(A/N: So the writing of this particular chapter actually was written and finished late October, though originally I wanted to start it sooner. I've been playing the original Age of Empires, seeing if there were any sort of tactics or scenarios I could incorporate into this fic for the fun of it. So far, no dice. I know that means it's been a while since the initial writing that this was posted, but that's simply because quality writing takes time to edit out and in the case of this chapter almost completely revamp. I will not half-ass this story. If you want fast updates and somewhat quality storytelling go read Fairy Without Wings, but I need to be much more serious and much more on top of my game for this fanfic. Anyway, I'd talk more—there's a lot of thoughts swirling about my head about this story—but I'm just going to cut it here and let you all get wrapped up in a good narrative. Enjoy, but first my co-writer would like to say a few quick words).

(CA/N: Greetings, readers! I may have written a scene once before, but prior to this I was just the beta- Draco's anchor (because he gets some pretty crazy ideas sometimes), if you will. It is with pride that I bring you the war scenes for this chapter- and if you don't like 'em, you can blame me instead of Draco. :D We make a great team, and it feels great to be part of this project- so here's hoping you liked what I brought).

For Shirley Fenette, life at Ashford Academy had been rather quaint. She was a B student, with lodging in one of the best campus dorms; she was a swim champion, and above all, a member of the student council. Ever since the start of the new school year, Shirley woke up each day, feeling like she was making a difference- a small one, perhaps, but still a difference. She felt as if she mattered in this school. The second best part of her day was knowing just how much she mattered and how much of a difference she really made.

The best part of her day? Well, that had a name: Lelouch Lamperouge, the student council vice-president. While she hadn't really thought much of him at first, ever since a certain incident, Shirley had become entranced by Lelouch's enigmatic aura. He acted flippant, and seemed to dislike working hard-his grades certainly reflected that- but the more she watched him, the more that seemed to be a mask, as if his better nature was something he was trying to hide. Whatever it was, she had noticed in the last two years that she clearly wasn't the only one interested in the dark haired, brooding young man. He was handsome, had a spot on the student council, and seeming so mysterious as well- more than half the female student body had it out for him. And yet, Lelouch had never seemed particularly interested in anyone except himself and his sister, Nunnally.

She recalled the one time Milly had brought it up at the student council meeting, as she jokingly suggested at the same time that he and Rivalz were gay for each other, since they were constantly in each other's company off campus. Lelouch had saved Rivalz, who had nearly exclaimed something angrily, by pointing out that he knew where Rivalz's porn collection was, and described Rivalz's 'favorites', much to his chagrin. When Milly pressed the issue of how that didn't absolve Lelouch, his answer had been:

"If I had any interest in a romantic relationship, I'd pursue one myself," he had said sharply. "Besides, I'm not interested in someone with only a shallow physical attraction, or after my finances. Even if most of my same sex peers would classify her as a ten out of ten, I'd still turn it down. You'll never find me parading around a trophy wife, Milly Ashford."

The words had stung at first. Lelouch had made it sound like if he had any interest in anyone he'd make the first move, but then Shirley remembered the operative words 'If he had any interest', meaning that the timing just wasn't right. Fortunately, the latter portion of Lelouch's remark didn't apply to Shirley. She was interested in Lelouch's character. The size of his bank account and good looks meant nothing to her. Originally, she had turned away from him because of his attitude.

So, Shirley had gone from day to day like a princess waking up, wondering if today was the day that her prince charming would sweep her off her feet. It was how she could wake up with a smile, a yawn and a vigorous stretch, why she brushed her teeth really well and why she made sure to look as intelligent as possible. It was if she was trying to meet some meet some imagined standard of what Lelouch's ideal woman was like.

And that was why today had hit her like a cold shower. It was bad enough that Cornelia li Britannia, one of the biggest household names in the entire empire, had betrayed Britannia. It had been a shock to them all, and the campus had been mired with unease since. Many students had been pulled out of school, their families leaving for the Britannian mainland, and the ones remaining were afraid, unsure of what this new regime meant. For Shirley, however, fantasies of sticking close to Lelouch if things got bad, believing that he could protect her- despite the fact that Shirley could literally run circles around him, given their respective physiques- had helped her keep calm since the announcement.

