AN:

DarkDremora: I don't know the exact word for it, but yes. NT Kallen can feel what OT Kallen feels through a projected way.

REKS021: I'm planning on keeping Rai's base story the same as in the game. But yes, he did have some experiments done on him to improve his physical abilities, he just doesn't have the Immortality like Alice and the rest of the Irregulars.

Guest: Nichol is alive. I don't think Sakuya and Ash will meet, as I just don't see a way that could realistically happen. Speaking of Sakuya, I didn't even notice the difference in eye color, so thank you for pointing that out.

Alan Wake: I try to stay unbiased when writing each character. So, despite how much I hate Rai, I'm not going to give him a bittersweet ending just because I don't like him. Character bashing (and similar actions) isn't something I'm a fan of in writing.

Chapter 105: Plan

September 2nd. Black Knight Warehouse. India. Chennai. 11:30AM.

"Are you sure we should do this without Kally?" Clara asked as she sat next to Zero, "What if things get violent?"

"If Oz were truly like that, then he would've attempted something already." Lelouch responded while Rolo sat on his other side, "We'll be able to handle this through words. However, if things do get physical, then…" the slot for his left eye opened up, "I'm more than prepared to do what's necessary."

Rolo rested his chin on his hand, and mumbled, "I'm starting to have second thoughts about this."

"Well, you're not backing out now." the Prince proclaimed as the slot closed, "We have to end this here and now."

Rolo shifted in his seat – crossing legs – while Clara says, "Don't worry about it, Rolo. As long as we're around, everything's gonna be okay."

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door, followed by Naoto's voice, "Zero. He's here."

"Let him in." Lelouch responded, with the entrance creaking open, and Oz stepping inside – leaving Naoto to guard the door, "Welcome. Please, have a seat anywhere."

"You wanted to speak with me?" the mercenary asked while sitting in Naoto's chair.

"Correct. As you can see, I'm joined by Rolo and Clara, two people I'm sure you're already familiar with."

"So… how much have they told you?"

"I pretty much have the whole story. Except, for the parts from your perspective. But I don't think hearing what you saw will change anything."

Orpheus leaned back, keeping a calm poker face, "Is that so? Are you asking me to forgive him?"

"Nothing of the sort." Lelouch answered, much to his guest's surprise, "I understand you're angry, and Rolo's actions back then were reprehensible. However, is there anyway he can possibly make amends with you? Without involving his death?"

"Why do you value him so much? You know where he comes from, right? Aren't you worried about him backstabbing you?"

"That won't happen." the Prince proclaimed, "Now, is there anyway-"

"What makes you so sure?" Oz interjected, "Don't you know how loyal Rolo is to V.V?"

"He was manipulated by that man his whole life." Zero explained, "Even when he was tasked with killing you, he hesitated-"

"It didn't look like that from where I stood. It was thanks to Euliya that I was able to make it out of there alive."

"She jumped in the bullet's path…" Rolo mumbled with dejected eyes, "She… couldn't see its trajectory, but I was aiming for your ear-"

"So it's her fault?"

"N-no. I still pulled the trigger. It was just a misunderstanding."

"A misunderstanding?" Orpheus got up, "Her death was just a 'misunderstanding'?" he took a step forward, only for Clara to meet him, in an attempt to calm him down, "Euliya lost life that day because you chose to go through with V.V's orders. There was no misunderstanding. You're just trying to duck responsibility by saying otherwise."

"That's not true." Rolo responded while getting up, "What I did was wrong, I understand that. However, I'm just telling you what happened. And honestly? If it were up to me, we wouldn't even be having this conversation. Because I know you'd still hate me regardless."

"At least we can agree on something." Orpheus sat down, much to the girl's relief.

"So, is there really nothing we can do to make amends?" Lelouch asked one last time, hoping for a best case scenario.

"I suppose… there might be one."

"What is it?"

Oz leaned forward, "If Rolo can kill V.V, then I'll consider it a debt repaid."

