2017 a.t.b rapidly came to a close. The final official Black Knights meeting for the year was held on December 26th, with Zero presiding as usual. Most in attendance were his inner circle, that being Ohgi's group.
And this time they had a conundrum on their hands.
"What do you mean it wasn't us?" Tamaki asked incredulously. "I thought you were pulling double duty or something!"
They were currently covering the 'mysterious' deaths that occurred during October and November. The incidents stopped, but investigating them took some time.
Zero shook his head, gaze more on the papers than Tamaki. "No," he denied. "Someone else used us as the scapegoat for their own work."
He suspected Cornelia, but could not fathom her reason for doing so. Most of the people in question were not her political opponents, nor had they slighted her. Yet the deaths coincided with the time Jeremiah Gottwald reported on her conducting some discreet investigation.
Gottwald was another subject of worry, though not for this meeting. Nunnally should not have let him leave with the knowledge of their survival; even if it ended up working out, she took too many risks.
He did not have the time to reminisce about that extra anxiety or the insightful meeting last month, though; voices of discontent sounded from his subordinates, some demanding that the misunderstanding be cleared up.
Zero silenced them with a sharp gesture, then offered his own thoughts: "While it's true that we are not responsible, those who blamed them on us inadvertently gave our reputation a boost; we're seen working tirelessly to fulfill the promise I gave this country."
"That's right," Ohgi agreed. "We had notable increases in new recruits the last few months. Chances are it's related."
Inoue still glared at her own set of papers as if they offended her lineage. "But who did it?" she asked almost petulantly.
He considered whether to tell them for a moment; there was value in not painting a clear target, but appearing knowledgeable seemed the better strategy in terms of benefits. So he indulged the question, even if it was not meant for him directly.
"Cornelia is the most likely candidate. A number of the people blamed on us would have been difficult to punish for whatever transgression they committed. Most of them were on my list of targets as well."
His reasoning earned a number of disbelieving looks. He understood the sentiment, though he knew better.
Then Tamaki pipep up again, confused more than anything: "But she's a princess, can't she just, I dunno-" he snapped his finger for emphasis "-and they're gone?"
At first Zero thought this was just Tamaki being his rash self again. It took him a moment to realise that everyone but Kallen seemed genuinely baffled. They truly did not understand the issue.
Kallen herself rubbed her forehead. "That's the dumbest thing I heard all day," she told him bluntly. Tamaki bristled.
"Oi, what's-"
"Enough."
Zero's voice cut through the brewing argument. Tamaki shut up, but kept glaring until Zero continued to play peacemaker.
"You were obviously trained in these matters due to your lineage, Kallen," he began, making the redhead stiffen. "But I reckon few if any of our Japanese members had the chance or the need to ever learn the limits of royal influence."
Others nodded their agreement and Kallen ducked her head in response, mumbling an apology. Tamaki was mollified, which meant crisis averted.
Ohgi was the one to follow up, as he often did, curious more than anything: "Do you know how it works, Zero?"
He nodded, to nobody's surprise. His being Britannian was not forgotten, although he had no idea if they ever told Kallen about it.
"In short, while the imperial princes and princesses possess a great deal of official and soft power, there are limits. Just like a Japanese prime minister can't make a member of his cabinet vanish with the flick of his wrist, a royal can't do so with a member of the nobility."
"They can, actually," Kallen argued back with something akin to petulance. All eyes turned to her, prompting to elaborate. "It's more that everyone will figure out who did it, a lot of trust will be lost, and there may be assassins down the line. So that kinda stuff usually goes over scapegoats and carefully hidden trails."
Zero nodded. "You're correct, though I feel this is equal to being unable to. Not even the emperor himself can order a member of his court executed without providing ample reason. Now, of course such a reason could be fabricated, but while the common person may simply believe it, those higher up will investigate."
"Especially if they might be on the chopping block next, or when it's one of their allies getting kicked to the curb," Kallen added.
Politics. Though he understood them, he hated them with a passion. Nothing was ever easy once alliances and opposed goals came into play.
At least their back-and-forth fostered understanding among the rest; agreeing noises were made and everyone began nodding along.
Zero had nothing more to add on the subject, so he backtracked to the actual point of interest. They quickly made their way through that list of Cornelia's victims to find commonalities; all Zero saw were targets she could hardly remove officially. Others wondered what made her off them in the first place, and why she blamed it on the Black Knights of all people.