Despite Lelouch's mediocre grades and his tendency to sleep through class- and student council meetings- he had always had perfect attendance. He had also made a habit of getting to each class early, so it bothered Shirley- who always arrived only a minute or two before class after chatting with friends- that he wasn't there when she arrived. And then roll call happened.

"Fenette, Shirley."

"Here," Shirley declared, standing up swiftly, only to sit back in her chair much more slowly.

"Foster, Olivia."

"Here."

Where is he? Shirley thought. Lelouch always had perfect attendance for every class, sans physical education. And he was never the type to sneak in last minute, or be late. This was so unlike him.

"Glaswyn, Matthew."

"Here."

Shirley looked at Milly for some guidance, but Milly didn't have a bewildered look on her face, nor was she paying Shirley any mind. It was as if things seemed natural to her and that bothered Shirley even more. She tried pinching herself, like this was a bad dream, but no, she was wide awake.

"Kendall, Tobias."

"Here."

"Lowell, George."

Eh? Shirley's mind instantly snapped to attention. Wait… that's not right. He…he didn't call Lulu's name.

Shirley thought it was just a mistake, but her teacher continued to call roll like nothing was wrong. It was like suddenly, Lelouch no longer existed. Shirley looked around for someone, anyone that was finding the situation weird. The only one who seemed to look as confused as her was Rivalz, but he didn't seem anywhere near as upset. He at least gave Shirley a head shake when she caught his eye, to indicate that he didn't understand it either, about Lelouch's absence.

Shirley went through the whole day feeling uneasy, just hoping that Lelouch would appear, but he never did, and no one said anything. After classes, at the student council meeting, Shirley finally lost her patience.

"I can't take it anymore!" she shouted, suddenly standing up.

"Hey, I don't like it either, but the budget has to get balanced somehow," Milly said, keeping a straight face. It was infuriating- how could she act like nothing had happened? Like Lelouch wasn't suddenly gone?

"That's not the problem here!" She exclaimed.

"Ah, you're right," Milly said, flipping through the stapled set of pages she had in front of her, "We also have to start printing out and distributing those evacuation procedure notices." Ashford Academy had remained open, despite the war declaration. They were so far inland that, sans an airstrike, the place was pretty safe from the threat of war. The Tokyo settlement was the hub of the Britannian settlement in… well, Japan, it seemed to be again now, and Cornelia had promised that no harm would come to her fellow Britannians that weren't pointing guns at her, during this civil war on foreign soil. That said, war always brought about the unexpected, so evacuation from the facility in case it came under siege was a necessary measure to take.

However, Milly's nonchalant attitude to avoid the elephant in the room prompted Shirley to action. Rudely and abruptly, she marched up to Milly, and wrenched the report out of her hands, tore the pages away from the staple holding them together, and threw them about the room, spreading sheets of paper everywhere all the while making irritated grunts and growls, like she was trying to avoid screaming like a madwoman at all costs. Nina gulped, frightened by Shirley's outrage; she was usually such a calm person.

She and Rivalz both understood why Shirley was upset. Lelouch's sudden absence had begun travelling through the school at an alarming rate, but nobody seemed to have any logical explanation to his disappearance. As a result, even though students talked among themselves about Lelouch's vanishing in hushed whispers across campus, no solid rumor about the situation appeared from the grapevine. Nina and Rivalz were just as curious as the rest of the student body, but they both knew, like the majority of the students—especially those that had a crush on Lelouch—that getting mad wouldn't solve anything.

"Just what the hell is going on?" Shirley shouted, balling her fists and clenching her eyes shut. "Lulu's gone, and no one's reacting to it at all! I would expect you of all people, prez, to have some kind of idea about Lulu's disappearance! Nothing gets by you!" Shirley glared at Milly. "So why are you, of all people, acting like there's nothing wrong? I thought Lulu mattered to you too."

Milly looked up at the irate expression on Shirley's face, as she glared down at her. The blonde simply stared up at the redhead with the simple disappointment a boss might extend to a part-time employee. There was nothing but silence in the student council room, aside from the low hum given off by Nina's laptop. It was over two minutes before anyone said anything.