"But that task is-"

"And, he has to help me annihilate Pluton. The group responsible behind the attack." Orpheus finished his sentence.

Zero's eyes narrowed, "Oz. You must be aware of V.V's circumstances, correct?"

"Naturally."

"So you must be aware of the impossibility of this task?"

"Absolutely."

Lelouch crossed his arms, "So what? You're pulling our leg?"

"Not at all. If Rolo's truly committed to proving himself, then he'll find a way. And, I'm sure there's someone around here who can help him."

"C.C? Ah. That's right. If we can create conditions similar to the ones in Zilkhstan, then there's a chance we could steal his code." Lelouch thought, not thinking to question how Orpheus knew C.C – chalking it up to his brief time in the Order. "Then we'll have to attack the order as soon as possible."

"Are you sure that's wise?" Rolo asked, "After all, it's in the heart of the Chinese Federation. There's no way we'll be able to get there unnoticed."

At the end of the day, it wasn't just about the skill of their pilots, but the number as well. Sure, Kallen could take on hundreds, maybe even thousands of Gun Ru's all on her own, but with another ten thousand on the horizon, it'll be a losing battle regardless of skill. The Black Knights just don't have the numbers to cut straight to the order.

"So, we'll just have to deal with the High Eunuch first, won't we?" Zero answered plainly, "After all, once we restore Empress Tianzi's power, we'll be able to travel through without interference."

"Does that mean you're setting a date for the battle now?"

"Hold on. I need to call someone." as the masked man said this, Clara handed him his phone, only for Orpheus to raise a hand.

"Wait. Is it Rakshata? If so, there's another thing I must inform you about your… ship's development."

"What's that?"

"Aside from a few system checks, it's completed development."

"Ahead of schedule? Excellent." Zero smirked beneath his mask, "And I assume the Knightmare's are the same?"

"Just about. You might be a frame or two short, though."

"I wonder how they were able to achieve that in such a short amount of time? Regardless, I should be thankful, because now my plans can be sped up greatly." Lelouch unfolded his arms, and leaned forward, "When will you be ready?"

"At a moment's notice, my group is ready to mobilize." Oz responded casually, "Just decide the date, and I'll inform our client."

Suddenly, Lelouch felt his cape being tugged, which turned out to be Clara, who whispered, "What about Kallen and Benio? We can't go too soon, otherwise she won't be prepared."

"That's a good point… but I don't think we'll need to give Benio too much time. After all, I don't plan on deploying her on such short notice."

"I see…"

Zero turned back to Orpheus and asked, "How about the 30th?"

"At the end of the month? Very well. That should be enough time to get everything ready."

Rolo watched as Oz got up and headed for the door, "I'll contact our client, and let them know we've decided on a date."

Once their guest left, the former Geass assassin let out a sigh of relief as Lelouch took off his mask, "That went better than expected. How do you feel, Rolo?"

"I… don't know. There's still a large task at hand in taking out V.V, but at least there's a way."

"Just focus on the Pluton portion. V.V's death will come with time." the Prince set his mask on the table, and grabbed his tablet, "Do you have any idea where this group is?"

"I'm afraid… they're not exactly people I can come in contact with." the black-haired boy explained, "You see, Pluton answers directly to the Emperor. Until we pose as a direct threat to him, we probably won't be facing them anytime soon."

"I see. Well, I suppose all of this will come in time." he reached for his phone and prepared to dial a number, "I'll be calling Rakshata. You two are free to leave if you please."

"Do you want me to tell Kallen about the plan?"

"I'll announce a meeting later, so that won't be necessary." just as the duo was about to leave his office, Zero stopped the girl by saying, "And one more thing, Clara. I know it might not have seemed like much, but I appreciate you for trying to calm Oz."

"Oh?" the girl practically slid back onto the couch and nudged his shoulder, "Mind saying that again?"

Lelouch sighed, "I appreciate you for trying to calm Oz."

"Say it again." with pink cheeks and a smile, she poked his side playfully, "Like you really mean it."

