Chapter 1: Triumph in space, pain on Earth.
Pendragon, Holy Empire of Britannia, March 21, 2027
"Is there still a lot left?" Lelouch asked, seated on the throne. Standing beside him stood Nina, Cecile and Loyd.
"There are only two and a half meters away, your majesty!" Nina answered, standing next to him.
In front of them was a lit TV, which broadcast a special edition of the newslcast, directed by Milly Ashford. At one point she exclaimed:
"He touched! He touched the Martian soil! For the first time a man-driven vehicle touched the red planet. This is the fruit of man's intelligence and faith! "
Lelouch smiled satisfied.
Now I can extend my domain to the whole solar system ... Of course, it will take time to colonize it, but I have so much eternity available to me!
He think.
"It's 2:17 pm in Pendragon, 11pm in Paris and 6am in Tokyo. The man landed on Mars, kind viewers! It is a triumph of the scientific genius of the supreme emperor Lelouch vi Britannia! HALL HAIL LELOUCH! "The reporter shouted enthusiastically.
"Congratulations, majesty ... You have reached an important milestone." Loyd complimented.
"The merit is yours and of Nina, that you have restored luster to the imperial space program."
"True ... Of course, if Rakshata was still alive, the preparations would have been quicker."
Lelouch snorted, annoyed.
"Do not talk to me about her anymore ... She has sided with the Black Knights against me, and in doing so she has committed seppuku, to put it to the Japanese. I could not let her live, not after her betrayal. "He explained.
"Forgive my insolence, majesty!" The scientist excused himself.
The young ruler looked at him badly, then returned to focus on the television.
Too many times, in the past, I was deceived and betrayed: Suzaku, the Black Knights, Nunnaly, my mother, CC ... Yeah, CC ... Who knows where, now?
He wondered.
She had left him immediately after the execution of his former followers, and he had not seen her since. He had made it look everywhere, without result. It seemed to have evaporated.
Did I really disappoint you?
Paris, 11:30 pm
Even Leila Breisgau, daughter of a well-known politician now dead, was watching the live television on the landing on Mars.
My god ... The Earth is not enough anymore, now wants to govern the universe!
She thought, disconsolate.
"Leila?"
The blonde turned and saw Akito, her lover, staring at her.
"What do you want?"
"Do not you think it's time to go to bed? Its almost midnight."
"Come on, I'll meet you later."
"As you want…"
That said, the boy took his leave.
I wonder how to make you sleep calm ... I have been tormented by nightmares for a year now ... All this since we were alone.
She turned back to the TV, where Milly was talking:
"The space race began in 1957, when the Holy Empire of Britannia launched the first artificial satellite, the Cydymaith 1. Immediately Euro Universe, about a year later, launched an artificial satellite, the Explorateur 1. Initially game at a disadvantage, EU managed to send the first astronauts to the Moon (Patrick Baudry and Jean-Loup Chrétien). However, Britannia managed to regain ground by sending two astronauts to our satellite in 1978. This was followed, in 1986, by the construction of a stable lunar base, the Eowyn, in honor of the first king of the Britons. However, with the advent of Charles Zi Britannia, the space program suffered a setback, especially after the wars in Japan and against the Euro Universe. After the conquest of the world, however, the divine Lelouch restarted the space program, managing to bring two astronauts to Mars ... "
Stupid licker ...
She stood up and went to the window, from where he could see the Notre-Dame cathedral. Or at least once it had been a cathedral ... Now it was a temple dedicated to Lelouch, self-proclaimed god on Earth and fierce adversary of every religion, determined to replace them with the cult of himself.
They taught us that the Middle Ages were a dark age, but the true dark age we are living today under the dominion of Lelouch ... Freedom and democracy are just thoughts of the past, they do not even exist on vocabularies ... As in that novel ... Ah, now the name escapes me!
She shook her head and went to the table, where a bottle of wine and a glass were resting. She took it, filled it and raised it to the television in a mocking toast.
"In Lelouch Vi Britannia, emperor of the world, president of the United Federation of Nations, a bloodthirsty tyrant, mass murderer, pedophile and son of a bitch. What can rot in hell! "
Kanto Region, Japan, 6:45 am
An old Honda 1300 was traveling on the Tokyo-Kyoto highway; it was led by Cornelia Li Britannia, former second imperial princess of Britannia, now a fugitive from the armies of Emperor Lelouch, her half-brother, who wanted to get rid of a pretender to the imperial throne under which his opponents (there were few but there ) could have gathered. The woman looked serious, and did not listen to the rumplings coming from the radio, which were the first to cede in human history.