It was Milly that finally broke the tense silence and with uncharacteristic seriousness at that. "Losing your temper isn't going to make him just appear out of thin air, you know," she said as she got on her hands and knees and began gathering all the papers Shirley threw. She didn't say anything else until she had gathered them all together, stacked them nice and neat on the table, and re-stapled them. As she put the stack aside and looked back up at Shirley, she said, "He's safe though, don't you worry."

Milly watched Shirley tilt her head down. She had hoped perhaps it meant that Shirley was calming down, and though it were true, it was hardly an improvement; Shirley had simply gone from feeling angry to miserable. Lulu, her Lulu, had gone somewhere, and she had no idea where that somewhere was, or why he had left. Her pillar of strength had vanished. The only person she had ever fallen in love with, that she had once gotten down on her knees and thanked god for his existence at church, had disappeared.

"How do you know that?" Shirley asked miserably, trying not to cry. "What do you know… that we don't? What aren't you telling us? What are you keeping from us?" She was starting to get angry again. "Why is everyone acting like this is normal? Where is he, Milly? Tell me where he is!" Shirley exclaimed, grabbing the lapels of Milly's uniform. Her hands trembled as tears formed in the corners of her eyes. "What happened to Lulu?" she sniffed.

Milly spoke with the professional standard of a corporate office manager. "All I can tell you, and will tell you, is that he is safe." She took Shirley's hands off her lapels and proceeded to reach for her stack of papers. Normally, Milly would have no trouble spinning a story and happily lying through her teeth, but Lelouch's sudden leave had shaken her as well. She had never realized what a cornerstone of her life Lelouch had been, and found it oddly difficult to function normally without him. Her current serious nature was little more than a coping mechanism. It hadn't exactly been easy to strike Lelouch's name and assist him in vanishing without a trace overnight. "Now then, we have a busy week ahead of us. So let's—"

There was a noise, a loud, quick and sharp noise, and Milly was cut off by a sudden sting to the side of her face. Shirley had slapped her as hard as she could, leaving a big red mark on her cheek. Nina gasped in surprise and horror. Rivalz backed his chair up a bit.

Shirley breathed heavily, and took one look at the situation, as if contemplating her actions. Then, she ran out of the room crying, with her hands buried in her face, slamming the door shut behind her. Rivalz expected Milly to race after Shirley and confront her, but the young blonde simply stroked her sore cheek, took a deep breath and proceeded to act as if nothing had happened.

Finally, Rivalz could keep silent no longer. "H-hey," he said. "I-is everything okay? You're acting really strange, prez. You're nowhere near this cold to everyone. In fact, I don't think I've seen you not smiling before. It's kind of creeping me out." Rivalz felt that Shirley had done enough interrogating of Lelouch for the both of them. Realizing the futility in asking about Lelouch's whereabouts, he knew better than to fuss. Instead, he looked to Milly- he could tell she was upset, no matter how well she controlled herself. He needed to be there for her. Somebody needed to.

"M-Milly, d-did Lelouch tell you about… why he isn't here… or has a record on the roll call?" Nina asked sheepishly.

"We have work to do," Milly said calmly, trying to dismiss Nina and Rivalz' inquiries. "Let's just treat today like those oh so many so-called sick days Lelouch would take when he had the stamina to sit through class the whole day through."

Rivalz and Nina exchanged looks, realizing that Milly's dismissiveness of the topic seemed to indicate that there was no point in pushing the issue. While they were both curious, and it was more than obvious that Milly knew something, they figured it was best to just go with the flow for now. Eventually Milly would have to say something. Even she had her limits. They both knew that. Resigning themselves to a long, boring, budget balancing session, Nina and Rivalz got to work.

Meanwhile, outside the student council room, after leaving it in tears, Shirley continued towards her dorm room, doing her best to avoid being seen in such a sorry state. Fortunately, when she arrived, her roommate wasn't around. When she got back, she locked the door behind her, sat down in a corner, and cried, cried her eyes out into her arms and knees. She didn't even make it to the bed. Shirley continued to sob and carry on for what seemed like forever. Then, realization struck her- sure, Lelouch wasn't here, but he was still alive and breathing somewhere, and Shirley did have his number. All she had to do was call Lelouch on the phone.

