Though she would have normally been pleased to see her elder half brother, even if it did leave her open to the merciless teasings of a certain LIME haired demon, Cornelia felt nothing but irritation as she watched the approach of Schneizel's aerial fortress.

For to her, the arrival of her extremely competent sibling was a sign that all but suggested that her own competency was being questioned.

Yes her efforts in cleaning up the mess left by her bohemian half brother had proven to be more costly than orginally anticipated. But considering that she had managed to bring some semblance of order to the Empire's most economically valuable colony in a matter of months, without employing the methods some of her more...voliatile siblings were known to use, Cornelia was confident that it was only a matter of time before Area 11 could be granted satellite status

But since Schneizel was one of the few people within the Empire who outranked her without the need for special permission from her father, if her brother decided to interfere, or had been ordered to do so, there was little she could do to stop him.

In all honesty, she wasn't sure which was worse.

The fact that she was uncertain of her half brother's intention. Or the fact that Euphie was compleltly oblivious to the potential implications of Schneizel's visit.

"Its rather nice of brother Schneizel to take time out of his schedule and visit us. Don't you think so sister? Usually father has him so busy that its rare to even get a video call from him".

Sighing at her sister's continued naivety for the nature of their family, Cornelia's expression turned slightly sour as Nonette's cheerful tone decided to join the developing conversation.

"Thats the downside of being a favorite of the Emperor your highness. You're always being called upon to solve some developing crisis. And since Prince Schneizel is perhaps the only member of the imperial family, besides Nellie of course, that stands a chance of actually meeting the rather high standards of his Imperial Majesty, its unsurprising that your brother doesn't exactly have a lot of free time on his hands".

Though agreeing with Nonette's rather accurate description of how the Empire worked, the purple haired princess nevertheless kept her tone slightly cool as she addressed one of the few people she could call a friend.

"While I know your position in the Rounds grants you some degree of levity when it comes to how the empire is governed, I would kindly ask that you choose a better time to show it. If only because I somehow doubt that my elder brother is here for a social visit".

Earning a pout from the lime haired woman, though she suspected that Nonette had merely adopted that expression in order to prevent Euphie from picking up on the seriousness of the situation, Cornelia was grateful for the lack of reply since it allowed her to direct her attention towards her brother's latest technological achievement.

While possessing the same artistic touch that seemed to be a hallmark of all of Schneizel's creations, unlike the knightmare frame that had been entrusted to the son of the last Prime Minister of Japan, the Avalon did little to conceal its war making potential.

While she was uncertain of the aerial warship's agility and maneuverability, the multitude of missile pods, along with the large cannon sticking out from the front, left no doubt that the airborne vessel, while beautiful to look at, was a machine that was intended for war.

And considering that their chief adversary had managed to beat them into the air with their cruder, but more numerous flying warships, she suspected that it wouldn't be too long before a new chapter was written in the history of warfare.

Even if her sister's upcoming arrangement was designed to delay such an occurrence from happening.

Doing her best to banish her less than pleasant thoughts regarding Euphie's situation, and seeing that the Avalon had finally finished its descent, the Second Princess of the Britannian Empire, flanked on both sides by a column of her most trusted soliders, marched to greet the only surviving half sibling she felt any true affection for.

...

Fighting the very real urge to shoot something, if only because such an act would shatter the carefully crafted image of a cool and collected leader, Lelouch allowed his hidden features to morph into a snarl as the joint leaders of the Black Knights and JLF listened to the troubling broadcast.

"While details regarding the cause for Prince Schneziel's visit to Area 11 have yet to be released, I think all loyal subjects of the Empire can only take comfort from the presence of one of the most gifted sons of the Empire. With the military brilliance of her highness Princess Cornelia combined with the diplomatic genius of Brtiannia's Prime Minister, it is only a matter of time before we can all once again enjoy the peace that all subjects of the Empire can enj..".

Shaking his head in disgust as he muted the latest piece of garbage cooked up by the Britannian media, the masked revolutionary was satisfied to see that the assembled group fully understood the gravity of their situation.

While Cornelia was a dangerous obstacle to their plans to restore Japan's status as an independent nation, the solution to removing her was actually straight forward, if somewhat slow to implement.

For her primary advantage over his forces was the fact that she had access to a numerically superior army.

But since he had already proven that it was possible to defeat her by using 'miracles' to reduce this superiority to mere parity, the exiled royal was confident that Cornelia could be beaten once the Black Knights had gained enough support to launch their revolution.

Schneziel however was different.

