Aldnoah Zero Knights of Earth

Chapter 11

Hard Facts

A/N: So it's been a helluva long time between updates, and, as you may have no doubt noticed, I had pretty much given up on this story, but the fact that the 10th anniversary of Aldnoah Zero is approaching and an additional episode being released to mark it got me back interested, at least somewhat. I decided to finish up this chapter, and if anyone wants me to continue the story, let me know.

Merry Christmas everyone.

-UFE Death, Hanger bay

The looks of utter shock that were plastered on everyone's faces –or, in the case of Inaho, mild surprise- at the end of Doctor Troyard's story. The revelations that Troyard had provided them, it was like everything they knew about the world had just been turned on its head completely. The idea that the entirety of the human race could very well be descended from this species or that they were somehow guiding human evolution was a sobering thought indeed.

Sure enough, Inaho was already asking the scientist's questions: "So you're suggesting that humans are descendants of this race?" Inaho asked, to which the doctor nodded.

"It's the only explanation that makes any real sense. The only thing we don't know is why they were doing it. Was it because they needed a slave race of some kind? Were they going extinct and wanted a way to try and preserve themselves? Hell, maybe they were just bored and wanted to see if they could influence the evolution of a species to such an extent. I honestly don't have a clue, and considering how the whole place was destroyed, I don't think we'll ever really know for sure."

It was disappointing but, at the same time, not unexpected. However, there was a possibility of other sites like that somewhere on the Red Planet. It was impossible to consider that a single laboratory was the only one on that planet. Of course, if that were the case, then the lord would only know where they were located. Despite having been colonized for over thirty years, most of Mars was still unexplored, especially underground.

For all they knew, a vast treasure trove of knowledge that could propel mankind even further lay underneath the Martian surface.

Of course, other things continued to press at Asseylum much more directly. The main one was that her own grandfather seemingly ordered the death of her best friend's father. She couldn't believe it, but why would Doctor Troyard lie about something like this? No, it had to be some nobleman who thought that was what her grandfather wanted; it had to be!

She wanted to speak, to say something, anything to deny what she had just heard, but then remembered how her grandfather had given his blessings for the war. She wondered, was it really so far-fetched that he would order the death of a guest because he had learned something that, if it got out, would tear Vers down to its foundations? Asseylum didn't even want to consider it, but at the same time, it was right there. Her grandfather had condemned countless innocent people to suffer and die when he allowed the war to continue; what was one more person added to the list?

Asseylum wanted to puke at the thought.

Soon her thoughts turned back to Slaine, her best friend and the son of Doctor Troyard. His father thought he was dead, and had for several years now. She couldn't even begin to imagine the pain that poor man was going through. She knew that Slaine would barely eat, sleep or even speak for weeks after he found out about his father's death.

Well Slaine's father had every right to know that his son was still alive. Gathering her strength she said "Doctor Troyard, there's something that you should know."

Thomas Troyard turned to look at the young woman and waited for her to elaborate. "It's your son. He's not dead. He's still alive." When she saw the disbelieving look on his face, Eddelrittuo immediately came to support her mistress. "It's true. He's been living under the auspices of Count Cruhteo for the last several years."

Immediately, Asseylum withdrew the pendant that her friend had given her the day before she left for her goodwill visit to Earth from around her neck and offered it to him. "Before I left for Earth, Slaine gave me this. He said that it would be for good luck. D-do you want it back?"

Troyard took the offered pendant into his hands, tears appearing in the corners of his eyes. He examined it in his hands for several moments, feeling every detail of the pendant and the memories it brought back flashed through his mind like they were happening again. Images of his wife, his son, and the time they had together, as short as it was, brought a smile to his face.

While there was a part of him that did indeed want it back, if only for the memories of his late wife, he ultimately decided against it. "No," he said finally "You keep it. It's kept you alive this long so you should probably hold onto it." Troyard finished that last sentence with a small chuckle and found himself smiling, even as tears started to stream down his face. His son was alive! He was alive and he vowed that there would be nothing on Earth or Heaven that would stop Thomas from seeing him again.

-Count Cruhteo's Landing Castle-

Cruhteo didn't know how long he had been knocked unconscious but knew that it had been too long. The sounds of battle had finally abated, which meant that Saazbaum had already finished his work in slaughtering the crew of his Landing Castle and more than likely thought that he had been killed. That or he figured that if he wasn't dead any Terran soldiers coming in to reclaim the city would finish the job for him.