Fuck Mars ...
She thought, angrily.
After about a quarter of an hour, it took a side exit, until it reached a ruined two-storey farmhouse. Guilford was waiting for her.
Surely I will have a head wash ...
In fact, as soon as she got off the vehicle, she was joined by the man who said:
"It was time for me to come back! You've been gone all night, I was afraid they got you! "
"It took me longer than expected, so I decided to spend the night in a motel."
"Did you recognize someone?"
"No."
"Better that way ... I did not sleep all night."
"Because of…"
"Exact. Have you got everything you need? "
"Food and medicine." And saying this he took two envelopes from the car and handed them to him.
"Now I'm going to take care of our mutual friend ..."
"Be careful, tonight she's madder than usual."
"I do not run risks."
She walked away and opened the front door, finding himself in a corridor. From the door on the far right you could hear someone talking loudly. Without hesitating, he reached her and opened it. Once inside, she found herself in front of a black woman with long gray hair and golden eyes, wearing a green short-sleeved T-shirt and gray shorts; at her feet he wore a pair of slippers. She had a dazed expression on her face.
"Humans are not equal to each other! Who knows how to run faster, who has beauty, who is born of a poor family, who is forced to bear the disease, because birth, development and talent bring diversity, and there is no one man equal to another! Indeed, every man exists to be different from the other! "
She exclaimed.
Cornelia snorted, picking up a syringe.
The woman took a few steps toward her, stopping only a few inches away.
"Permission, Miss ..."
But Cornelia did not move.
"I said permission!" She insisted, nervous.
After a couple of seconds, she turned and resumed:
"Re-emerges from a dramatic past! Hides an unmentionable secret! Fragments of memory, first sight on the first imperial canal! At 21! "
Cornelia shook her head, disconsolate.
Shit…
She turned back to her, staring at her in fear.
"Who are you?" He asked.
"You know who I am."
"You're the woman who makes me sleep ..."
"It would help you, since you did not sleep an eye last night."
She grabbed her by the arm, but she struggled.
"No! No! NO! What do you want to do to me? "She asked, terrified.
"Come on, Villetta ... Do not waste my time!"
That said, she jammed the needle into her right arm and pressed the plunger. Villetta seemed to relax, even if only slightly.
"How long have I been here? What are those? "Asked, pointing to two pills in Cornelia's hand.
" You know what they are. Injections relieve crises, the pills prevent you from having them. "
"Fuck you, Cornelia!"
"You remember who I am now." The former princess commented.
"I always know who you are ... Only sometimes do not recognize you."
"Come on, take the pills."
Villetta obeyed and swallowed them.
"Can you leave me alone with that bastard? He never listens to me! "
"He is not obliged to hear your ravings."
"Our place is not here ... And you know it! We are the resistance, the only valid hope of the human race, now that the Black Knights are gone! We should take up arms and rise up, do not stay hidden in this shack! I want to find Lelouch and let him pay it! "
"The resistance was a long time ago, Villetta, a long time ago. But now it's extinct, clear? The imperial repressive apparatus was too strong, now we are only ourselves. All others have been killed, or have fled or gone to the enemy. Now our priority is to survive, nothing more. "
Villetta looked at her for a few seconds, then sat down on a bare, dirty mattress on the floor.
"You are a useless coward ..."
"Why would I be a coward?"
"Kallen, Todoh, Rakshata, Kaguya, Ogi ... All dead! And we stood watching, as they were executed! We'll have to save them! "
"There was no way to save them ... If we had moved, they would have killed us too."
Furious, Villetta snapped to her feet.
"LIAR!"
She screamed at her, then slapped her.
"And you say you're the goddess of victory? You are the goddess of cowardice, that's what you are! You do not even have the courage to take revenge! "
"Villetta, Lelouch used his geass to enslave the world's population ... Perhaps we are the only immune. In three against the whole world we have no hope. Nobody will stand against him. And without the support of the people, without arms, without men, we are completely impotent. I'm sorry, but it's true. "Cornelia explained, rubbing her right cheek.
Disgusted, Villetta spat on the dusty floor, then threw herself on her bed and said:
"Now leave me alone!"
"Ok ..."
Exit in the hallway, she snorted, depressed.
Since she lost her beloved and the child she wore she lost the light of reason ... And it pains me to see her like that. But I cannot do anything to make her come back ... I cannot save her, as I could not save the Black Knights and Euphy before that.
She thought, while a lonely tear ran down her face.