While choosing to lead his men from the relative safety of a command centre instead of a knightmare, Britannia's Second Prince left little doubt that in terms of stratedgy, whether on the battlefield or in the realm of diplomacy, few could match him.

And that was when his opponents were starting from a position of equal, or occasionaly superior standing.

But since the Black Knights and Todoh's forces would need time to approach even a quarter of the strength possessed by the Britannian garrison, it was no wonder that news of Schneizel's arrival had sent his allies into a frenzy of heated debate.

"We should do all that we can to take him out before he has a chance to interfere with our operations".

"The smug bastard has probably already thought of a plan to get rid of us".

"We might as well go out in a blaze of glory".

"This is all happening because the purple haired princess is being used to pay off our so called allies".

Frowning as he considered that last comment, for it was perhaps the only logical explanation behind his elder brother's presence in Area 11, the back and forth bickering was brought to an end by the less than impressed tone of his witch.

"If you think the Emperor intends to marry off one of his most able field commanders to his most powerful enemy, then we might as well surrender now".

Thankful that his mask hid his features, for it wouldn't do moral any good if his followers saw that their leader had never considered this rather obvious conclusion, Lelouch decided to remain silent as Ohgi gave voice to his curiosity.

"Then why is here if not to take control from his sister"?

Eyes narrowing as he watched C.C. smirk, the former royal was once again grateful for his mask since it prevented anyone from seeing his expression as he listened to the immortal girl's answer.

"There are 2 reasons that spring to mind. First one being is that Area 11 serves as a useful testing ground for the Empire to try out their latest toys, which the 2nd Prince is well known to support. For unlike the other rebellious territories of the Empire, one cannot simply drive a truck of stolen military equipment across some long and sparsely guarded border".

Nodding to show that he agreed with this assessment, the former prince found himself clenching his fists as C.C. proposed her second theory regarding Schneizel's presence in Area 11.

"The other reason probably does have SOMETHING to do with the Emperor's wedding announcement. Cause lets remember, there are currently 2 imperial princesses in this country. And since only one of them has a track record of leading Britannian soldiers to victory, I think its safe to say that the blond prince is here to restrain the protective impulses of a certain purple haired siscon".

Though finding no fault in C.C.'s reasoning, Lelouch was far from happy at having to contemplate the personal and political ramifications of this issue.

Politically, it would mean that Britannia would manage to further delay the inevitable confrontation with their European advisory. Which meant that they could spare more resources to pacify their rebellious territories, whose ability to resist would be crippled due to the Reich's need to adopt more covert methods of arms supplying.

On a more personal level, it meant that he had to deal with the complex range of emotions he had for the only one of his half siblings who managed to inspire feelings that were close to what he had for Nunnally.

When he had first set his eyes on the pink haired princess during the hotel jacking, his hatred for all that she supposedly represented had been mixed with the memories that had belonged to a much happier time. And upon learning that Euphie still possessed that same kind of selflessness and compassion that had won the hearts of the Vi Britannia siblings all those years ago, he had been pleased to spare her the fate of their foppish half brother.

But hearing that she was to be used as a political tool for the Empire, specifically a fate that Nunnally had only been spared thanks to the injuries she had sustained on the day they had lost their mother, it caused him to reexperience the emotion he had felt when the Emperor had proclaimed them to be hostages of Japan.

For since he knew first hand that Britannian considered even royal political hostages to be expendable, he suspected that Euphie would be cast aside once the Emperor felt confident enough to attack, and defeat his European opponent.

Shaking his head in a vain attempt to banish his anger at the events of his past, Lelocuh moved to take advantage of the momentary quiet caused by C.C.'s explanation.

"If that is the case, then it means that Schneizel, while a potential threat to our operations, remains a secondary concern at this point in time. At least until such time when we are ready to openly challenge the Britannian garrison".

Receiving nods of agreement from his subordinates, as well as more reluctant ones from the members of the reforming JLF, the masked revolutionary turned his attention towards the perpetually frowning Japanese officer.

"Speaking of our increasing capabilities General Todoh, I hope you'll forgive me in wishing to discuss the impeding arrival of your European reinforcements. I think that we can all agree that given Britannia's reaction to our efforts, Japan will need all the trained manpower it can get if it is too achieve it's freedom".

Though he had been uncertain how Todoh would react to this question, the former royal was pleased to see that he at least was more open to sharing useful information than his more prideful subordinates.

"Considering we both wish to see Japan free from Britannia, it is a reasonable enough request. In 2 days time, my forces will be augmented by a company of Japanese soldiers who managed to make it to Europe after the conquest of our country".