Sugiyama suspected that she wanted to unify her enemies before finishing them off in one stroke. He may have a good point there, even.
Lelouch thought that Cornelia guessed his identity and tried to support him for reasons unknown. Her sending Gottwald his way was the reason he even entertained the notion. That and the fact not a word about his, Lelouch's, survival had been breathed to anyone in the several months she knew about it.
She all but fed them her undesirables, supporting Zero's cause while improving her own hand at the same time. A classic Cornelia, but an effective maneuver nonetheless.
They were almost through the list when his phone began to vibrate. Not the separate one he used to conduct Black Knights operations, but his private phone.
"A moment," he requested immediately. "I must take a call."
The others let him go easily enough. As much as Lelouch wanted to pull out his phone immediately, he waited until after the door was closed behind him. Whatever Nunnally called him about, it must be important.
Taking off his mask, Lelouch frowned at the display as he took the call. He worried for a moment, but pushed that aside; his sister and those around her would keep her safe.
"What is it, Angel?"
"Bad news," she retorted at once, not bothering with greetings just like him.
"Are you compromised?"
"No, other bad news. The JLF was annihilated on Christmas Eve."
His brows rose in response. Lelouch rapidly had to reevaluate the situation because that was not among the things he expected to hear.
"How certain are you?"
"Absolutely," Nunnally said without hesitation. "I got it right from the source." Meaning Kaguya. "It's madness at their place right now. We know from the survivors that the JLF dealt significant casualties before getting defeated. Mainly thanks to the new material we helped provide, too. But they had that white Knightmare to contend with. I also have its designation now, but not the pilot: KMF Lancelot."
Lelouch grimaced at the reminder of that Knightmare. He well remembered how it completely messed up his plans in Shinjuku. At least he now knew what excursion those Purists went on that Gottwald reported killed in action; the man was not privy to the mission after his fall from grace. A man named Kewell led in his stead, only to return in a casket.
"Did our friends manage to get some field test data for the new material?" Lelouch asked next, unwilling to dwell on the major loss. Kyoto House gave the new power armour designs and improved Knightmares to the JLF first, so hopefully something came of it.
Unfortunately, Nunnally could only hum in thought. "I didn't think to ask."
"Unfortunate, but alright. What else were you told?"
There was a moment's pause and the faint rustle of paper, then Nunnally explained: "The new material bought the JLF enough time to destroy all data they had on other cells and supporters, including the house."
Which meant Kyoto House was still reasonably safe from discovery. This was a relief, seeing how Lelouch wanted to use their resources for himself.
The way Nunnally kept quiet after that gave him cause to worry, though.
"And the survivors?" Lelouch prompted carefully. "Do we know how many made it out?"
Nunnally hesitated. "Two," she said slowly. "Tohdoh and one of his students, a Shogo Asahina."
Lelouch closed his eyes to digest this. That was horrible news. The JLF's near complete annihilation would shatter morale among many, even if Tohdoh himself survived. A single name could not carry an entire movement like this.
"Only them? Are our friends certain?"
His sister hesitated there, which meant that splinter forces may have made it out after all. She would not hold back if she knew for sure.
"They didn't hear from anyone else yet. Asahina was the one to contact them earlier. I don't know any specifics, but he seemed certain there was nobody left."
"It may be fatalism, but I would not be surprised. She prides herself on perfection after all."
Nunnally made an agreeing noise, then sighed. "And that experimental Knightmare Frame only makes the odds worse."
He had to frown in response to this. Now it was her being fatalistic. "A single machine can't turn the tide of a war, Angel," Lelouch admonished.
"It was not a war for them, though," Nunnally retorted softly. "This was pest control."
There was an odd undercurrent to her voice, something he could not place over the phone. Lelouch himself immediately hated the term she used, even though he agreed with her assessment. He growled back.
"Then we make it one. Can you get me Tohdoh's location?"
A beat.
"Give me some time."
She hung up without another word, leaving Lelouch to stand in silence for a moment. He let the new information percolate through his head, allowing doubts to speak before squashing them.
Losing the country's largest resistance group was capital-B Bad, but it was also an opportunity; the Japan Liberation Front hogged most of Kyoto House's resources and advanced material. With them gone, Kyoto would need to find new groups to fill the void. Seeing how his Black Knights made a name for themselves by now, they may well be on the shortlist.