When he came to, he saw that just across from him was Styles, who was busy trying to open the elevator doors, with limited success. While the door was partially open it was clear that they couldn't fit through it without prying it open further. The technician was pulling back on the crow bar with all his might but the door just wasn't budging. "God fucking dammit! Vers can make enormous Landing Castles and Kataphrakts that can manipulate physics, but they can't even make a decent fucking crowbar of all things?!"

Ordinarily such talk would be grounds for a court martial for daring to even suggest that Vers created anything that was less than perfect. However given the circumstances, it could be forgiven. Styles must have heard Cruhteo start to get back up off of the floor and said "Oh finally, you're up. Help me out with this, we really don't want to be anywhere near here when the UFE finally show up to retake the city."

Cruhteo knew that while the technician had more than just a fair point, he was also asking for a serious reprimand with the attitude that, if not a full-on court martial. However to try and push such things given the current situation would only result in more problems, besides he wasn't that petty.

Still he'd give the boy an earful when they were safely away from the Landing Castle. Cruhteo stood up and helped to pry open the doors to the elevator. It took all their strength to pry open the door and get through it but eventually they did.

The two just sat there for a few moments trying to catch their breaths as it took far more exertion than they had originally anticipated. Once they were finished they continued to make their way through the bowels of the Landing Castle, passing dozens of corpses of the crew of the vessel as they did. The more they passed the more Cruhteo realized that it truly was a miracle that he and Styles had managed to survive Saazbaum's assault.

Cruhteo noticed that as they went, Styles was becoming more and more upset and Cruhteo couldn't truly blame him in the slightest. This betrayal was something that never in a thousand years could he have even suspected. Saazbaum was the best man at his wedding, a friend that had always been there for decades. How could anyone honestly think that someone that they knew, trusted absolutely, could pull that kind of betrayal?

The pair continued until they finally reached the outside of the landing castle through one of the disembarkation areas.
The instant that they were outside they were almost immediately hit by the cool air of autumn. The city that was before them was in ruins thanks to the impact of the Landing Castle. It was the first time that Cruhteo was seeing it from the ground and it was seemingly more desolate than it was when he was looking at it from on high.

Cruhteo was broken out of his thoughts by the words that came out of the technician "We can't stay here, we have to find shelter, food and especially some new clothes."

For a moment Cruhteo wondered what the technician meant when it suddenly hit him. The instant that they were spotted by anyone from the other side they would at best be captured, at worst there would be a lynching. 'Then again,' thought Cruhteo 'It wouldn't surprise me if one of the Orbital Knights loyal to Saazbaum comes in to take this territory for themselves if they decided to sweep the area for any survivors.'

The count was broken out of his thoughts when he heard Styles say "There should be some shops nearby that our side hasn't completely looted already."

That was something that Cruhteo hadn't exactly thought of, but then the second part of the sentence hit him "What do you mean 'that our side hasn't looted'?" he all but demanded. The technician however didn't answer him and instead stated "I'll tell you later if we have time, right now we need to get as far away from here as we can. I guarantee that when the UFE shows up, they'll kill us, of course that's only if the civilians don't find us and lynch us."

It took almost thirty minutes of searching but eventually the pair came across a clothing store that wasn't completely torn apart by looting. Inside were some fairly casual looking clothes –at least by Terran standards- and many were still there and intact.

After a few minutes they were in their new clothes and had placed their old clothes and whatever else could be used to identify them into the nearest ventilation shaft. It wasn't the most creative solution but desperate people looking for clothing or food would probably look in the trash long before the vents. It would have been preferable to simply burn the stuff but they still didn't want to risk getting any attention from either side at that point.

The near exhausted pair sat down across from one another in the ruined shop and Cruhteo just sat up against one of the walls while Styles sat opposite of him and the two sat in silence for a while. Cruhteo was attempting to get his thoughts together while Styles was shaking in front of him it wasn't that cold so it must have been nerves. The man was also constantly wringing his hands.

"Styles, answer me honestly. Do you think we can get out of this alive and defeat those traitors?" Cruhteo asked, looking even more spent with every word that fell out of his mouth.

The technician's eyes widened a fraction before narrowing. "And…there's no repercussions for me speaking my mind, no matter what I say?"

"None, I swear on whatever honor I may still have."

The technician looked more than a little bit shocked at the admission before he seemingly steeled himself muttering "Well I'm probably already dead so may as well..." Cruhteo was about to ask what he meant when he heard the technician speak up.