Frowning at the answer, for it told him nothing that he didn't already know, Lelouch found himself smiling as the youngest member of their meeting moved to ask a question that would have likely damaged his chances of ever convincing the JLF to accept a more subordinate role.

"And will these troops prove to be beneficial to our cause General? Or will they prove to be a liability? For while I do not doubt that they are professional soldiers, I have to ask if their loyalty to the Japanese people might have been replaced during the years of their absence".

He wasn't sure which was more amusing.

The fact that a 14 year old girl possessed the type of insight that few military leaders ever managed to develop despite decades of dedicated service. Or the fact that said 14 year old girl had managed to make the battle tested leaders of the JLF treat her with the same deference once would expect from a lowly ranked private.

"I assure you Lady Kaguya that I too had believed this to be the case. However that suspicion was quickly erased once I learned the identity of the man who has been tasked with leading this European supplied force".

Raising a hidden eyebrow in surprise at this declaration, noting that he was not the only one to have been caught off guard by Todoh's words, Lelouch deemed it was safe enough to voice his curiosity without having to run the risk of damaging the Black Knight's slowly developing relationship with the reformed JLF.

"And your faith in this arriving officer stems from what exacty"?

Though his question still managed to earn glares from the more...stubborn members of Todoh's entourage, the masked revolutionary was pleased to see that the General carried none of his subordinates hesistation to share useful information.

"Because before and during the invasion of our country, I observed first hand that Tadamichi Kuribayashi exhibits the true nature of the Japanese solider. And I doubt that his years of exile will have diminished that".

...

Though there was an unspoken rule amongst the underwater warriors of the Kriegsmarine that each and every sailor was allowed at least one chance to experience the temporary joy of escaping the claustrophobic atmosphere of their submerging coffins, Kommodore Gunther Prien knew that the success of his mission depended on total secrecy.

Which meant that his crew, along with the sailors of the other 4 U-boats, were unable to temporarily escape the unfortunate consequences of transporting men who sadly lacked both the patience, and stomach for ship based travel.

It was bad enough that his already cramped boat had to accommodate an additional 30 men, along with a few hundred tons of military equipment. But dealing with the constant complaints of sea sick land lubbers, whose foul expulsions only served to increase the irritation of his crew, it was almost enough for the German born submariner to make him regret his boyhood decision to join the European Navy.

But despite his current disgust with his vessel's less than sanitary conditions, Prien would nevertheless perform his duty as befitting an officer of the Kriegsmarine.

Especially since this current mission allowed him the opportunity to ensure that the skills he had developed during the Great War remained finely honed.

Commanding one of the many U-boats that had plagued the sea lanes between the Britannian homeland and the African Theatre, the German sub commander had managed during the course of his deployment to remove over 230,000 tons of merchant shipping from the Britannian fleet.

And while his status as the 9th highest U-boat ace of the war could have allowed him to request any high ranking position within the newly established Kriegsmarine, the decorated war hero instead chose to carry out his duty to his country from the cramped quarters of the latest generation of submersible instead of from some office, safe behind a desk.

"Captain Prien. Do I have your permission to enter the command center"?

Momentarily considering to deny such a request, iif only because he had no desire to have the Japanese born Sturmbannfuhrer produce another disgusting example of why he had chosen a career in the Japanese Army, the German officer nodded his head.

"Permission granted Sturmbannfuhrer Kuribayashi".

Briefly turning his attention to one of the various screens that were spread throughout the boat's command center, and noting with amused approval that one of his crewman had discreetly placed an empty bucket within reach, Prien listened with cool detachment as the sickly looking ISD officer enquired after their current status.

"How long until we reach Japanese waters Captain"?

Fighting the urge to chuckle at the ill disguised desperation of land oriented officer, the U-boat commander was prompt with his answer.

"So long as we don't get detected by Britannian naval patrols, we should be passing the pre war maritime boundary within 18 hours. And will be arriving at our final destination 8 hours after that. I trust Sturmbannfuhrer that once we reach Japanese shores, you and your compatrits will be in a condition to swiftly and efficiently remove both yourselves and your equipment from my ships. For while I am confident in our ability to avoid detection, I am less certain if we are able to maintain the element of surprise if it takes after sunrise to unload all our cargo".

Though slightly disappointed by Kuribayashis lack of a response to his taunting, Prien nevertheless nodded his head in satisfaction at the Japanese RANKs respone.

"You wont have to worry about that Captain. Once my men realise they are about to return to Japanese soil, they will..".

"CAPTAIN. RADAR CONTACT BEARING 145 DEGREES 30 KILOMETERS AND CLOSING".

All thoughts of the sea sick Japanese forgotten, Prien rushed over to his radar technician.