"I think that's enough praise for you. I can already see your head expanding from what I've already given you."

"Oh come on!" Clara continued pestering cutely, "Just one more time, please?"

"Fine. But you'd best leave me alone afterward." he responded, to which she nodded eagerly to, "Clara, I'm grateful that you tried to calm Oz. I'm sure if it were Kallen, she would've probably beat him up."

The pink-haired girl practically purred at the compliment, and followed that up by circling the sofa like a cat for a minute, before leaving the office, earning an eye roll from Lelouch. "Perhaps that was a mistake. Admittedly, while she did help to calm him, it wasn't necessarily integral to the conversation." he shrugged while dialing Rakshata's phone number, "Actually… it's not that big of a deal. A little praise once in a while shouldn't hurt. I just hope she doesn't go bragging to Kallen." he shivered at the idea, knowing that his last sentence would most definitely be used against him, "Or maybe I should've just kept my mouth shut."

A few hours later.

"How was training?" Lelouch asked as Kallen entered with Naoto, and Tohdoh.

"It went great." she responded while sitting next to him, "Benio's made some pretty good progress. By the way, Maya and Mario will join us soon. They're just taking care of the Sougetsu for now."

Just as she said this, Clara and Rolo entered, and sat on the sofa while Naoto let out a groan in his chair, "Did someone sit here?" he asked while feeling the cushion, "This feels off."

"I don't know what you're talking about." the Prince mumbled as Tohdoh sat in the chair across from the Kozuki.

"Dude, I swear someone sat here."

"Does it really matter?"

"Of course it does." he leaned back in his seat and explained, "I don't necessarily mind if you sit here, but I would just like to know."

"It's kind of weird." Maya chimed in as she entered the room.

"Is it?"

"Yeah. Somehow you were able to tell that your chair had been sat in. I think that's pretty weird." she grabbed two pillows off the Prince's couch, and set them on the floor toward the window.

Mario sat on one, while she took the other, "You wished to speak with us?"

"Yes. As you all may know, our next objective pertains to striking the Chinese Federation, which we'll be working with Peace Mark to achieve." Lelouch explained as the group carefully listened, "Our client has expressed discontent with the current system, especially the High Eunuch and their exploitation of Empress Tianzi – using her status to further their own gains."

"And to solve this, we'll kidnap her, right? We've already been over this." Naoto asked.

"Yes. Except… the dates been moved to the 30th of this month."

"Seriously? What changed?"

"It's in part due to Rakshata finishing the Ikaruga early."

"And the other part?"

"Well… let's just say that there's another problem within the Chinese Federation we have to deal with, but we can't due to the High Eunuch's presence." the Prince glanced at Rolo briefly, before continuing, "Once we reinstate Empress Tianzi, we should be able to operate freely from the Chinese Federation."

"What about Britannia?" Tohdoh chimed in, "Surely they won't just allow the Federation to knowingly house us."

"That's a good point. However, if we play our cards right, the Black Knights will only appear as mere terrorists causing turmoil within the Chinese Federation, which would only further strengthen the already growing neutrality between the two nations."

"But behind the scenes, Empress Tianzi would secretly support us?" Kallen added

"Correct. The only problem is kidnapping the Empress. After all, she's usually kept in constant lockdown tight-knit security." the Prince brought out a tablet, and showed the group a picture of the Federation's capital, "Naturally, we can't go in there with full force – we'll have to sneak in and secretly capture her."

"But how will we do that?" Tohdoh asked, "I don't mean any offense when I say this, but we don't exactly have anyone with the abilities of a Ninja, much less experience in covert missions."

"You don't have to worry about that, I already have a team in mind."

The Miracle Worker glanced at Clara and Rolo, of which the former gave him a smile, "I see. Then I trust your judgment."

"Now, onto the getaway. While I don't fully understand the Ikaruga's capabilities, I've come up with a way we can position it to offer a quick escape." he pulled up a map on his tablet, and zoomed in on the relatively barren terrain, "There's a canyon here that should be wide enough to hide in. This is where our rendezvous point will be."