Finding his number in her contact list, she dialed him. After four rings, the phone went to voicemail. She tried six more times, but without luck- she was always sent to voicemail in three or four rings. He knew it was her trying to call him, and he was deliberately avoiding picking up to talk to her.

Clutching her phone in frustration and anguish, Shirley weakly threw it along the carpet as it slid next to her bed frame. She started to cry again, even louder than before. Wherever Lelouch had gone, he was beyond her reach. Her prince on a white horse had disappeared into the sunset, alone. He had abandoned her, now when she felt she needed him the most. She was heartbroken- even if Lelouch wasn't her boyfriend, she still thought he considered her and the rest of the student council friends to some degree. It didn't even matter to her that Lelouch had left so suddenly. Well, sure, the fact that he left hurt immensely, but not as much as much… as the fact that he had left without saying goodbye.

Shirley just sat in her room and sobbed, alone, having no idea how she would carry on without being able to look forward to seeing Lelouch every day. She would manage, she had no choice but to, but his absence had carved a large scar in her heart that Shirley wasn't sure if it would ever heal.

After about five minutes of making sure his phone wasn't going to buzz again, Lelouch took a deep breath of relief. Sorry, Shirley, he thought to himself, as he marched through the HQ of the Confederacy, but this is for your own good. Lelouch wandered through the halls until he made his way to the command center where Cornelia was waiting for him, alone. Most of the other generals and commanding officers were onsite, or elsewhere in the building. Clad in his Zero uniform, he entered the room where Cornelia stood, leaned over a military console. There was a large commander's chair in the center of the room, and very little else. The room was quite Spartan, with no excesses or luxuries, and seemed to have been built primarily for issuing orders remotely across the nation via the terminal at the front of the room. The amazing view from the window at the front of the room- and the guard rails on the raised platform behind the command chair- gave the impression that demonstrations were another purpose for the room's design.

"I thought you said that it is not like you to run behind schedule, even by a minute," Cornelia said when Lelouch entered.

"My apologies. An old friend of mine was being a bit overzealous in trying to contact me. I don't think she'll be calling back." Lelouch said. He took a deep breath. "I still contest that I should be out there. How can we expect our followers to trust us if we do not take to the field of battle ourselves?" He said.

"If the king doesn't ride into battle with his men, how can they be expected to follow him?" Cornelia said, and chuckled. "An ideal you borrowed from me when you were still living in the Ares Villa."

"Y-yes, well, I believe it's appropriate now, is it not?"

"Normally, I would agree. Having a leader on the battlefield is very good for troop morale, and it's easier to direct the flow of battle when you are present there than it is to do it remotely. I have gone through my whole military career, always making sure to be at the thick of the action when I could help it."

"Then why-" Lelouch said, but Cornelia interrupted him.

"Because this is a completely different scenario, Lelouch. Either of our deaths would ultimately cripple the army. The enemy will be gunning specifically for us. At all cost, we must live. Our troops understand this, and are ready to die for us. We have to stay alive. It's fun to play the hero. You won't find any other soldier in this entire army that agrees with you on that more than I would, but there's a clear difference between what's ideal and what's practical. You're still young. You have yet to really see what real war is like." Cornelia said firmly.

"I-" Lelouch said, as if to object, but Cornelia cut him off again.

"Yes, I know you're studied. You could not have gotten as far as you did without the tactical knowledge you possess, even with that special power of yours. But, that doesn't mean you know everything you need to know about war." Cornelia strapped a headset to her head. "I can still teach you a thing or two, and I intend to do just that during this battle. Watch me carefully, little brother. You've already done enough to prepare the troops for the first skirmish. Now leave the army in my capable hands, and see the enemy you made your ally first hand. The more you can learn before we are struck with the full force of Britannia's might, the better."

"Hmph. Very well, if you're that confident," Lelouch said, smirking behind his helmet. "Seal the doors, if you wouldn't mind."