"Speed and classification Mr. Vasily".

Giving the young Russian a moment to obtain this information, the German Commodore kept his expression blank as he listened to the sailor's report .

"Make of vessel is Frigate, Newport class. And speed is holding steady at 18 knots sir".

Humming as he compared the capabilities of the Britannian surface vessel to his own miniature fleet, Prien never took his attention off the radar screen as he pressed for more information.

"Have they changed course? Or have shown any other sign of being aware of our presence"?

Giving the lad a moment to gather this crucial intel, the former U-boat ace allowed a grin to spread across his features at the answer he received.

"Their maintaining their current course Captain. With no changes in speed, or engaging in active sonar".

Pleased at both the efficiency of his crew and the fact that the stealth capabilities of his boat continued to live up to the promises made by the Kriegsmarine's design board, the German born sailor proceeded to follow the tradition that had been started by Europe's top scoring U-boat ace of the war, and had accepted Chancellor Krueger's offer to train the Reich's next generation of submariners instead of retiring from active service.

"Holodna hmoora.
Eemruchnoh v'doosheh
Kak mohg znat ya shtoh tee oomriosh?:

And as one the crew, safe in the knowledge that their boat would prevent their voices from being detected by their hated Britannian enemy, joined their Captain, and the rest of the fleet, to complete the song that the entire U-boat fleet had adopted as its unofficial anthem to honor its greatest sailor.

Vice-Admiral Marko Ramius.

Do svidonia, byehreg rodnoy.
Kak nam troodnag pridstahvit shtoh eto nyeh sohn.
Rodina, dom radnoy,
Do svidonia Rodina..

Ay. Avepakhod, avepakhod, nass val nahmarskaya zhdyot nyehdazh dyotsyah.
Nass zah vootmarskaya dah, ee preeboy!

Salute otsam ee nashem dedum
Zahvietum eekh fsigdah vierney.
Tepierre nichtoh, nee astanoivit,
Pabiedney shark, radnoy straney.

Tiy pliyvee, pliyvee bestrashna,
Gordest say viernykh marieye.
Revoluytziye nadezhdah sgoostk vierif sekh luydeye.

V'oktyabreh, v'oktyabreh,
Rahpar tu ium miy nashe pabiediy.
V'oktyabreh, v'oktyabreh,
Novie meeir fahli numnashy dehidiy.

…

Annnnnnd that's another chapter done XD A bit shorter than I had originally intended, but I think to add any more at this point would lessen the impact of what I have created lol

Anyways, brief recap before I address the questions and comments of my faithful readers :D

1st segment, pretty straightforward, however deviates from cannon by a large degree. I.e. instead of Schneizel and the warship (not to mention the Gawain) being used to thwart the Black Knights attempt to steal the Lancelot (and of course put an end to Suzaku's suicidal tendencies), decided to go with a more public introduction given the current circumstances. (I.e. a stronger Japanese resistance movement, and the presence of a Nonette).

Also think I did a good job of capturing Cornelia's mood given her current emotional turmoil. But since I was pretty thorough in explaining it in the chapter, don't think I need to summarize lol

2nd segment, was interesting and fun to write since it not only gave me an opportunity to use everyone's favorite blunt immortal to point out the stupidity of her comrades, but also to further develop the continuing independent nature of Todoh's faction. Who of course welcome the idea of being reinforced by former members of the Japanese military.

This I think will become important during the Chinese backed invasion, but need more time to develop the details XD

As for the 3rd segment, I confess that this was a scene that I had envisioned creating ever since I came up with my own version of Japanese soldiers in the service of the Reich. However the ending was only recently changed due to recently watching the classic adaptation of a political thriller.

My original intent was to copy the scene from Das Boot, where the German sailors, after picking up a British radio channel, begin to sing the song Its a Long Way to Tipperary. Though I kept the idea of using a historical German U-boat ace, one that was brave enough to torpedo a British Battleship while it was in harbor, as the leader of the clandestine sub fleet.

But after rewatching Hunt for the Red October, I decided to change it to the theme song of the film, Hymn for Red October XD. Been meaning to add something musical of Russian/Soviet, or associated with it anyway XD, to this story for a while now. But while the Soviet Anthem would be a good counter for the Britannian anthem, the communist themed lyrics don't exactly tie in with the Europe I have created.

Anyways, now to address my readers XD.

Fuhrer of Europe

In response to your question about Nunnally deserving the same fate as her brother, I personally don't believe so, though I do find her naivety somewhat annoying (I.e. thinking that a peaceful world in Geass universe could be achieved without violence/believing everything Schneizel said without question). However, grief does not really inspire rational lines of thinking. And since this series tends to show that giving in to vengeance is easier if they have the power to accomplish it, don't think Krueger would care. Just my opinion.