"Alright, alright I'll be honest, we're all but completely fucked here and it's all because of you and every fucking Orbital Knight out there. You fuckers just wanted your war so fucking badly that you started this whole thing because of what? Because some fringe terrorist group was probably responsible for Asseylum's death. Were you really so fucking stupid as to think that the entire UFE was responsible for that? Especially while we were hanging right above their heads?!"

Cruhteo looked utterly shocked at what the technician was saying "But no, it wasn't just stupidity, it was just good ol fashioned envy, greed and bloodlust. You bastards wanted everything that everyone else had because you were special because you were suffering, well guess fucking what?! So is the whole damn universe, everyone suffers but gee no one could ever imagine how we feel therefore we have the right to murder everyone we want to take their stuff."

The Count wanted to punch the technician for such disrespectful and downright seditious words but he had made a vow not to harm him for speaking what was on his mind but that didn't mean he wasn't going to sit there and take it "Did you forget that those bastards left us to die on Vers! They tried to starve us out up there for their own-"

"Yes because clearly every man, woman and child is responsible for what happened. Clearly the newborn babies on this world at the time were instrumental in the decisions that lead to the situation on Vers! Are you even listening to yourself?!" He demanded. "Did you even bother trying to fit all the pieces together? No of course not, you just believed whatever was coming out of the propaganda minister's mouth like it was the fucking word of god."

At that Cruhteo bristled even further "And I suppose you know better?!"

The technician leaned forwards and said "I actually did everything I could to research what happened from both sides! I worked on some software that would give me free access to the Internet, because I wanted to get the full story." That was another thing he'd have to reprimand the technician for later.

"About a year before the Vers Revolution the Mars Colonization Mission lost a lot of funding during the Storms of God's Wrath, it was when several major cities throughout the world got hit by earthquakes, Typhoons and hurricanes. They had to divert funding from colonization to relief efforts!"

Cruhteo looked shocked, this was something that he had heard once but never gave much thought to it. "Apparently the idiots working at colony management only got there because they had a lot of political connections not because they were former astronauts or even competent at their jobs. The higher ups assumed that the people already on Mars could train any new arrivals. Well there was such a massive influx of people, so many in fact that even if every colonist already there could train others, there weren't nearly enough of them to do so!"

"That still doesn't excuse-"
"I'm not excusing shit, those idiots should have told their freaking bosses that they needed to cut back on the applicants until they could get more funding, but they wanted to get a place in the history books as the guys who got the first off-world colony up and running like a well-oiled machine, they didn't say or do squat.

The official reports, radio logs and transcripts that they sent back to Earth were publicized after the event. They kept saying that everything was fine. They lied in order to make themselves look good and to cover their asses when anyone there could tell you that was shit. And when Rayregalia tried to go to them to get more people to train the colonists or at the very least stop accepting so many new ones, they turned him away. He tried to go above their heads to their bosses and the colonial administration arrested him! You know what they told their superiors when they found out? That he was spreading anti-Earth propaganda, and was preparing a mutiny so he was detained for it."

Cruhteo almost shot to his feet at that in outrage "That's a lie!" he nearly shouted "Those bastards, why would they-"

The Count found himself cut off again "Maybe they panicked and became even more stupid than they already were? Who knows what was going on in their heads. The fact of the matter is that in the riots that followed, every single member of colony management was brutally killed! We lost any leverage we might have had during that rescue of Regalia. Who would you believe if you were in the position of the UN at the time? The ones you trusted to send you accurate reports and run things or the guys who had apparently just taken over an entire colony by force and then crowned their leader as their ruler? What does that look like to you? Would you believe a word that they said? Would you even think about negotiating with that kind of group?"

The blonde haired noble didn't even bother responding because both of them knew what the answer would be. "So they decided to sweat them out to make them surrender! But of course it didn't work and the glorious Versian Empire was born, thereby confirming everything that the UN had been told by Colony Management. Then in the following years throughout all of the mismanagement of our own nation by Gilzeria we decided to invade and take whatever it was we felt entitled to because we were the 'superior race' and to get our revenge on those that abandoned us there. Everyone responsible for the mismanaged colonization mission died either during Heaven's Fall or in the chaos afterwards."

There was a mocking clapping at that.
"Well congratulations Cruhteo we got our revenge on everyone responsible, and all we had to do was kill two billion innocent people to do it! Are you happy now? Are you satisfied? No of course not, you're not satisfied, no one on Vers or the Orbital Knights ever is! It isn't enough, it's never enough, we are owed more, we deserve more than everyone else! Fact is, we've become an empty existence of a nation that's built on a legacy of pillaging, plundering and raping everything and everyone we deem lesser than us! We just take, and take and take. We create nothing on our own, we build nothing that we don't steal or copy from others, and we certainly inspire nothing but savagery and suffering."

