"Speech"
"Radio or calls"
'Thoughts'
Knight of the Round
Kallen
Kallen looked at the hovering unit, grunting. 'Any other time would be better than this!' Her energy filter was dipping, and her arm was low on surger filters. She took a deep breath, and called out to the units under her, "Concentrate on the enemy squadron. I'll deal with the new unit! CC, keep that squadron off the main line!" Kallen charged at the new unit, and her blade was met by two sets of claws that extended from the gauntlets. They glowed red, and she sent out comms to command, "We have a Knight of the Round! I need reinforcements!"
Monica slashed at the Guren a few times, Kallen parrying her blows as she was put on her heels. Kallen saw a request to comms from the suit in front of her. But she ignored that as she tried to grab the enemy frame, only to have Monica dodge out of the way faster than anyone but Suzaku, Kallen pulling her arm back just in time to avoid a slash at her primary weapon.
Tohdoh's voice echoed through comms, "Major Kozuki, do you need reinforcements?" There was an urgency in the man's voice, and while Kallen lacked the data to see his situation, she was aware enough that he was facing a better equipped force as a whole.
"If you can send one of the Holy Swords, that would be appreciated! This unit seems elite." She watched as one of the new machines fired a hadron blast from one of its arms, impacting the ground near one Akatsuki, a burnt hole mere inches from the machine. The Akatsuki tried to fire back, but it bounced off the heavy armor as the second new unit blasted the friendly frame.
"Understood! Hold out as long as you can. Zero has entered the battlefield!" Kallen's hope rose as she deflected another blow from the Knight of the Round she was facing. It was a back-and-forth affair as Kallen could not overpower the machine, her strikes missing or getting deflected several times, doing the same too. Both units jumped, slid and flew to avoid attacks, dirt splattering on their frames as they landed among the hills. She didn't fight like a knight, but almost like an animal. Her motions were fast and powerful, each blow rending the earth.
Kallen accepted the request from the unit, and a young woman's voice filled her cockpit as Kallen tried to look for any opportunity to grapple the Britannian frame, "It is an honor to meet the Crimson Storm. We trained in simulators against you. I'm sorry it had to come to this." For an ace who was matching the redhead, she was surprisingly soft-spoken.
Kallen grit her teeth, "You can go to hell, Britannian. We won't bow to you again!" Kallen's dagger struck a glancing blow against Monica's chest armor. Kallen smirked, pushing Monica's frame into the wreck of a tank. But to Kallen's surprise, the unit shifted onto all fours, the mounts on its back suddenly becoming cannons as it crawled over the tank like a spider, jumping in the air as a hadron blast was instinctually blocked by a use of the surger. 'So not just MVS claws, but two hadron blasters?'
Black and red filled her display as her barrier barely blocked the blast. This machine was getting more and more confusing, and Kallen was having to fight her own instincts on how to fight Britannian machines. More sweat poured down the ace's forehead, and she responded to the woman, "I am Major Kallen Kozuki. And a simulator is a pale copy of the real thing." She saw on her display CC was handling a Vincent while a fast-moving Akatsuki was on the move towards them with another unit. Curiosity filled her voice, "What is that frame?"
"The Florence." The unit pounced forward, pride in the woman's voice. Claws scraped against the armor of the Guren, alarms showing moderate damage to the flanks of the machine. Metal bent and broke as the claws passed through, Kallen reaching forward with her surger arm, aiming for the torso, but the Florence twisted enough so she could only grab one of the hadron blasters. Energy rushed into the weapon, and Kallen grinned.
"Got you!" But to her growing annoyance, the weapon was ejected from the machine, Monica leaping away as she fired another blast, this one glancing against the surger. Damage alerts showed severe damage, and instability in the weapons power supply. Kallen grit her teeth and ejected the arm, the arm exploding a few seconds later as the ground melted beneath it.
Monica's voice filled with some excitement, "We were prepared for this, but I underestimated you. Please surrender so I don't have to kill you." There was a genuineness to her voice, and Kallen couldn't help but sigh. It was so strange to see a seemingly honorable Britannian soldier. 'How one managed to reach the position of Knight of the Round is a mystery to me.' Britannia didn't hide its crimes, and reaching higher authority meant one should know more about what happened.
Kallen, her main weapon removed, weaved and dodged as she tried to keep some distance between them. The Florence shifted back into its mech mode; more blows exchanged as Kallen just tried to hold her off. Her dagger was taking a lot of blows, the claw strikes precise and controlled. The ace could feel the strain on the weapon intended to be a secondary one. Smoke filled the air around them as the burning husks of vehicles acted as the backdrop to their dual. More sounds of lost units filled her cockpit, and more anger filled her. Even CC was having some trouble, and this elite unit would overwhelm them soon.
Asahina's voice echoed in her cockpit, "Do you need help, or should we deal with the squadron?"
