Seconds ticked by. Schneizel el Britannia could track each and every one by the ticking of the antique grandfather clock in the office of the Prime Minister. He listened to its ticking with his hands steepled under his chin, eyes staring straight ahead at the window covered by shutters sturdy enough to hold against a persistent onslaught from an anti-tank rifle.

To his left shoulder stood Kanon Maldini. His most faithful aide. A man who held utmost faith in the second prince's abilities, and thus showed not an iota of concern for their current predicament, much like the prince himself.

Before long, the intercom on the desk crackled to life. "Your highness. Lord Kanon. The situation has been resolved."

Without need for prompting, Kanon activated the microphone to respond. "Details please, Major."

"Of course, my lord. Three unknowns infiltrated the grounds with suspicious packages. Two of them decoys, the third held a high yield explosive device. As per instruction, all three have been thoroughly interrogated before execution."

"Understood. Maintain lockdown procedures and perform a full security sweep of the grounds and facilities. Then begin investigations into the incident, including on-duty personnel for how they might have circumvented our security measures to get as far as they did."

"I... Lord Kanon, surely his highness has affairs that cannot–"

Schneizel took over, silencing the stammering security chief. "Security is paramount in these troubled times, Major. You have your orders."

"Of course, your highness!" the security chief answered without hesitation. "A thousand pardons, we'll begin right away!"

Kanon sighed. "I understand his frustration. This is the sixth such incident this month. Do you believe this to be Guinevere again, Prince Schneizel?" Under normal circumstances it would be unthinkable to refer to a child of the emperor without her appropriate title. But after so many thwarted assassination attempts of his prince, he could no longer bear to call her such.

And neither did Schneizel chide him for it. "We will see what the security report shows, but it would be my first assumption, yes." He was the biggest problem closest at hand for her after all. Guinvere and Carine's alliance had become a moderate inconvenience of late, mostly for their chosen course of action. Even if Schneizel could see the sense in it.

There were four figures of the imperial family for whom it could be considered plausible that they might take the throne. First, and most obviously, was Odysseus. First in line by primogeniture, though the imperial family did not follow such rules as strictly as many monarchical polities. The doctrine on which Britannia operated frowned on such lazy rulings. Being born first was a distant concern to who was born best. At Schneizel's suggestion, Odysseus had taken control of Area One, the lands west of the Homeland. With the emperor, they had also lost Bismarck Waldstein, Knight of One. And as such, Area One was left without a local ruler. Odysseus was a fine candidate for such a role, and putting him in such a position would show Schneizel was not out for blood like his other siblings. It was a prestigious post, after all. And... If it also showed Odysseus was already following Schneizel's orders, all the better.

Which put Schneizel and Cornelia as the next likely candidates. Schneizel himself was third in line by primogeniture, second by male primogeniture. However, he was already a leading figure in Britannian politics even disregarding his being part of the imperial family. Odysseus was capable enough, but Schneizel excelled. Politically, diplomatically, and militarily when he cared to get involved in such matters. Such was a rarity. He abhorred warfare, loathed unnecessary conflict for being just so inefficient. So impractical. But when he tried his hand at it, much like everything else, he excelled. Cornelia was likewise a shining figure as the leader of Britannia's military. And in a circumstance of uncertain succession, the military could never be ignored, lest they suddenly decide they are more fit to rule and bring their overwhelming force to stake their claim.

However, then there was the dark horse of this little race for the throne. Guinevere. And Carine, but that alliance would implode at some point and Schneizel anticipated it would be Carine on the losing end. And Guinevere knew who her greatest adversary was. Odysseus was of limited concern, but Schneizel was too capable to leave unchecked. If Odysseus were removed, Schneizel would likely take the throne unchallenged. Cornelia had concerns she couldn't abandon, and Guinevere didn't measure up. The best candidate, and the next in line. It would be over... Or so Guinevere would think. Thus, by removing him, her competition would be Odysseus and Cornelia. The former uninspiring, the latter preoccupied. A chance for her to solidify her hold, remove further competition, and take the throne.