And if he could get Tohdoh, that would legitimise them as a successor of sorts.
Pocketing his phone, Lelouch put the mask back on. All hesitation washed away from his form. Suppressing his body's tells was not easy, but doable. At least as long as he did not have to worry about his facial expression.
Zero strode back into the main area, where the inner circle was also taking a break. Their discussion on how life had been petered out by the time he returned to his seat.
"Did something happen?" Minami asked the question on everyone's mind, habitually pushing his glasses back up.
He already considered how to play this, hence why he inclined his head at the pink-haired man and explained: "A matter that must be kept secret for the time being. Even I only heard through a well-placed contact."
The tension rose in response to his spiel. Everyone leaned forward, waiting for him to break the news.
"The Japan Liberation Front was destroyed."
One could hear a pin drop in the following silence. Eyes widened, faces paled, and a soft "Damn" from Tamaki shattered the quiet.
"How bad is it?" Ohgi asked, clearly nervous but not letting that stop him.
"Only two survivors are confirmed at this time," Zero answered, well aware how everyone sagged. It was not a sign of relief. He laid out in brief what Nunnally told him, but kept quiet on their speculations.
"Hence why I must cut this meeting short," he ended. "You will have to conclude it without me."
"Where are you going?" Tamaki asked, for once without any heat.
Before Zero could respond, a message pinged on his second phone. No more than an address, but everything he needed. His lips quirked upward beneath the mask, then he focussed back on Tamaki without letting anyone see the display.
"I intend to make the best out of this situation. Take some time to come to terms with this, everyone; times are changing, and so must we."
He did not actually answer the question, though. It prevented false hopes in case he failed to recruit the man.
Then Zero rose once again, earning a smattering of well wishes. The chatter started before he was even out the door of their mobile base; this certainly was one way to spoil the new year.
He only made it one block away before a car pulled up by his side, innocuously coloured and with tinted windows. C.C. rolled down the window, for once wearing a prim and proper dress alongside her usual smirk. Zero climbed into the front seat as soon as she opened the door for him, then lowered his mask once it closed.
She did not say a word, likely waiting for Lelouch to ask how she got here. Then again, there were only a handful of possibilities.
"Did Nunnally tell you to fetch me?"
"No, she asked nicely. You would be surprised how far you get with a woman by being polite."
He just snorted in response, well aware that C.C. did as she pleased. "You may not be aware, but politeness should be afforded mutually."
"Only if you want something from the other side and have no other way to get it," the immortal answered cheekily, though her eyes stayed on the road.
Lelouch wanted to sigh, but that would let her know she got to him. So he swallowed the impulse. Outside of that, he absently smoothed out his suit while watching the street cautiously. It was still bright, but there could always be a patrol or something in their way.
Then again, them driving a modern car in this area of town made it easy enough to not be stopped for any controls. Hiding his Black Knights in a vehicle that toured Tokyo Settlement paid off in dividends; nobody thought to look for them on the Britannian side.
"What are you going to do with the survivors?" C.C. asked at some point. "End the JLF for good?"
Lelouch did not even bother shaking his head, gaze resting on the buildings passing by.
"No. A legendary commander without affiliation is far too tempting for anyone. I'm just getting a head start on the race to recruit him."
"And if he refuses?"
Her question was half mocking and half curious; Lelouch still had trouble telling whether she meant to tease him, or just did not care about her presentation. All the same, he had no real answer to that question; right now he was making it up as he went.
"I'm not sure yet, but I'm not killing him either way," he decided.
C.C. gave no verbal response, but the quick look she threw him was telling in its own way. Lelouch rolled his eyes. "And no Geass. It's a tool to advance my goals, not a crutch to keep me walking at all."
"Ah, there is that pride of yours. I was wondering where it went."
He did not rise to the bait, far too familiar with her antics by now. Rather, Lelouch rested his chin in one palm to think. What would he say to Tohdoh? Which approach would he take? How could he maximise his chances for success?
No more words were spoken as he slowly developed a plan. C.C. maneuvered them through the downtown area and out of Tokyo proper in the meantime; their destination lay in the former Gunma Prefecture, north of Tokyo and Saitama. Tohdoh and Asahina fled from Narita in Chiba Prefecture, making their way to a safehouse in Gunma after shaking pursuit over several hours.