"The enemy squad! I can hold her off!" Her energy filler situation was dire, but she could handle this. Monica was good, but not good enough that Kallen felt her situation was that bad.
"Understood!" The young member of the Holy Swords engaged another Vincent, dodging a hadron blast coming from the new units in the enemy formation. Kallen saw CC's blade slice through one of the arms of the Vincent she was fighting, though that unit clearly kept fighting.
Monica spoke with strain in her voice, "I applaud your honor. I am thankful the Black Knights have at least one honorable warrior in their ranks." Kallen managed to leave another dent in the chest armor, which pressed on the cockpit. She could hear the metal bend from the open comms, and she launched her slash harkens, aimed at the legs of the unit. The Florence launched its own, the two weapons slamming into each other, both of them winding back towards their frame of origin.
Gunfire from the Black Knights impacted the area around them, the bullets bouncing off her shield. Monica dodged out of the way, taking cover. 'So, she doesn't have a blaze luminous.' Both frames wheeled back, almost staring at each other as the two women took deep breaths. Kallen couldn't see the knight, but regardless of her allegiance, the redhead had to respect her strength and skill as a devicer. She let out a grunt, the situation stabilizing, though she had no idea how long she would last. 'Where are you Lelouch?'
Lelouch
Just as he finished off the two units with his hadron blasts, gunfire erupted into the surviving units as two Akatsukis appeared around the corner. The Vincents exploded, one of them managing to eject, slamming into a corner store as shrapnel filled the streets. Lelouch blocked all of it that reached them, and once the smoke cleared, he looked to the units that arrived, "Keep your eyes open and stick together. Get these people moved as quickly as possible."
"Yes, Zero!" He could hear the devotion in their voices and smirked. Despite a risk he took three years ago, it seemed this new war removed any doubt in the miracle maker of the modern day. Looking back down at the crowd, the soldiers guided people to buses and trucks that moved in, overloading them a bit after what just happened. A little girl and boy smiled at the Shinkiro, a father pushing them to the buses. Warmth stirred in his heart, but he quickly shoved that back. Now was not the time for that.
He flew off over the city, watching as he could see smoke trails coming from miles away at the battle sights. He scanned comms to keep track of the situation, and his heart clenched as he could hear more desperate calls coming from Kallen's side of the battle. And hearing it was a Knight of the Round spiked that higher. His lover was in danger, but a call from Tohdoh caught his attention, "Strong push on the left flank! Hold the line!" Lelouch took a second to scan the situation
A large mass of troops pushed on the flank, and Asahina being sent to help Kallen had clearly weakened that front. Kallen was in trouble, but if the enemy broke into the SAZ, then it would be chaos. As good as Tohdoh was, the weight of numbers was a strength of its own. He changed to mobile fortress mode, and charged towards the main front, sending a quick message to Kallen, 'Will be there soon.' It was something wholy inappropriate for a leader and underling in any other situation, but he had faith she could hold on. Through the comms he spoke to that front, "All reserve units reinforce the left flank! N-5 Squadron flank around to relive pressure on the center!"
And as he reached the battlefield in front of the SAZ, the situation was just as he suspected. The reserve units had bolstered the line, but the Vincent Wards were a step up from the Sutherlands and Gloucesters of the last war. Many of them had fold out shields, blocking Black Knight rockets and rounds as the Akatsukis and Gekkas took cover as best they could. Rockets flew over each line, frames collapsing or exploding as they made contact. Several units were also engaging in melee, delaying the enemy to allow other units to fall back to defensive lines. Tohdoh spoke with a strained voice, "Kozuki needs more help than me! We can hold!"
"I know what I am doing." Tohdoh was cleaving through enemies on the center, engaging three officer units at once. Wrecks of homes on the outskirts of the SAZ burned, units using them for cover when possible. Shifting back to mech mode, he floated above the battlefield, using his barrier to block the rounds coming up at him. He tapped at his console like a keyboard, and with a smirk, he sent out a command to the troops, "All troops, hold position and stand firm! Strike at my command!" Air units, frames and helicopters alike, noticed him and charged forward. 'Perfect.'
The barrier dropped and his chest opened up. The gem in the slot shot out, held by an invisible string, and he let it wind forward as he dodged some of the fire coming at him, Tohdoh speaking over main comms, "Keep fire off of Zero!" Black Knight frames laid down suppressing fire on the advancing enemy, Tohdoh slicing through the last enemy he was engaging to draw away a few frames.
A beam of energy shot into the prism, and like a lethal disco ball, the gem reflected the powerful beam, multiple smaller beams crossing the ground and air. Frames were caught as the beams sliced through every enemy on the ground and in the air. Explosions filled the air as the sakuradite was set off in some, others just getting sliced in half or losing limbs. The gem kept moving, cutting through enemy lines. As much as Lelouch preferred to use tricks to beat the enemy, sometimes raw force was just as important. 'Just like Scipio Africanus at Zama.'