Guinevere was brutal, ruthless... And disappointingly simple.

The irony was, if she removed Odysseus instead, she would actually improve her chances. Without Odysseus, Schneizel would be the obvious pick. And so the other candidates would likely ally together just for the purpose of removing him, bringing this Second Emblem of Blood to a new, far bloodier stage. Factions would unite under Cornelia and Guinevere, likely with the intent to backstab both later, but for a time she would have a chance to unseat him. Or at least carve out her own little empire from Britannia. As the viceroy of Area Six, and possibly the Grand Duke of Euro Britannia, were currently attempting to do.

Guinevere was attempting to take the grand prize in one move. Disappointing. Enough so that she wasn't his primary or even secondary concern. His secondary concern was his ongoing effort to carefully sway the other imperial children, the ones still alive anyway, to support him. To sway them to his side so that when he finally removed Odysseus from the picture, there would be no worthwhile challenger. Cornelia would be a true threat if others rallied behind her, but without support her threat potential would dwindle.

That however, led to his primary concern. One that made the secondary far more difficult, but was too important to be discarded out of hand.

Area Eleven.

He stared at a chessboard to his side. One resembling the state of the most important theatre of this global conflict. And the newest piece on that board. He took up the white Queen piece, twirling it between his fingers. "Why Cornelia?"

"Your highness?"

"I've been struggling with that question, Kanon," Schneizel explained. A rare admission. "Why would Clovis accept aid from Cornelia, but refuse it from the Homeland?"

"The simple answer would be he intends to use his position in control of sakuradite distribution to hold sway in the succession crisis, Prince Schneizel," Kanon answered with minimal hesitation. He knew well he wasn't expected to find the right answer, merely act as a sounding board to help the prince find it. "Receiving aid from you would give you a victory that would be impossible to dispute. A demonstration that the empire needs you for it to succeed."

"If that were his intent, he wouldn't accept aid at all."

"We saw how that played out for Princess Astraea and Area Sixteen, your highness."

"True," the second prince allowed. "And Clovis would recognise that more keenly than anyone, being their neighbour and the next target of the Chinese. Still..." He put the Queen piece down, before taking the King piece between thumb and forefinger. Then he moved it far back to its side of the board. "No. That doesn't mesh with the Clovis I know. Clovis isn't one to look for conflict and he's conservative by nature. He only seeks power if he feels secure. The moment that security is threatened he tends to flinch. To panic. Given time to think, he would look for the safest path, but here?" The King slid forward two spaces. Behind the Queen, but still exposed. "Instead of going with the safer path of accepting my aid, he took the aid of Cornelia."

"He is facing a military conflict and she is Britannia's most venerated military commander," Kanon reminded him. "Taking our aid would still leave him in military command, a position that does not suit him. While Princess Cornelia is much more experienced and capable."

"But more of a risk," Schneizel countered. "Cornelia has deposed and arrested one viceroy already, and it's broadly understood she was responsible for the disappearance of the Knight of Two."

"He may not be aware of that, Prince Schneizel. He has not returned to the Homeland and has had more pressing concerns since the incident."

The blond prince's finger tapped the King repeatedly. "I believe he does." Though he couldn't be certain, so that assumption could be discarded. "But it hardly matters. Cornelia has taken control of two Areas already and she made no secret that her destination was Area Eleven. Her priority is to defend it. Why then, would she ever leave herself under the command of the strategically inept when she could take over in the entirety? Why would Clovis expect her to do anything less? And still he refused our distant aid that would leave him in control, to take Cornelia's aid when she will inevitably depose him?"

There was a drawn out pause as Kanon attempted to find a reasonable explanation. "Perhaps... He does not care if she deposes him, so long as he keeps his life?"

"Something else he can't guarantee with Cornelia. He'd have a better chance renouncing his claim to the throne and retiring in Area Seven. Get out of her way and let her get on with it." Slowly, the prince shook his head and removed the King from the board, putting it to one side and placing a Pawn where it previously sat. "There's more to this. These aren't decisions Clovis would make. Someone is pulling his strings." Once again he set the matter aside, glad to have at least made some progress in that little mystery. "Has the Federation ambassador responded yet?"