Britannian dominion was less pronounced in the countryside. It almost felt free here, if one ignored the occasional highway patrols. Like they were just on an innocuous trip.
Despite his idle musings, Lelouch had a gameplan set by the time they arrived. C.C. pulled up and let him disembark, mask on, then parked the car in a somewhat hidden spot to wait for him.
It was cold outside and already close to nightfall, so there were few people around. All of them were Japanese, and all of them stared after him with wide eyes. Walking places in the open like this remained weird, but sometimes it could not be helped. Yet somehow, Zero did not have to run from the police on any previous occasions; if he had to guess, the officers would not believe any caller that Zero out of all people walked around so brazenly.
He felt winter's cold even in his suit, quietly thankful for the pocketwarmers Sayoko snuck in at some point. They made it easier to stroll up to the building in question with an air of quiet dignity.
A firm set of knocks on the apartment door yielded no response. With no signs of violent entry, Lelouch rolled his eyes and rung the bell. He heard it, but again nobody opened.
So he rung it again. And again. And again.
It took ten rings before an irate Japanese man tore the door open, voice raised: "Alright alright, what-"
He swallowed whatever cussing he was about to do at the sight of Zero. Lelouch studied the man with a childish sense of vindictive glee at the whole thing; his round glasses stood out in a face framed by a short curtain of dark hair. He was obviously fit and struck an imposing figure, even clad in a shirt and jeans like he was.
Seeing him slowly rub his eyes in disbelief, Zero decided to help things along without playing his hand. Just in case he had the wrong place.
"You know why I'm here."
Be it the noise or the words themselves, they shook the other man out of his disbelief. He nodded faintly and stepped back. "Yeah, I can guess. Please come in, uh, Zero?"
"Thank you for your hospitality," Zero answered. The phrase came easily as he entered, the door closing behind him. This was not a large place, but big enough for two to stay comfortably.
The man who let him in bowed lightly, playing over his confusion. "I'm Asahina Shogo. Tohdoh-san is in the sitting room."
Zero inclined his head in turn, though he stayed in place for now. He did not need to appear rushed, even if he wanted to get to it. "You already know who I am, Asahina-san. How are you holding up?"
It was half curiousity, half a desire for information that made him ask. The JLF's fall was a heavy blow, yet Asahina seemed quite composed for a man who lost everything a bare few hours ago.
Said man ran a hand through his messy hair with a sigh. "To be honest, it could be better," he admitted. "We lost many good men and women, but I'm okay. Tohdoh-san... isn't. Maybe you can help."
This was worrying to hear, but Zero did not show it. He simply nodded once more and let Asahina lead him to the sitting room.
His first suspicion, that Tohdoh was wounded, was incorrect. The worst about him were the heavy bags under his eyes. He stared at the table listlessly, his sharp features almost soft in apathy. A partly emptied cup of tea sat between his hands, long since gone cold.
"Tohdoh-san?" Asahina coaxed quietly, "you have a visitor."
"I heard."
His voice was a faint rasp, nothing like the quiet certainty Lelouch remembered. It was saddening to see a man like Tohdoh have trouble even looking up; once he lifted his head and saw Zero, the only reaction he gave was a faint blink.
"Oh. You."
"I," Zero agreed, stepping forward to take the seat opposite of Tohdoh. Asahina ambled away to make tea, giving him the chance to start unpacking this: "It's unexpected to see a man such as you worn down in this manner."
The older man huffed, regaining his sharpness for just a moment. His jawline and piercing gaze stood out, only to fall back into their previous state.
"Who wouldn't, after losing their comrades, their leader, and their cause."
"Your cause is not lost, though," Zero argued calmly.
In turn, Tohdoh shrugged. "The facts don't change from playing games with words, Zero. General Katase is dead and the JLF went with him. I have to face that Britannia can not be defeated."
So it was hopelessness. Lelouch understood that feeling on a deeply personal level; being down and seeing no way out. Yet at the same time, hearing Tohdoh state it like a fact of life ticked him off. He carefully folded both hands to stare at the man, who felt the intensity of his gaze even with a mask in the way.
"Does the JLF's failure make you so certain of that?" he challenged.
Tohdoh's own countenance was as stiff as if he wore a mask himself, carved from stone instead of steel. His answer came almost gently.