Dozens of enemy frames fell as the primary weapon of the Shinkiro collapsed the entire enemy left flank. Seeing all those enemy signatures disappear brought a bloodthirsty smile to the face of Lelouch. The ground was scarred black, and the war would scar this place even more if went like he expected. It may be a known trick now, but even the enemy shields stood no chance. The only units that survived were those that had blaze luminous, and those were soon falling in droves as Lelouch stopped his attack, calling his weapon back, "Charge forward! All squad advance till they reach point G6, then hold."
"Yes Zero!" Hearing a mass call of his persona created a rush of satisfaction. He was going to save Japan, and then Britannia would soon fall. But he couldn't let himself be caught up in the rush. He gave Tohdoh command again, and watched as the Britannian line fall back, the left in chaos while the right withdrew in an orderly manner, proving covering fire to allow their units to fall back safely.
He flew towards the east, seeing the flashes of combat. A scowl crossed his face as his heart beat fast. His love was in danger, along with CC. He could only put his trust in her skills.
Kallen
Kallen, her heartrate cooling just a bit, finally got her head back on straight. This woman was unpredictable, at least had the moment, but she knew she could hold her off. A mass of beams had hit the enemy where Tohdoh was, and her hope rose as she saw the Shinkiro floating above the battlefield, arms stretched wide. Her boyfriend's suit may not be a frontline combat one, but it was better at battlefield control than hers by a mile.
Kallen wished she could replace her arm with a normal one at the moment, but she worked with what she had. Her filler was blinking at this point, and she had turned off her flight system to save what power she could. The two women were once again engaged in tight close quarters combat, her knife and Monica's claw narrowly missing.
"Your frontline has collapsed. Why don't you withdraw?" The enemy squadron hadn't taken any real losses, and she hoped that distracting the enemy would work.
"My lord has ordered me to take the SAZ. I would not disobey, like you would not yours. Unless I am wrong." The knight slashed at one of Kallen's landspinners while in insect mode, dodging a slash from the MVS of the Guren. The blade slashed through the air as the claws rent the ground, shooting past the red frame, skidding along the ground as she turned around.
"I will never give up to you." Kallen shot her slash harken as she turned to face the Florence. Aiming it at the ground, she used it to gain momentum as she activated her air glide. She shot above the Florence, her knife aimed for the back of the unit. It slashed into the cockpit's edges, but the Knight of the Round twisted herself just out of the way, the knife instead going through the remaining hadron cannon and into the arm before it was stopped. The Guren crashed to the ground, blade in hand, her filler finally giving out as she slid into a tree, leaning forward.
Kallen slammed into the side of her cockpit, grunting as emergency power set in. It wasn't enough to pilot, but it allowed her sensors to work and cockpit to open. Monica stood over her, remaining claw raised to the cockpit, "You have fought with honor. Don't waste your life." Her other arm sparked, useless due to the damage.
"I would at least die fighting to free my country. You would kill me to put my people back into slavery." Monica stayed silent at Kallen's words; claw still aimed at the cockpit. Kallen grit her teeth, pain radiating from the side of her head as she coughed hard. She looked up, and was about to speak again, but one of the flying units with hadron cannons exploded, the pilot not even having a chance to eject.
The Florence looked up at that, and two more cyan beams impacted near her as she dodged out of the way, forcing the knight to fall back, "Your forces are in retreat. Or do the Knights of the Round fight to the death?" Lelouch's smug voice was never more of a relief as more fire was dodged by Monica, the Shinkiro moving between the two custom frames. A few Akatsukis joined in the covering fire. She was trapped between the assault weapons of the Akasukis and the Shinkiro, and with a surprising burst of speed, the Florence shot into the sky, followed by the survivors of the Britannian Squadron.
They had only lost two units, a Vincent and the new model, but they had destroyed another five units of the Black Knights. Asahina flew to the ground, and the Shinkiro landed, Lelouch leaving the cockpit. She opened hers and grunted in annoyance as she looked at the damage to the Guren. 'How did I let that happen?' She recovered from the blow to her as she landed on the ground, and she let out a sigh, "I'm sorry I lost."
"It's not your fault. The enemy came at the wrong time. And even I didn't know a Knight of the Round would show up. But at least we know they are taking this seriously." She gestured to the men and women around him, "Asahina, bring the Guren back to base. All damaged units, fall back while those in good repair will stay here until replacements arrive."
"Well, it's good to see that someone can handle the Crimson storm." Asahina's tone was teasing as Kallen glared at him. He picked up the ace unit and flew towards the main base as Lelouch offered his hand. Kallen looked around to see the survivors, who were organizing medical evacuations or collecting the dead. The bodies were gathered, and Kallen's heart weighed heavily on her as she looked at each person she had lost.