"Not yet, your highness."

"They'll stonewall us until the sun burns out at this rate." Once again, he returned to his proper duties, trying to keep the empire in one piece. The better for him to rule it when the time came.

-(-)-

"You are a fool."

"So you've said, many times. Though you never seem to have any argument worthy of backing up that judgement."

In the end, it had felt easier to Lelouch to allow CC to join him on his excursion. Not for any potential support she might provide. She had yet to prove she could, or even would, do any such thing. No. The only reasoning he had for bringing her along was knowing even if he didn't, she would do one of two things. Either invite herself along regardless, making herself a complication he couldn't predict. Or find some way to make his life complicated while he was gone. She could be a capricious and spiteful creature. It was better to know where she was and what she supposedly intended to do. It had made the plan slightly more complicated, but only slightly.

He had control of a great many people in the JLF. Not a massive number but enough. Kusakabe's company. The entirety of it put under the effects of his geass over the course of days. And so it was a complement of those soldiers who were escorting Lelouch and CC to the JLF's hidden base. Such irony that it was in the same general region as the secondary Code R facility. Were it not for Lelouch's intervention, Clovis would have put his pet project right under the JLF's nose.

The soldiers had acquired a spare uniform for him to borrow. With CC inviting herself along, she had been forced to borrow one of theirs. Not that she cared overmuch about it, or about changing in front of him. The soldiers he could understand. They were essentially machines more than men at this point. But Lelouch? He had to assume she was doing it to mess with him, but she also didn't appear to care one way or the other.

Maybe he was assuming she was trying to mess with him because he couldn't stomach the idea she was so capable of getting under his skin entirely by accident.

"All of these soldiers under your control. Are you expecting to simply have them wage war against their former comrades for you?" The buttons of her uniform were partially undone. Giving the effect of both showing an uncomfortable amount of cleavage, but also making room in the back of her clothing for her voluminous hair. It seemed increasingly impossible for her to blend in the way Lelouch had hoped. His own disguise wasn't perfect either, but with his dark hair and his face partially hidden under a hat, he would pass without suspicion as part of a group.

"I consider myself an exceptional strategist," he bragged, "but the JLF is far larger than Britannian propaganda would make them out to be. A single company, used wisely, could do some damage. But undermine the entire faction?" There was a chance he would be able to pull that off, but the odds were so against him he wouldn't even consider attempting it. Not when there was a far better option available. "No. Today isn't a day for war. Today is a day for the murder of an ideology. The day the dream of a free Japan dies. Mourned, but discarded."

"Ceaselessly poetic as always. Perhaps you should have someone follow you around to write down these grand proclamations for posterity." The witch sighed theatrically. "Such eloquent artistry wasted on my ears."

"So you don't want to know my intentions, then."

"If they come at the conclusion of another tiresome speech, I'm not so certain anymore."

The prince rolled his eyes. "I'll put a moratorium on theatrics if you'll return the favour with your snide cynicism."

"See? Now we're getting somewhere. A little quid pro quo never hurt anyone."

Lelouch did his best to hide his surprise. She was actually going to stop? Well, now he felt obligated. A shame. He did enjoy giving his portentous speeches, not that he would admit it out loud. But, if that was the deal... "The Japan in the minds of the JLF, it's an ideal, a concept that has been forgotten even by most Japanese. To the point many can only even dream of returning to those halcyon days with the aid of a particular restricted substance. To most, Japan is dead. And unlike the vast majority of nations that fall to the Britannian Empire, it was not killed. It instead committed suicide."

"I thought we agreed you'd drop the theatrics and speeches? Subjecting me to such a tortured metaphor."

Well if she was going to be like that. "I wasn't speaking metaphorically. If that's what you think, you've forgotten your history."

"... Oh."

And so the penny dropped. "History does have a way of repeating itself. It's intentional far more often than most people will ever realise."

"How heartless. Not even giving them a chance to fight for their ideals."

"You disapprove?"