"Question." Naoto raised his hand, "What are we going to tell Empress Tianzi? She is just a kid, after all. If we just tell her, 'we're doing this for your own good', there's no way that'll end well."

"Then I'll take Princess Kaguya with us. She can be with Empress Tianzi as we escort her out of the capital."

"You're going to rely on her natural kindheartedness to calm the Empress?" Tohdoh questioned, "That's a good idea."

"Especially considering how she's been locked away for so long." Naoto added, "Perhaps she'd be grateful to have a friend."

"There's always the chance that she actually likes being confined to such a space." Maya suggested, "After all, it's the only thing she knows."

"In the time she's been alive, I'm sure she's had at least one thought to escape in an attempt to see the world. Ever heard of Rapunzel?"

"Like the fairy tale? I didn't know you were into that stuff, Naoto."

"Well, Kallen loved the story growing up."

"No I didn't! I hated it!" his sister objected strongly, "And honestly? I think it's the only story you know!"

"What!? But you always asked me to read you a story!"

"Yeah! Though, I expected you to read me something other than Rapunzel!"

"Can we please get back on track?" Lelouch asked, bringing the conversation back to the Chinese Federation, "In the meantime, I need all of you to make some preparations for the coming weeks. We don't have to do anything big this week, but in the coming two, expect things to ramp up slowly."

"Understood." Tohdoh got up, "Do you know what kind of formation we'll be taking, should the time for battle presents itself?"

"I'm still working out the kinks, but for the most part it's done. I'll tell you next week."

"Very well. I trust this operation will be a suitable comeback for the Black Knights."

Once the Miracle Worker left, Mario and Maya followed soon after, saying, "We'll do some check-ups on the Guren and Sougetsu."

"So." Naoto turned to Lelouch, "Do you have an actual plan for sneaking into the capital? Or are you just going to use your Geass?"

"Until things change, that's the best bet I have if I want to sneak in." the Prince explained.

"You could just have Kallen do it."

"No. She's going to be there as a safety net in the Guren." the Prince turned to his girlfriend, "Is that okay with you?"

"As long as you're taking someone with you."

"I'll have Rolo and Clara as backup."

Kallen sighed and rested her head on his shoulder, "I suppose that's better than nothing… though, I'd still prefer if it was me."

"You'll be there." Lelouch responded, "Just a few hundred meters away, that's all."

"Even so, I can't help but feel like something bad's going to happen." Kallen expressed her concern.

"Relax. If something does happen, everyone will be there to support an escape." Naoto explained with a smile, "Besides, I can't imagine something so horrible that it would catch even Lelouch off-guard."

September 5th. 11:38AM. Chinese Federation. Vermilion Forbidden City.

Pollux carefully put his golf ball on the tee, and lined up his club. Then, he swung with all his might, sending the sphere flying through the air, into the open cityscape, where the possibility of it striking someone was extremely high, "Excellent shot, brother." Castor said, while clapping his hands, and passing a pair of binoculars.

"Have you heard anything about Zero?" Pollux responded while looking into the city, catching a glimpse of someone nearly getting hit by his golf ball, "Damn. Missed."

"I got a call earlier this morning." his brother explained while laying across his hammock, "Apparently, they've set the date for the 30th."

Pollux hit another ball, creating a loud pop sound, "Is that so? Have they explained their plan to us?"

"They wish to kidnap the little girl, and use her to lure out the High Eunuch."

"Ugh. Seriously?" the deranged twin threw his club off to the side, and leaned against a post, where a waiter fearfully stood as still as possible, holding a drink, "Hm… perhaps we could make things more… acceptable for him?"

"Hoh? What do you have in mind?"

Pollux chuckled maniacally while taking his drink, "We'll throw a whole festival, allowing for our puppet to be the object of celebration. This will easily put herself in the prime position to be kidnapped."

"Oh! That's a good idea. Then we could execute that plan, right?"