"If you damage it more, I'm going to kill you!" Asahina just laughed in response, and Kallen took a shuddering breath as she let this brush with death wash over her. She came so close to dying, and a part of her wanted to save her own life. 'Why is that bad?'
Lelouch's voice brought her out of her thoughts, "Now do you want to be in the cockpit or the hand?" His voice was even as he asked, and she took his hand, a small smile coming to her face.
"Cockpit." Both entered, her standing behind him as he took off, headed towards the center of the city. Hundreds of thousands of people still needed to be evacuated, and Kallen grunted, "That fight could have gone better. I lost too many men." Every frame she lost had caused her heart to sink just a bit more. Tohdoh's words were a comfort, but the reality was always harder than she expected.
Lelouch, who had handed her his mask, shook his head, "It could have been far worse. Twenty out of forty-five frames surviving is a success in my book." He wasn't looking at her, but she could hear the tactics teacher in his voice, "Our goal is delay, and we cost them more than they cost us. The eastern evacuation zones have been prioritized, and soon enough we can tighten up our defenses."
Kallen sighed, "And I have the name of the knight, so I can study how she fights when she shows up again. She's definitely going to pay for damaging the Guren." She clenched her free fist. Despite her anger, hearing the genuine honor from the woman left her confused. 'How can good people serve such a cruel empire?'
"Good to see you learned that lesson. And if you hadn't been there, our entire flank would have collapsed. Putting the right people in the right place is sometimes the best thing we can do."
Kallen hummed under her breath at his words, and leaned against his chair, letting herself relax as the adrenaline left her. 'God, I need a shower.'
Euphemia
As they got closer to the road, the truck was suddenly hailed as an Akatsuki, which was too close for comfort, raised its arm to point at the transport, venom in the voice of the pilot, "Surrender, Britannian. Do not try anything or we will shoot." Euphemia looked at the group, and saw Cecile was trying to keep her calm while Suzaku looked at the knightmare, eyes narrowed. She stood up, and before anyone could stop her, she opened the door and landed on the ground. Dust started to cover the fringes of her skirt, yet she stood tall as she spoke to the frame.
"I am Princess Euphemia li Britannia, and I request an audience with Zero!" The frame looked at them like an unblinking monster, towering above the truck. Yet she stood her ground, quieting her fears as she stared the frame down, waiting for a response from the metal titan. It wasn't the first time she had done this, but every time she did it, it shook her just a little. The weapon remained pointed at the truck, but after several seconds, it lowered its arm, and the pilot spoke again, "Follow me, and don't make any sudden moves."
Euphemia wanted to smile, but she nodded, "Thank you." She headed back into the truck, and Lloyd wordlessly followed the armored frame.
"That was quite a bold move, your highness. That could have been quite tricky." The man was full of mirth, and for such a stressful scenario, he was remarkably upbeat.
Cecile collected herself, "Well Zero does get along with the princess…"
Euphemia smiled at the engineer, "I would never let them hurt any of you. It is my responsibility as a princess." Her eyes then went to Suzaku, whose eyes were still clouded with worry and doubt, "We will be fine. If Zero meant to do something to me, he would have shot me then and there."
It cleared up some of the doubt in his eyes, and she moved to sit next to him. Her husband was walking into the home of his old enemy, and Cecile moved to the front. 'Thank you.' She sat on his lap, and he wrapped an arm around her waist.
"Suzaku, are you afraid for me, or afraid to oppose Britannia?" She looked him in the eyes, hand under his chin so he could not look away from her.
He tried to turn away, but she gripped him harder. She may have been a more fragile woman, but his posture weakened in the face of her will. He took a breath as he collected himself, trucks loaded with people and supplies passing by them as they joined a number of vehicles that were headed back to the settlement.
Yet all of her attention was on her lover, and he let out a heavy sigh, "I don't know." The princess frowned, and she could see those questions bounced around his head. As much as she wanted to pretend that she didn't have her own doubts, she had her own sitting in her gut. But now was not the time.
"Good. Just follow my lead for now and avoid antagonizing the Black Knights."
"Understood." He took a deep breath, "Is this what you want?"
Her lips became a thin line as she let him wrap his arms around her further, "Whether or not it's what I wanted isn't important. It's what I need to do."
Author Note
Welcome back! Combat has truly started, and I hope I made a good show of making the Knights of the Round an actual threat. They felt like they were barely there in the original R2, and I wanted to show how Kallen and Suzaku are going to have to work hard to beat them. When the supposed Knight of One basically gets chumped and barely shows his skill, it can only go up to show why they are feared. I want to try to show why they are feared and respected. And don't worry, Kallen will get her revenge. I'll see you guys next time! And have a happy holidays!