Cruhteo looked at the technician in utter shock. He had never met anyone who had such hatred for their own nation. "What happened?" He asked "What happened to make you believe this?"

The technician chuckled bitterly and elaborated, "You really want to know? Fine, I'll tell you, but if you're thinking that it was because of my jaunts on the internet, you're wrong. That just added more support to it. My father and grandfather were from the Soviet Union. They hated life there and thought that the colonization mission was a chance at a better life." He held up his hands in a helpless shrug.

"Well, they were wrong, so, so wrong. Especially after Gilzeria took over and things got even worse than ever before for everyone. My grandfather died in his pathetic excuse for a bed, in a hovel that was worse than any apartment in the old USSR. His last words were to beg all of us for forgiveness that he had lead his family and grandchildren into a nightmare even worse than the one he and his son had tried to escape from. Just a few days after that my dad, in his own despair and grief said that Vers had become a hell that they could never escape. Turns out someone heard it and informed the security bureau.

My father was put in a labor camp for 'an indefinite period of time' for 'spreading seditious opinions.' Second I got old enough I joined the Versian military, and became the greatest actor in history. I acted like the most patriotic member in my entire unit and made everyone think that I was trying to make up for the 'crimes' of my father by joining the service. It was all bullshit, I just wanted to keep the rest of those bastards off my family, and I figured that if I acted like a good little patriotic drone long enough and did a good enough job, maybe I could get Dad a pardon, or at least reduce his sentence. That thought was the only thing that kept me going in this pit of vipers, but at the same time, I'm terrified that if I ever do see him again outside of a gravestone, I won't recognize him again. That his experiences in that camp will have torn him down into nothing more than a broken, hollowed-out shell."

There were tears starting to pool in Styles' eyes as he thought of the fate of his father and Cruhteo found himself unable to say or utter a word in either denial at what he had been just told. Because what in the hell could someone, anyone say to that. Days ago he would have dismissed such a thing, but now. After what he had seen and heard? A terrible thought crossed him. If he hadn't been at the right place at the right time when Rayregalia came to power…could he and his son have had a similar experience to Styles' family?

He suddenly pictured his wife and son, the two people he loved above all others, being put into such a position. It was terrifying to even consider and until now he had never been one to think of the experiences or the opinions of the dissidents that were sent to the labor corps for criminal offenses, having simply dismissed them as common criminals. Now though…now he wondered how many of those sent there were punished for the crime of merely being caught saying the wrong thing while in a pit of despair and anguish (Lord knew that he was practically there right now himself), or having simply wanted to speak their minds to try and fix what they thought was broken as Rayregalia had once tried to do.

It wasn't a pleasant thought to say the least.

Styles looked down, not even meeting the Count's eyes "So what happens now? You gonna kill me. If anyone finds out about half of what I just said I won't be sent to a work camp, I'll be sent to a firing squad if I'm unbelievably lucky."

For several long moments Cruhteo said nothing but when he did his voice was firm and brokered no argument "No, I'm not going to harm you nor will I allow anyone else to do so. I promised on my honor, for whatever it's worth at this point that I wouldn't harm you for speaking your mind, no matter what was said. And I intend to keep my word on that."

Styles looked up, tears in his eyes as shock and disbelief filled him.

The technician looked like he was about to speak again but Cruhteo wasn't done. Somehow he found himself

"As will I keep my word regarding that promise you wanted from me. When we return to Vers and after we expose those traitors, I intend on making sure that your father is not only immediately released from his cell but that has the best medical and psychiatric care that can possibly be provided and more if necessary. I will also make sure that the princess herself knows of this travesty that has been forced upon you, and so many others. I think we can both guess what she will do when she hears your story."

Yeah, Asseylum wasn't the kind of person who would sit back and let something like that happen. She was sheltered to be sure, and more than just a little naïve, but she didn't let anyone stand in the way of what she thought was right and she hated suffering of any kind.

"You said you had other family correct?" He asked to which Styles nodded "I do too, a wife and a son I dearly love and cherish. And that means that we don't have the luxury of giving up, we will survive this madness even if I have to drag us both the whole way!"
"T-that's all well and good to say but how are we going to get to that point?"