"Exactly. We'll make everything a tantalizing honey trap for Zero, one that he simply cannot resist."

Castor laughed heartily while tapping his chin, "But what should we call the festival?"

"Who cares? Just say it's a harvest festival, and that the Empress is blessing their crop for the next year. These Chinese dumbasses will eat it up like candy." Pollux turned to the waiter, and gripped his head tightly, "Isn't that right?"

"Y-yes sir…" the poor man mumbled before getting tossed into the railing.

"Get me my phone. I need to make a call."

"A-at once!"

Within thirty seconds, the deranged Prince was in possession of the device, and dialed his uncle's number, who answered within moments, "Pollux, what is it?"

"The Black Knights are on the move. They'll be here on the 30th."

He could practically hear the Immortal smirk on the other side, "Excellent. I'll notify Pluton of this development. They should be there on the 26th. Once that happens, they'll be yours to command. And, considering that you've confirmed the date, that means you know Cornelia won't be there, correct?"

"Of course. We wouldn't want big sister's interference in our plans." Pollux responded while giving his brother a devilish smirk, "Castor's also contacted Suzaku already, so you won't need to notify him."

"Have you?" V.V raised an eyebrow of suspicion, "You chose to call him before me?"

"We're contacting both of you at the same time." Pollux lied effortlessly, "Fear not. He'll arrive on the 29th to make sure nobody knows of his presence in the Federation."

"Very well." his uncle responded with a hint of suspicion, "You better not fail."

"Don't worry, uncle. We didn't come this far to do such a thing." the deranged Prince hung up the phone and looked through his contacts, "Now, time for big sis."
"Oh no!" Castor said mockingly, "But brother, if we call Cornelia, then uncle will get mad!"

"Whatever will we do?" the two began laughing maniacally as the phone rang several times, before finally being picked up.

"Hello?"

"Ah, Cornelia." Pollux tapped his foot, "Bring Euphemia to the Chinese Federation on September 29th by any means necessary. You may inform her of an event taking place, where she could meet Empress Tianzi."

Almost robotically, she responded, "It shall be done, brother."

The Witch of Britannia hung up, leaving the twins to their thoughts, "Now… shall we inform our puppet of the big event?"

Area 11. Kirihara Estate. 2:39PM.

"And then, they started dancing in the street. How cute is that?" Euphemia finished telling her story, much to Nunnally, and Lila's delight.

"Wow. I didn't know I was already an aunt." Nunnally said with a smile, "I hope I can meet Sakuya someday, she sounds so cute."

"Me too!" Lila raised her hand, "If she really is so similar to Lelouch, then I definitely want to meet her."

"What about you, Nellis?" Euphemia turned to her older sister, "Don't you want to meet Sakuya?"

"Of course." the Witch of Britannia answered, "Though, it's a shame what happened to Sherry. I would've liked to see her again."

"You knew Sherry?"

"Not well, but I did know her. Schneizel too."

"Was she as nice as they say?"

"I… can't remember." Cornelia scratched the back of her head, while Suzaku, Rai, and Guilford stood outside, guarding the door.

"Suzaku, is it true that you were engaged to Kaguya Sumeragi?" the silver-haired Knight asked, surprising Guilford.

"Ugh. Did you learn that on your trip to Hokkaido?" the Japanese Knight responded with slightly annoyance, "Honestly, it's something that happened a long time ago, so I couldn't care less."

"So it really did happen…" Rai looked down just as the Knight on his right mumbled something, "Did you say something, Guilford?"

"I was just commenting on the recklessness of such an action – marrying two family members together."

"I'm sure it's happened in Britannia before." Suzaku added, "Not that it justifies anything."

"By the way, about that thing you wanted to know about, they called the other day." Guilford informed the Japanese Knight, leaving Rai confused.

"What did they say?"

"From what Cornelia would tell me, we're going to the Chinese Federation on the 29th, and will be staying for at least a week, as per usual. However, they want her to bring Euphemia."