"I faced that white Knightmare you also saw. The five of us did, really. Asahina, Chiba, Senba, and Urabe were all with me. It took all we had just to draw even with that monster's specs. The pilot was good enough to fight us even outnumbered. If Britannia has people like that, can produce things like these, what chance do we have? Their industrial power is far greater than ours, they can make more of them than we ever could."
He left a pause, but Zero did not interject yet. He could tell there was more to say.
Tohdoh tried to sip his cold tea, only to make a face and launch back into it.
"Then Cornelia herself reinforced the white one, with her royal guard right behind. There was nothing we could do beside run, no matter the new machines we got from Kyoto. Our best didn't even make a dent."
A kettle started shrieking in the background, ignored by both yet the only sound between them. Zero could see the point Tohdoh made, even if he did not like it.
"Perhaps it is borne from my lack of knowledge in this case, but I have to disagree. The Japan Liberation Front sold itself dearly and inflicted a sizable number of losses on Cornelia's forces. Moreover, they held long enough to destroy all trails leading to other resistance groups or Kyoto themselves."
"Which is no more than a silver lining in this nightmare."
"Yet there are others who can carry on the torch," Zero pressed. "If you give up now-" "Halt."
The interruption came sharp, but not unkindly. Zero paused, allowing Tohdoh to give him a searching look in turn. He bore something akin to a smile, pitiful more than anything.
"I can tell now that you're fairly young," Tohdoh said. His calm words gave the other man goosebumps, making him wonder if he had been found out. Tohdoh, unaware of these worries, carried on: "You're young and still full of fire. Wherever you were the last seven years, you have not lived what we lived. Slowly crawling our way toward a distant goal, so alluring in how unachievable it ever seemed. Then, before we even made one real step, Britannia dropped the hammer on us with distinction."
At first it felt condescending, but the everpresent undercurrent of despair made Lelouch's indignation melt. He knew the feeling too well to take offense; he felt it for many years, like a log swept out to sea and unable to direct his course.
This was advice, given from an elder to their junior.
Tohdoh had broken.
C.C. giving him Geass was the moment Lelouch reached solid ground again. Nunnally was similar, though she found herself after reconnecting with Kaguya.
Were it not for his sister, Lelouch never would have realised what he must do now.
A steaming cup was placed in front of him in the ensuing silence. Asahina replaced Tohdoh's cup as well, both men taking a little sip. Zero let the quiet linger a moment longer to prepare himself, then turned to Asahina.
"May I speak to Tohdoh-san in private?"
It was not an unreasonable request, all things considered. The other man did not seem particularly wary about it either. If anything, he was worried.
"If it's of no bother, I would rather be here."
"What I have to say is for his ears only, I'm afraid. My apologies."
His polite words and tone caused a moment of indecision, though Asahina eventually nodded. "Then I, uh, I guess I'll go take a little walk."
Even after saying it, he looked to Tohdoh for permission first. The older man inclined his head, and so Asahina left. They listened to his footsteps until the front door closed audibly, then Tohdoh glanced back to Zero.
"If you do plan to kill me for some reason, I will not resist," he said. "I have nothing left to fight for."
Zero heaved a sigh in response. One of the few he allowed himself under the mask.
"This is not the man I remember meeting all these years ago," he answered softly.
The admission clearly surprised Tohdoh; the conundrum kicked his mind into gear, but he clearly failed to see the truth yet.
"I understand your feelings, Tohdoh-san. Better than most, I imagine. But we're already dead if we stop struggling. That's it, Britannia wins. And this, I can not accept."
"What path are we supposed to walk if there is none?" Tohdoh challenged, eyes narrowed at Zero.
"Then we make our own, no matter how hard."
He was stalling, even though he knew it must be done. Zero hesitantly reached up to his mask. This could be a colossal mistake, yet no ordinary pep talk would reach this man now. The risk was worth the potential reward, especially with his Geass as a failsafe.
"I can't stop even if it's impossible," he explained. Traces of his well-restrained anger wormed their way into his voice. "I refuse to bow my head and accept that Britannia wins without repercussions."
The mask slid back and off his head, letting him meet Tohdoh's befuddled gaze.
"You know I can't," Lelouch drawled, for once in his actual timbre. Recognition followed at once, the older man's eyes growing large.