Cornelia tapped a button on the console. The two doors leading into the room slammed shut. "Sealed."

"Good," Lelouch took off his helmet and set it down next to him. "If I'm going to observe you, it'll be easier without that stuffy helmet on." Lelouch crossed his legs and leaned to one side, looking amused. "I expect great things from you, sister. Show me that my faith in you wasn't ill-founded."

"Just leave it to me," Cornelia said with a smile. "You've helped with the battle strategies enough for the time being. Just sit there and take notes." With a single button press, Cornelia brought up several dozen overhead maps across the glass observation window where the Confederacy troops were stationed all across Japan. "Let me show you how a veteran commander gets the job done."

As soon as she said that, one of the maps started blinking red. "Which front is that?" Lelouch asked.

"Shikoku," Cornelia answered.

"Well, we expected this," Lelouch said. "With China's ports closed to Britannian warships, they couldn't have hoped to have taken a path towards Kyushu. Which is good- we've boxed them in like we had hoped."

"They must have a real simpleton leading the army, then. I would have taken the risk of getting close to port. Just because the port is closed, it doesn't mean I cannot sail near it." Cornelia said.

"And that's why you are on my side. Let's get to work."

"Right," Cornelia said, opening specific channels across her command center, "Initiating attack pattern Orange."

In the main hangar on the Shikoku front, Jeremiah sneezed.

"Cover your damn mouth if you're going to do that!" Kewell snapped at him. "If I didn't know better, I'd ask if you had been raised in a barn."

"For pity's sake, Kewell, it was just a sneeze. Calm down," Marika said to him. "It is a common superstition in this country that if you sneeze, it means someone's talking about you behind your back after all."

"That doesn't exactly make it better. Who knows what sort of things people are saying about Orange Boy all throughout the army." Kewell said.

"All right, same team!" Villetta exclaimed, clapping her hands together.

"I can't believe you're sticking up for this guy," Kewell said.

"And you two used to be friends, so act like it!" Villetta snapped. "We're all traitors now! We decided to follow Cornelia rather than our home country because it is what we believed in! Yes, it means the purist faction has to cast its lot in with foreigners, but this is for the good of the country. We all believe that. That's why we're here. Regardless of what might have happened in the past," she glanced at Jeremiah, "we're all on the same side now." She looked at Kewell. "It'll be just like old times."

"No, it won't," Kewell said, looking at his sister.

"What?" she asked, wondering why he was looking at her.

"I still think you're too young for this. You should be in school." Kewell said disapprovingly.

"I didn't work my butt off and graduate early just so I could leave the country and find myself squatting in some prestigious academy instead. I'm a soldier for her ladyship, Cornelia…well I guess it's Cornelia Heurassein now, isn't it?" She said, her tone firm.

"Your sister is a well-trained soldier, Sir Kewell." Kewell turned his head to see Marika's best friend, Liliana Vergamon, entering onto the scene. "As am I. This might be our first taste of true war, but we both understand the risk that we're taking. We are soldiers, not court ladies."

Kewell took a deep breath. Without warning, he gave Marika a tight bear hug. "If that's how you want it to be then… no matter what, be safe. I joined this because I wanted you to live. I never thought I'd be fighting with you side by side."

Marika pushed away from her brother, and held his hands in hers. She smiled. "Hey, better this than showing one of your companions a picture of me and dying tragically, right?"

Villetta and Jeremiah both chuckled.

Kewell sighed, and patted his sister's head. "That still doesn't mean you aren't going to make me worry about you. Let's both come out of this alive." He looked around. "No, let's all come out of this alive!" he looked at Jeremiah. "Even you, Orange boy." Jeremiah smirked.

"Nice to see we're all getting along over here."

"Ten hut!" Marika suddenly snapped to attention, along with the rest of her squad, as a man dressed in the uniform of the Glaston knights approached. He had yellow eyes, with a tint of green, and auburn hair coming down to his cheeks. He was Brigadier General David T. Darlton, their commanding field officer. Along with Marika, the others saluted him as one.

"At ease," he said politely.

"Sir, what brings you this far down the chain of command just to check out one squadron?" Villetta asked.