The woman paused, only to smirk at him after a few moments. "No. Just testing your resolve."

He scoffed. "Fair play is for sport, not war. Besides, the JLF have had half a decade to fight for their free Japan and have done precisely nothing with it." Well, perhaps that was a little unfair. They had made attempts. Though their continued existence proved just how little those attempts accomplished. If they were anything more than a nuisance they would not have been capable of holding a fortified base as they did. Even Clovis would have come down on them in force. Their activities were often as not just reminders that they existed, and thus a 'free Japan' theoretically still existed, all while hoping one day they might have the forces and armaments to make a tangible difference.

Lelouch had done more damage to the Area Eleven government in the past month than the JLF had done in the past year. And that was with Lelouch playing with kid gloves, knowing he wanted to support (and control) that government in the end. Once again he found himself wondering if there was anything worth salvaging from the organisation. But he had already made that decision and wouldn't second guess it at this late stage.

Their vehicle, one of three, passed through the checkpoint without issue. Kusakabe was evidently one of those officers it was best not to irritate, judging by how quickly their vehicles were waved through on seeing him.

"If I tell you to stay in the car–"

"You know better by now."

"To my detriment." She would do what she wanted and she would not ask permission. Thankfully, he had already come up with a contingency for such a situation for knowing C.C's capricious nature, one he had adjusted upon realising how that uniform fit her. Or rather how it very obviously didn't. "Fine. I can work with that. Lose the hat." The disguise would be pointless in this case. "You get to play the part of a guest of the JLF."

"I'm told I'm a very expressive actor."

"Cute." He exited the car, moved around the other side and pulled her out by the crook of her arm. Then held her while making a show of keeping a hand on the sidearm on his other hip. "Let's get to our meeting with Katase," he told Kusakabe. "Try to avoid our being seen on the way."

"Yes sir."

The colonel led the way through the base, the security system already having been dealt with by Kusakabe's men prior to their arrival. It would display the feed for the cameras in the security stations, but it wouldn't record. There would be no record of his and C.C's visit, save for Kusakabe having a meeting with Katase.

Assuming no one saw them.

"Lieutenant Colonel Kusakabe, sir! I have a message from Lieutenant Colonel Tohdoh!" the JLF soldier declared with a salute as he blocked their path.

"Make it quick. We have a meeting to get to," Kusakabe answered, having been ordered to maintain discretion.

"Yes sir! He requested I inform you that the strategic briefing for the planned operation has been moved to 1800."

"He saw you," C.C. whispered.

"What?" Lelouch whispered back.

The soldier glanced at him and Lelouch could see the indecision in his eyes. She was right. "Obey all my commands!" he ordered swiftly.

And in that moment of indecision, the soldier was finished. "Yes sir."

"How did you know?"

"Your right shirt pocket is unbuttoned. Kusakabe would never let that slide. Also you're Britannian, but I didn't notice that until after."

Damned military precision. Something so insignificant. "Forget you saw us."

"Yes sir."

The soldier wandered off, presumably still looking for Kusakabe so he could deliver the message.

"Ho? Looks like you got overconfident in your skills at disguise. It seems I could teach you a thing or two about how to be inconspicuous," the witch suggested, batting her vibrant yellow eyes and tossing her long, bright green hair, puffing out her unbuttoned chest and wiggling her hips.

His response was a flat stare. "Come on."

When they arrived at Katase's office, Lelouch wasted no time. They entered, Kusakabe took centre stage only long enough for Lelouch to look into the general's eyes. And with that, the leader of the JLF was under his control.

It stung. It honestly stung that if he had tried this without C.C. inviting herself along, he might have actually gotten caught. Best case, he would've had to command Kusakabe to stage a coup and cover his escape. The entire plan would've gone up in flames.

Worse. She noticed his disgruntlement. And felt the need to comment on it. "I told you before. We're co-conspirators, you and I. Your success will grant my wish, and so I'll walk this path with you, and support your ambitions no matter where they may take you."

"If it means putting up with you, I'm still weighing my options." Though the words were similar to his usual responses, they held less bite in this instance.