The Count stroked his chin in thought for a moment before saying "For now we'll have to disguise ourselves as refugees. I remember that there were other evacuation groups leading the people of Shinawara out of the Japanese islands, perhaps we can find out where they were going or even join up with them that might be a first step. If Asseylum is going to be anywhere it will likely be with them. We also can't let the UFE forces find out who we are though, if they find out about us, at best we'll be sent to a prison to sit out the war, at worst they decide to use us for target practice."

Cruhteo then turned to look at Styles and asked "How much did you look at Terran Culture when you were on the internet?"

Styles looked unsure "I was on it whenever I wasn't sending messages back to my family or working. So, I'd say I know a fair bit."

Cruhteo then gave a small nod "I see, then that means in any real interactions you will have to do the talking."

"If that's the case sir, I think our cover should be that we're just tourists, we don't look like we're from Japan. We stick out more than a sore thumb even dressed as civilians. Given our accents I think we should try to pose as Eastern Europeans maybe Ukrainian, Belarus or Lithuanian." He thought for a moment to give it more thought "You could be a businessman who came for some deal, and I could be a history teacher that's out on vacation. We'll also have to get you a new name, Cruhteo just sounds a little too much like a Versian name."

At that Cruhteo just cocked an eyebrow before conceding the point.

-UFE Death, Corridor 1-F

Asseylum and Eddelrittuo were walking through the corridors of the warship trying to make their way to the showers. As they did Asseylum found herself wondering whether or not they were lost given how everything seemed to look the same. When they had finished speaking with Albert Troyard the Princess had been left with more than just a few things to think over. After all how does one not only accept that one's own grandparent may very well have ordered the murder of the father of a friend. Then there was the entire existential idea that humanity was either created directly from the ones who had made Hypergate.

Eddelrittuo seemed to notice her mistress' mood and asked "Your Highness are you all right?"

Asseylum frowned and said "No, I don't think I'm 'all right at all.' Especially not with what I just learned."

The princess' longtime maid and confidant knew exactly what Asseylum was talking about and seemed to be about to try and reassure her mistress when they both heard footsteps coming from nearby, when the two turned to see who was approaching them, they had enough time to get a good look at Marcus Graves who had an expression that could only be described as cold fury "Hey princess, a quick word."

Asseylum didn't have time to so much as utter a word before she found herself shoved up against the metal wall. Eddelrituo looked like she was about to say something, but Marcus had his hand hovering dangerously close to his holstered service pistol. "I suggest you both keep your mouths shut right now!" he snarled. The princess sent her maid a near-pleading look, and the short brunette gulped but did as she was told.

"Smart move." He growled before turning his attention to the princess again. "Now, down to business; this sick little game you've been playing lately it ends now!"

"W-what game?" Asseylum managed to get out before the man slammed his hand against the metal wall right next to her head. "Don't fuck with me right now, you twisted little shit! I've been watching you, stringing Inaho along for your own ends; well, it stops here!"

Asseylum didn't say anything, afraid that she might set off the enraged man in front of her.

"Inaho's been through hell because of your kind, and the last thing he deserves is for someone to start playing with his heart like that. So I'm going to say this only once. Stay. Away. From Inaho Kaizuka and his sister. If I catch you or your little shit of a maid so much as looking at them…well, accidents happen all the time, and during war, dangerous accidents can happen. Are we clear?" The implication was more than evident for the two of them.

The princess and her maid both nodded, staring fearfully at the enraged man. He smiled, though it looked more like a smirk than anything else. "Good. I'm glad we had this little chat." The man patted the princess's cheek once or twice mockingly before removing himself and starting to walk in the direction opposite of the pair while they looked on, giving one last smirk at them before he passed through a bulkhead and into the other side.

Asseylum and Eddelrittuo both stayed there, staring at the bulkhead doors even as the man had vanished from sight. Tears began to form on Asseylum's face as she realized just how terrified she had been, but she did her best to force such feelings down and focused on Eddelrittuo, who was shaking like a leaf.

"Eddelrittuo, are you all right?" She asked. The princess' maid was still shaking but managed to give a slight nod "T-that brute." The brunette stuttered out, "H-how dare he treat you like that, w-we should-"

Asseylum shook her head. "We can do something about it later; let's just take a shower; considering everything that's happened these last few days, we certainly need one." What Asseylum didn't say was that she doubted that any of the Terrans would take her word over that of Marcus' especially given how some of them looked at her. Not that she could blame them, given everything that happened.

The two began to head toward the showers; all the while, they didn't realize that they were being followed by a young woman roughly the same age as the princess, her hand slowly reaching for the pistol that she had holstered before stopping. Instead, she settled on following the princess instead from the shadows.

To be continued maybe.