"I'm checking up on all the squadrons," said Darlton, eyeing them carefully. "We are in a strange place, about to rain hell down upon our fellow countrymen, and this will be easy on none of us. My father taught me that officers must lead by example- that a good officer makes his soldiers want to do as he says. As such, I am familiarizing myself with each squad under my command. You are asked to risk life and limb in hellish conflict. You know the reality of this, soldiers, and so must I. If any of you are sacrificed, I will remember your names."

The squad looked at him, seeming impressed. The young man seemed to take his duty very seriously.

"Andreas Darlton is a good man, sir," Jeremiah said. "You must be proud to be considered his son."

"More than proud." Said the Brigadier General, "It is an honor to learn from such a wise general. I trust my father to trust her highness… that is, her ladyship, Cornelia Heurassein."

Villetta sighed. "I guess the change is strange to all of us, sir. Rank and status do not matter as we are now. Each and every one of us is considered a traitor to the empire. We are not dukes, viscounts, barons or counts. We're just normal men and women fighting for a better tomorrow."

David nodded in agreement. "Right then- let's move on to discuss practical matters. As per the battle plans, it has been decided that your squad is to be at the edge of the defensive perimeter. Lord Jeremiah, Miss Villetta, Sir Kewell, you are all experienced with the terrain since Prince Clovis' induction as Viceroy. Make this army proud."

"Yes, my lord!" All five soldiers saluted, and then scrambled for their Knightmare Frames. As the soldiers loaded up into their cockpits, Marika and Kewell paid each other one last serious glance, and then jumped into their cockpits. A red alert sounded through the hangar, and one by one the Knightmare Frame squadrons scrambled to get ready, and began their march towards the coast of the Kochi prefecture, waiting for the enemy's arrival. They didn't move out all the way to the coast; that was not the plan. Each confederate Knightmare Frame was rather far inland, with very little in the ways of coastal defense, a few gunships at best and some very enthusiastic Japanese soldiers, more than ready to die rather than be captured if necessary. Lelouch and Cornelia would have outfitted the coast with Knightmare Frames, but they were in short supply and needed to be conserved for the larger battles ahead.

"We have visual feed, check your monitors!" David called to his troops. From the satellite above, visual feed was now coming in on a war map of the enemy's numbers. There were at least a dozen ships, each flying the Britannia flag and packed bow to stern with Knightmares.

"This is Colonel Kyoshiro Tohdoh! Brigadier General David Darlton, do you copy?"

"I copy, Colonel. What is your status?" Said Darlton.

"Dragon Team is now in position."

"Excellent. Wait for my signal and not sooner," Darlton said, radioing to Tohdoh.

"Copy that," Tohdoh said.

Hanging at the back of the confederate formation, David gripped the controls of his Knightmare Frame. Here they come, he thought and took a deep breath. This will be the first time I lead troops without you watching over me on the battlefield, father. I promise I'll make you proud. As he thought this, David began to recall the war meeting that had been arranged prior to this attack. Zero and Cornelia had come up with a brilliant strategy, or so they said. David, now on the battlefield, was privy to more of the details than others. He was confident the plan would work now, but he recalled how uncertain everyone was at the meeting. They had all been faces on a monitor, more than a dozen of them, including his father and brothers, Sir Guilford, Zero, Cornelia, Major General Tatewaki Katase, Colonel Tohdoh, and the Four Heavenly Swords.

Earlier…

"I hereby call the meeting opened. Report on the situation." Katase said. Although he was not the most competent between the other four commanders, he was officially in charge- it had been a mutually agreed decision between Lelouch and Cornelia that it would undermine their credibility if Japanese liberation had been a switch between one Britannian to the next. He was an experienced veteran and a war hero, just the kind of figure the Japanese people needed to take pride in themselves.

"Our forces are set up along the docks in accordance with our battle plan," Zero said calmly, "our enemies will without doubt assault the port as its primary target, and we have made all the agreed upon preparations."

Katase nodded. "I still find your plan… strange, but I will trust in you. Do remember, the soldiers on the front line are good Japanese men, all willing to lay down their lives for you."