"You'll weigh them well, I'm certain."

-(-)-

An assembly of the forces of the JLF. It was a proud moment. The first in a long while since there had been any purpose to such a gathering. The officers standing proudly beside their brigades and companies. All of these Japanese soldiers who stood proud and defiant against the might of the Britannian Empire even as their leaders betrayed them.

This day would mark the era every man and woman present knew would live in infamy for the Britannian Empire. The era in which the great many-headed serpent of oppression would suffer for its injustices. The era in which Japan, the true Japan, the Japan they all believed in would rise once again.

Before them all stood high command. What was left of the upper echelons of the Japanese armed forces. General Katase. Colonel Norimoto. Colonel Minami. Lieutenant Colonel Tohdoh. Lieutenant Colonel Kusakabe, on and on. The men who would lead them toward the new dawn for Japan.

"We, the proud men of the Japanese military, have dedicated our lives to protecting the peace and prosperity of Japan," Katase spoke, with a conviction that seemed so much greater than what the ageing general often displayed. "It was a thankless task, never more so than when the Britannians came, when they brought war to our shores, when they showed the disparity between the pride of our nation and the power of their empire. Still we fought, and bled, and died, determined to protect the people of Japan. To defend our home. Our families. But it was for nothing. In our time of greatest crisis, we were betrayed by the cowardice of our leader. Or so we thought."

"What else could it be, but cowardice?" the general asked, earning confused agreement from the gathered soldiers. "Genbu Kururugi was meant to lead the people of Japan. Had he held strong, we would have fought to the last. I know this. I know this having served with all of you. having seen the sacrifices we of the Japan Liberation Front have made. We would have stained the streets with blood that burned with Japanese pride if it meant bleeding the Britannians more." A cheer erupted from one squadron, quickly silenced by their commander. "But he failed us. Genbu Kururugi ended his own life, and with him, the fight against Britannia died."

"That was what I believed. Until I realised the truth. Genbu Kururugi... Saved Japan." A statement so absurd that even military doctrine couldn't silence the questioning murmur that arose. Even Lieutenant Colonel Tohdoh's fierce appearance wore an expression of confusion. "With his death, the resistance to Britannian occupation crumbled. But the wholesale slaughter of the Japanese also came to an end. Our people, the proud Japanese, they lived on. Lived to fight another day. To rise up against our conquerors and take back our home."

The confusion seemed to fade. They understood now, this was why they were all here. The time for them to truly rise had come.

"This too, I believed."

They were very, very wrong.

"And so now, we rise." The words deserved, demanded triumph. They demanded vigour. Instead, they were filled with bitterness and regret. "After years of waiting for the right moment to strike, to revive our nation, it is now delivered. Not from our own efforts, but from yet another empire seeking to trample over the pride and dignity of Japan."

"My brothers in arms, soldiers of Japan... Our nation never died. It does not need to be revived. It lives on here," he insisted, slapping his hand over his heart. "In every man up here. In every one of you. In every man, woman and child whose heart pumps Japanese blood! Those people are Japan, and it is those people... Who will suffer for our hubris. For our weakness and doubt. Believing that it can be taken away and replaced by a number. Believing that it can only live if ripped from the corpses of our enemies! Believing it will only live if fed with the spilled blood of our people! What was our cause?! The red sun on a flag?! Is that worth the millions of Japanese dead that will litter the streets, ripped to shreds between the Chinese and Britannians?!"

"It is not worth it," the old general spoke into deafening silence, as others of high command nodded in commiseration. "It was never worth it. This will be my final order as the commander of the Japan Liberation Front. And that order is... The immediate disbandment of the Japan Liberation Front."

Uproar. Pandemonium. Quietened as soldiers realised many of the command staff wore swords on their hips. Realised for several of those swords being drawn at once, even as those without stared in incomprehension and dawning horror.

"If you love Japan," Katase said into the microphone, his sword raised, "Fight for the Japanese." And with that, as Kyoshiro Tohdoh ran toward him, desperate to stop what was about to happen, Major General Tatewaki Katase opened his belly with his blade.