" Suzaku said, "If you choose to tell them... I think I speak for all of us when I say, we'd much rather hear them from you, someone that we trust; rather than someone that we don't."

"Thank you," Cera said, grateful tears in her eyes, "Someday... I'll tell you everything.

"Take as much time as you need," Nunnally placed a comforting hand against Cera's, "We're all here."

Cera smiled tightly, looking down.

"Is something wrong?" Lelouch asked, noticing her look.

"About my immortality," C.C. said honestly, "I do know one way to remove it. There's a reason the agreements I've made with all of you are called 'contracts'. And a Code Bearer can pass their Code onto a contractor. So, hypothetically, I could pass my Code onto anyone here. Well, anyone but Rai, Allura or Nunnally anyway. But… I won't. Because if I did, I may gain a mortal life again, but someone else will have to take on that immortality. And that's not something I want anyone to bear. Especially not any of you."

"...Thank you for telling us, Cera," Lelouch said. "We'll figure out another way."

"You think we could ask the Olkari for help?" Rivalz asked, "Maybe they can find something we couldn't?"

"Doesn't sound like a bad idea," Kallen agreed, "Maybe we can hand V.V. over to them. Let him be the lab rat for once."

"I wouldn't advise that," C.C. said immediately, "I mentioned before that I've never forced a contract before, but that doesn't mean that it's impossible, and I wouldn't put it past V.V. to do that, even an Olkari. And who knows what may happen if those two powers mix."

"That is true," Allura said, "He does appear to be unpredictable in his tactics at best."

"I do have a suggestion," C.C. said, "if the Olkari need a closer look at our Code, I'll let them take a look at me."

"What?" Milly gasped, "C.C. no! You don't have to do that."

"Perhaps not," C.C. said, "but I'm volunteering g. At least this way, the Olkari can be certain I have no ulterior motives. Besides, I think it's time I start pulling my weight around here a little more. Consider it an… alteration to our contract."

"... Well, if this is what you want, we have no right to stop you," Lelouch finally relented after several moments.

"But Cera…" Shirley said, smiling warmly, "just so we're clear. You don't owe us anything. You never have, and you never will. We love you."

Cera felt tears slip down her face and Shirley quickly got up and pulled her into a hug, the others joining not long after. She hadn't felt this truly loved in a very long time.


AN: First of all, HAPPY NEW YEAR! And what better way to start the year off than with a new chapter. It's a bit more a filler, but I think it's a necessary one to set up the events that will happen next.

As you saw, I mentioned Peace Mark in this chapter. I'm going to be honest, I'm not much of a manga reader, so most of the info I've gotten from Oz of the Reflection is from Iron117Prime's and other fanfics on this site, so please forgive me if I get their personalities wrong, or they seem out of character. I will do my best, but it likely won't be perfect. If anyone wants to recommend me some good titles that showcase these characters well, please send them.

I'm also in the middle of watching Akito of the Exiled, so we may be seeing characters from that series too.

As for the Galra taking over Earth governments and countries so quickly, I based this off of the Voltron canon episode in Season 7 when Sendak reaches Earth. The Galra seemed to take Earth in less than half a day, and even though Earth is more technologically advanced in Code Geass (I think?), Charles is also ordering his Britannian troops (those still loyal) to attack as well. Not to mention, it's Zarkon himself leading this attack with the Galra HQ there. So both combined forces likely took most of Earth very quickly with only small resistances scattered here and there. How will this affect future Earth events? You'll have to find out.

Most importantly though, Lelouch now knows V.V. is Marianne's killer, and I think he got the beat down he deserved. That was probably my favorite part to write in this chapter, and I hope I did it well. Cookies to anyone that can guess what movie I based that little scene from ;).

In other notes:

1. This is actually something true that I found out about Earth. We're the only planet in our Solar System with official tectonic plates. You can find the article I read about it on newscientist . com for more information.

2. I actually looked into the known Olkari names, and it turns out that they're mostly of Basque origin. I'm continuing that trend with the other Olkari here. Etor in particular means 'steadfast.'

3. Here's the quote referred to Villetta was referring to: "Therefore, foolish is the man who says that he fears death, not because it will cause pain when it arrives but because anticipation of it is painful." ― Epicurus.

Hope you all enjoyed reading! R&R and I'll see you next time!

PS: Currently 2 AM as I'm uploading this. Apologies for spelling errors.