"And you would like assurance that it is not in vain." Cornelia said, nodding respectfully. "If we follow the strategy to a T, casualties should be minimal. I understand your position, general- it is not Britannian soldiers risking their necks in this city. However, this is the first battle in the war for Japanese liberation- it feels appropriate that it is fought by Japanese, does it not?"

Katase nodded. "I suppose, so, yes…"

"More importantly," Tohdoh said, "how many troops will be coming our way? Where and when? I have heard the estimates before, but I do hope we have confirmation."

"We have very fresh satellite feed intelligence," Zero responded, "and it appears our estimates are correct. It is a whole division from Area 12, otherwise known as the Philippines. It is twelve thousand men and women strong, including dozens of Knightmares- perhaps up to two hundred, but likely more. Aside from an escort of destroyer battleships, there will be six carriers bloated with troops, intent on ramming our port and taking this prefecture and then to invade further inland. If they are too successful, they could crush us without Bismarck having to lift a finger. We must avoid this at all costs."

Tohdoh nodded. "Do they have any air support?"

"Not that we're aware of," Zero told him. "Their ships have anti-air weaponry available, but the inbound enemies appear short on aircraft. Regardless, this is four full regiments- we cannot underestimate them."

"I would like to remind everyone," Cornelia chimed in, her voice grim and her fingers crossed, "that we can not afford to be stuck in a war of attrition. We may have most of the Britannian army at our side, including the Japanese forces brought back; we may have a navy and an air force, but Britannia commands all the industrial might of the north and south Americas, plus the whole of the middle east shortly before my arrival here in…Japan." She almost said Area 11 and it had been obvious to everyone. Prejudice didn't disappear that quickly it seemed. "If this war drags on, if we start trading blow for blow, then we will be ground to dust before long. My father has the ability to replace Knightmares at least ten times faster than we could- and lord knows his army would grow enormously if he instated a draft."

"We have precious few advantages." Zero added. "The only one that comes to mind right now, the size of our army aside, is that this is an open challenge to Britannia's strength as a superpower. A defeat would be devastating- even a drawn out conflict would make them look weak to the EU and China. But even that considered, like Lady Heurassein said, they have vastly more resources than we do- which is why every victory we make must be decisive." Zero stated. "Every soldier we lost must kill ten of the enemy's. Every Knightmare we lose must sunder five to compensate."

"…I would say 'impossible'," Katase said reservedly, "but I believe her former majesty fighting at your side so readily is evident that you are capable of such, are you not? So what miracle do you have in store for us to make this happen?"

"It is fairly simple." Zero stated. "Tell me, general, when in a battle is anyone the most vulnerable?"

"If I were literally inclined, I would say 'when you are down on the ground with a gun to your head'. But, generally speaking… the moment you are the most vulnerable is when you are sure you have won."

"Very good, general," Zero responded, craftily clasping his fingers in between each other. "And as it happens, the man in charge of this division is Major General Horace Cervantes. Cornelia?" Zero then turned his head where Cornelia's image on his screen was, indicating that he wanted her to go into more detail.

Cornelia nodded. "Cervantes was decorated for bravery when we first made incursions into the Middle East. He is not unintelligent, and has a keen eye for unit cohesion and positioning. However, his specialty in strategy has always been a defensive battle, and more importantly, he is a fierce patriot- very much a 'king and country' sort of man. This, we can use to our advantage."

"How so?" Katase asked.

"Consider his position," Zero said smoothly. "He is a decorated Major General, having served the empire all his life. Suddenly, the empire's greatest general defects, and he is within striking distance. His blood boils with righteous anger, indignation, and a desire to right a wrong. Under the orders of his governor- who was no doubt eager to grant his wish- he sets out to do his country proud. Patriotism is good and well, but… it can make you blind." Zero leaned back ponderously. "These regiments represent only part of the Britannian army, and they arrive far ahead of Bismarck's troops. They are very much on their own."

"Then why would Bismarck not order him to stay put?" Tohdoh asked.

"I wouldn't put it past Bismarck to let them go ahead simply to test our defenses," Cornelia said, with a shrug. "The man is certainly ruthless enough. Even if Cervantes fails, he will have worn us down somewhat, and Bismarck will have learned from his failure- that would be reason enough. After all, unlike us, they have numbers to spare."