"You?" Tohdoh asked tonelessly, afraid.
"I."
He held his head high as he awaited questions or even accusations, but nothing came. So Lelouch kept talking: "I have crawled my way back from hell, and there is nothing that will make me stop."
It was a lie, really. He did not even want to think about anything happening to Nunnally. Yet it served its purpose in rattling Tohdoh. The other man took a shaky breath and more tea, emptying his cup in a single drag. Lelouch sipped in the meantime, the picture of elegance. He gave Tohdoh time to come to terms with the ghost he saw.
"So the reports of your death were wrong?" he finally asked with forced calm, prompting Lelouch to nod.
"I did what I could to not be found."
"To what end?" Tohdoh asked, a sense of sharpness returning to his tone. "What could a prince want to don this mask?"
The clear accusation made Lelouch slip. His expression sharpened into an angry glare, one that Tohdoh clearly saw before Lelouch regained control.
"Can only the Japanese want for Japan to be free once more?" he shot back with a clear edge to his words. "Is only blood allowed to care for blood? I thought you of all people would understand. You were the only one who never looked down on us for being born as we were."
Tohdoh winced in response and bowed his head. "No, you are correct. I apologise. This is still hard to believe."
Though he seemed genuinely apologetic, Tohdoh remained somewhat cautious. It was understandable, Lelouch thought. He calmed himself, watching how the older man's expression shifted to worry.
"What about her?" he asked next. No clarification was needed.
Lelouch's face was made of stone now. Every part of him shouted to lie, to not give anyone even a hint as to Nunnally's survival. But the rational part of him reminded that she was involved and would continue to be.
"I carried her out of there myself. She has been well cared for over the years. Sumeragi-chan is fine as well, though I only learned that recently."
Tohdoh exhaled deeply in response. "That is good to hear," he said as some tension fell off of him. "You were all far too young to be dragged into this war."
Lelouch inclined his head bitterly. "Alas, war does not care if you're ready for it."
"Yes."
They said no more for a time, both caught up in memories of better times long gone.
"Whether you like it or not, Tohdoh-san," Lelouch offered in a softer tone, "you are a symbol to your people. An accomplished warrior and leader. The miracle at Itsukushima is still remembered as the only victory Japan achieved during the invasion."
A mixture of grunt and huff were the response he gave.
"So you want another miracle from me?" Tohdoh asked with some bitterness of his own.
Lelouch shook his head. "No," he denied. "What we call miracles is when that which we think impossible is achieved, never realising it was merely improbable. I can make my own, as you should well know by now."
He gave a demonstrative tap to the mask he placed on the table, continuing once the other man nodded his understanding: "What I want from you is to chew through the pain and loss and keep going. No matter how hard it is, losing the JLF and you in the span of a week may just break the Japanese's hope of freedom for good."
Tohdoh nodded once more as he closed his eyes to think. This was the moment. They got carried away at some points, but Lelouch could tell they arrived at the conclusion.
"I see your wisdom, but there is little I can do alone."
"I'm right here, Tohdoh-san."
The older man's eyes opened abruptly, only to behold Lelouch offering his hand. The younger man smiled ever so faintly, commiserating in a way few could. "If you can go no further on your own, let me steady you, at least for a time. Let me make use of your reputation and abilities to turn this dream into reality."
Tohdoh looked down at the offered hand for a long time. Sometimes he alternated to Lelouch himself, whatever thoughts went on behind his eyes an enigma. Lelouch did not need to know them, though. He knew he succeeded when Tohdoh slowly reached out and took his hand. Awkward as the motion was with a table between them, it meant a great deal more than a mere gesture.
"Very well," Tohdoh agreed, tired. "One last attempt."
Lelouch smiled, an earnest one this time. He felt gleeful that he got what he wanted, but also genuinely happy that this old soldier could still keep walking. Everyone had their breaking point and Tohdoh clearly reached his. But instead of staying on the ground, even if it took some help, he stood back up.
The time until Asahina returned was spent discussing how to prepare. The moment Tohdoh's protegé heard about his mentor joining the Black Knights, he signed up at once. He later thanked Zero profusely for whatever he did to lift Tohdoh's spirits.
And be it the legendary commander's presence or the situation with the JLF, Zero received an invitation from Kyoto House a mere two days later. Set for January 4th.