Upon hearing the Princess' name, Rai chimed in, "Wait, who's they? And why do they want Euphie in the Chinese Federation?"

Just as he said this, the girls began giggling in the background, and they caught wind of them discussing the very same topic, "Looks like there's no changing her mind now." Suzaku thought as he heard the aforementioned Princess eagerly agreeing to the idea of meeting the Empress.

"Is there something we should be looking out for?"

Rai continued asking questions, which led Guilford to saying, "Let's just say, I don't necessarily trust some of the figures within the Federation. While we're over there, we should be on high-alert. If we let our guard down for a second, I have a feeling something terrible will happen."

"Shouldn't we warn the Princesses?"

"That's a guarantee. We'll obviously tell them to be cautious, but there's only so much that can do. In order to protect them, we have to intervene ourselves, and take the proper precautions."

"Hm? Protecting Princess'?" the voice of Nonette Enneagram chimed in from down the hall, "Mind if I join in?"

"What are you doing here?" Suzaku asked with slight hostility, which the woman noticed.

"Whoa. Calm down. I was swinging by to meet with Nellis. However, if there's something going on, I want in." she stopped, now holding a serious gaze, "Please. She's my friend, and if there's something threatening her safety, I want to know."

"Suzaku… I think we should get Nonette on board." Rai turned to his former mentor, "Don't you think it would be best to have three Knights of the Round, rather than two?"

"Damn it. What's V.V thinking? Is this the moment where we're supposed to fight Lelouch? If so, why hasn't he contacted me? If he's planning on doing something with Euphie, I'll-"

"Suzaku?" Rai called out to him, "What should we do?"

The Japanese Knight sighed and said, "Fine. We could use the help."

September 17th. Black Knight Warehouse. Chennai. India.

"Ugh! I'm bored!" Tamaki announced while staring into the empty sea, "Yo! When's the surprise gonna arrive?"

"They'll get here when they get here." Zero answered as Naoto dragged his chair onto the dock, preparing it for transport, alongside the rest of their equipment, "Besides, you can't miss it. It's a massive ship."

"Hopefully it's not so noticeable, that the entire city is able to see it." Maya mumbled as the upper half of her body hung off the dock out of sheer boredom.

"Well, it's supposed to be submersible." Kallen added, "So they're probably underwater right now."

Mario grabbed his sister by the back of her shirt, and lifted her into a standing position, much to her protest, "Don't lay on the ground. It's dirty."

"But I'm tired of standing!" she whined while trying to fall over, only to be caught in the process, "Let me go!"

"No way. You're gonna get hurt like-huh?" her brother suddenly felt a few light taps on his back, which caused him to glance behind, where Benio was landing light strikes, "What are you doing?"

"L-let Maya go!" the little girl cutely proclaimed while continuing.

"Yes, Beni! Save me from this hideous monster!"

"Hideous!?"

At that moment, bubbles began rising to the surface of the water, followed by a large eruption, sending the liquid in all directions, drenching the Black Knights on the dock, except for Kallen, who Zero covered with his cape, "Quite an entrance." he mumbled as the Ikaruga docked.

"Yeah." the red head removed his wet cape and gazed upon the ship, which Rakshata exited moments later.

"Greetings, Black Knights!" the Indian woman exclaimed, "Are you ready to set sail?"

"W-woah! I've never seen something like this!" Diethard commented in the background while carrying his luggage, and smelling like expensive cologne, "I can see the headlines now! 'Black Knights make a heroic return by saving the Chinese Federations damsel in distress'!"

"Ugh. Why's he here?" Nagisa questioned while taking off her Black Knight issued trench coat, which had absorbed most of the water.

"As annoying as you might find him, the guy's still useful." Naoto said, soaked to the bone, "Damn. I think I'm gonna get a cold at this rate." then he gasped, and looked toward their equipment, "My chair!" he stumbled toward the water logged furniture, "Damn it! Why does this have to happen to me!?"

"That's what you get for insisting on taking it." Lelouch said while boarding the Ikaruga, "Load the Equipment! We'll be leaving shortly!"