Imperial Warlord

Comment: Best time for hit squads to kill Vi siblings would during Black Rebellion. Chaos and friendly fire is common without Lelouch Black Knights will fall apart

Reply: True, however given that Todoh has been given a greater leadership role, don't think the Black Rebellion will be quite as disastrous for Japan.

War Sage

Reply: I full heartedly agree with your stance regarding Kaguya's dream for a truly independent Japan. Believe Lelouch even said at one point that economically Japan was doing better as part of the empire. However, since she has yet to witness first hand of what war requires, she has yet to develop into the more politically/diplomatically savy woman she becomes in the second season.

Kind of funny how she mirrors her cousins development in realizing what kind of world they lived in.

Fortitude501

Reply: For the relationship between Todoh and the leader of the European reinforcements, that's sort of the direction I'm going for. Friends who went through training together, but upon graduation, chose to follow different doctrines. Also playing around with the idea that Todoh was not the only victor in the 2nd Pacific war. The first one to lead a successful attack against Britannia, but preventing the enemy from advancing, or at least slowing their advance, should count as a victory as well.

As for Maririane, yup. Maybe not the entire family, cause I do believe that Krueger had already lost a family member during the opening attack of the Great War, but the rest is doable. Just need to choose how. As for Lelouch's perception of his mother, not sure if he didn't already know about her past. Cause he must have at some point questioned why his father chose to marry a commoner (test pilot wouldn't be enough to draw attention I believe). And he only disowns her after they discuss her disregard for her children due to the belief that Ragnarock connection will render death meaningless.

Also agree full heartedly with you thoughts on a persons will power and Geass. Sort of funny that Suzaku, from what I recall, didn't even try to resist the command while others have done so.

And for the kill squad, you will have to wait and see.

Chancellor ZVE

Question: Realistically, is it really possible for Japan to ever achieve complete independence and sovereignty, without oversight from any superpower, in the kind of world they live in?

Answer: I don't believe so. Given the strength and power of each Superpower when compared to an individual nation, no matter how economically developed, true independence is a pipe dream. The UFN of course is a rare example since it is not truly a single nation, but rather a collection of separate states working together for a common cause. But since this is a world where Britannia is facing a stronger and more competent Europe, it is unlikely that the conditions that led to the UFN will come about. At this point, the best Japan can hope for is to be allied with a Superpower, who provides military protection in return for economic advantages.

Question: Talking about the world and its geopolitics made me have this completely random question: Are the arctic landmasses going to play any part in this global feud between the world superpowers, or are the polar ice caps going to be the safest, if extremely inhospitable, places on the planet?

Answer: To be honest had never considered the Arctic playing a role in this story, apart from maybe being the route/location for some secret project. But since Scandinavia already serves as a useful location for my Iron Sky projects, don't think I need to go further north lol


Question: If you do add anything REMOTELY like the Uber Panzermensch, should we be expecting copious amounts of gore, ripping, and tearing of Britannians as if they are Doom Slayer unleashed on demons? I don't think our would-be First Lady will appreciate the mere mention of such an outcome, and I'm just saying this out of respect for her convictions and as the future wife of the Chancellor.

Answer: The idea, remote though it was, was not so much the Uber Panzermench, but rather the Uber Blitzmench. Also maybe...and this is a very big maybe, might have a certain crazed Russian being the first test subject of this program should I ever feel the need to incorporate it XD. But for the near future, only plans that I have for European genetic experimentation are testing Rolo's heavily damaged corpse.

Vegito is King

Comment: have a request. Please pair up Lelouch and Leila. It is a pairing that is not explored much even though it has a lot of potential. I believe she is the most suited to be both his lover and work companion. Also if you plan on having Lelouch visit Europa can you include the Julius Kingsley outfit? Even if he isn't brainwashed by Charles it doesn't mean Lelouch can't dress in style. The coat in particular is so badass!

Reply: Will keep that in mind about the coat XD. However for pairing, orginal intention was to keep Leila with Akito. Will have to see since I am still in the 1st season of the story XD

Pwashington

Comment: Thus begins the war between europa and the black knights lelouch should simply brainwash Kyoto/jlf to give him what he wants since they have elected to side with their enemies or slaughter them either works

Reply: That would be the smart thing to do. But in his pride, Lelouch only chose to use it that way once he had no other way to ensure loyalty.

Anyways, hope you all enjoyed this chapter.

Please Review, no flames.

Til next time.