"Tamaki! Help me load the chair!" Naoto ordered, much to his friend's amusement.

"Nah, you got this, bro."

"I thought we were friends!"

"Don't worry, Naoto. I'll help you." Tohdoh said while approaching from behind.

"Ah! You're a life-saver!"

The Black Knights filed into the bridge, where Naoto took a blow-drier, attempting to save his chair from water damage. Regardless, their leader began informing them of their next move, "I hope you'll all settle into this environment – because going forward, the Ikaruga will serve as our mobile base of operations. Due to our current lack of manpower, most of this ship's operating systems will be manned by Rakshata's people, whom will teach your roles, so listen carefully and take notes, since you'll be doing the same with future members."

Zero pointed toward three large posters on the wall, which had – in detail – each crew member's roles, "We've already accounted for your skill levels, and have placed you in stations where we believe you will thrive. For those who find yourself as part of the combat unit, stay in this room. The rest of you will follow your designated representatives to your areas."

Soon, the Black Knight population was cut in half, leaving roughly 100 soldiers left to be briefed, "Now then…" Lelouch turned on the center projector, displaying the layout of the Vermilion Forbidden City, "Our target for this mission, is Empress Tianzi who – according to sources – will be within the main palace, participating at a party in her honor."

"A party?" Tohdoh chimed in, "Where did this come from?"

"Apparently, there's some kind of harvest festival, which the entire city will be participating in."

"Sounds convenient." Naoto commented as the sound of his blow-drier continued to fill the silence, "Think it's a trap?"

"There's always the possibility." Orpheus chimed in from the sidelines, "Prior to a few days ago, we hadn't heard of such an event taking place, but just because the timeline conveniently lines up, doesn't make such a thing true." the boy explained with caution, "Regardless, we should still prepare precautions, just in case the Chinese Federation is expecting us for some strange reason."

Zero nodded, "That's why we'll have a few Knightmares stationed within the city, hiding amongst trucks disguised as vendors. Should something happen, we'll have a quick out to retrieve our infiltrators." the screen then changed to a battle formation, "Speaking of which, should things come down to it, I've created a formation for us to take while traversing the Chinese landscape in the event of our escape." he gestured toward the front of the formation and began, "Leading the Vanguard, will be Naoto. Their job is possibly the most important, since they'll have to inform us of incoming threats, and direct us toward safe alternative paths."

"So, we're like scouts?" the Kozuki asked while finally turning off his machine, "Understood."

"Should the need for combat arise, you'll be able to function as a unit on your own in the future. But for now, due to the lack of manpower all around, we should avoid fighting as much as possible." the Prince explained while moving toward the center, "Since we need a strong center line, I've chosen Tohdoh and his Four Holy Swords for that role. Their cohesion is unmatched due to past battle experience, so this is a no-brainer. For our left wing, we'll have Mario and Maya Disel leading it, followed by Clara and Rolo on the right."

"What? We don't get a nice intro?" Maya asked with a smile.

"You and your brother are a strong duo, and due to the higher odds of the enemy trying to extend their right wing in battle, we'll need two aces with the strength to fend them off. As for our own right wing, Rolo and Clara are above-average pilots that can easily hold their own in battle. So, they should be able to launch their own successful attacks from the right flank when called upon."

"What about me?" Tamaki pointed at himself, "Surely you've got a place for me, right?"

"For now, you'll be with Naoto on the vanguard, as was shown on the poster." Zero responded, "Now, onto those stationed on the Ikaruga, Kallen will head the Zero Squad; a squad that takes orders from me personally. The exact members of this squad will be hand-picked by Kallen herself."

"Now that you all know your rolls, get to know your fellow squad mates. Oz, bring your group to my office. We have much to discuss."

AN: I feel like I'm missing something in this chapter, but I can't put my finger on it.

Anyway, things should be ramping up considerably in the next chapter, and hopefully it'll come out soon since I've been planning this next battle for months.