"Grimly put, but noted…" Katase said, nodding slowly. "But we will not let him grind us down. Which is why…we will offer him the docks with hardly any resistance? Does that not contradict what you said at the very start, Zero?"

"Like I said, general," Zero said, "an enemy is at his weakest when he is sure he has won."

"They are about one day away, give or take," Cornelia said, "and everything is in place. Trust in Zero. Trust in our strategy. You will have our country back- and failing that, we will die at your side, fighting till the bitter end."

"I will admit that there was a time when I cursed your name and despised you, Lady Heurassein," Katase said, giving her and Zero a curious look, "yet so it is that, in a surprising twist of fate, I would be honoured to die at your side. So be it- let them come. We shall be ready. The Japanese army will not falter!"

Big, prideful words are easy to spill, Lelouch thought. Now let's just hope that this goes as planned…

Present Time

It had certainly been a tense meeting, but fortunately details came hours later of the plan and David volunteered out of his brothers to lead the men to battle. For Britannia's future, he thought as he took a deep breath. I really hope this is all worth it in the end.

At this same time, Sergeant Hideo Katsuin stood at a street corner overlooking the Shikoku docks, waiting at ease with his squad behind him for the Britannian dogs to come. Seven years ago, he had fought them. Seven years ago, he had been there, leading a squad of men ready to lay down their lives. Seven years ago, they had faced complete defeat at the hands of the Britannian invaders. One humiliation had followed on the other. The army had been dissolved, and he had been forced to work odd jobs; being a waiter, a cleaner, just barely getting by. He had been spat on by the Britannians, forced to watch good Japanese thrown out of their homes. They had ground their pride to dust, named them 'Elevens', made laws to make them inferior. They had become slaves. If he hadn't been so hungry and afraid those years, he would have been absolutely furious.

That was why, when that princess had made her declaration, when names like Katase and Tohdoh popped up again, he had been among the first to re-enlist in the new royal Japanese army, this unified Confederacy as it were. Nothing could describe how he had felt when he wore his uniform again, with the sergeant's stripe on his shoulder- it was like part of him had become whole again. Like most, he was unsure about these defecting Britannians- but if it meant winning the war, so be it. He'd rather die a free man than spend another year begging for alms from the bastards who had taken everything they had.

Putting his feelings aside, he turned to look to his men. Some of them were veterans of the old war, eager for revenge, others were young and new faces, sick and tired of oppression, and all of them were ready to die- and if any of them weren't, Hideo was perfectly happy to kill them himself.

"All right, you bastards!" He said, pointing at the harbor, where the first Britannian carriers were making their way toward the docks as little more than specs on the horizon that could only be seen with binoculars. "They're coming here, and they will be on us in no more than an hour."

They were not alone. Spread throughout the city blocks and the docks warehouses were other platoons, drawn from the newly formed 5th infantry regiment. It was a thin force, no more than a thousand or so strong, a skeleton force- absolutely pitiful for a defense. Of course, defense was not the plan…

"In one hour," Sergeant Katsuin continued, raising his voice to the level, loud shout he was used to when ordering troops about. "They'll be coming down on us, raising all hell. They will come with overwhelming amounts of infantry, with heavy weapons support, with Knightmares, with a fire in their heart and a will to kill us all! Once they come, we will take heavy losses! Overwhelmed by their power, we will break ranks and flee! Is that understood, platoon?"

There was a chorus of 'sir, yes sir', but some soldiers looked hesitant.

"Uh, sarge," said one of them, private Kojima, "after all we been through, we're just gonna let 'em walk right in?"

"Oh, I'm sorry," Hideo snarled, "I didn't realize HQ hadn't asked you first! Private Kojima, do you object to following orders? Do you have a problem with putting your ass on the line and dying?"

Kojima blinked, then shouted, "Sir, no sir! Proud to serve my country, sir!"

"I thought so, you little shit." Hideo growled. "We fire at them. Once we start taking losses, we leg it for second perimeter further back in town. Is that clear?"

The resounding 'sir, yes sir' warmed Hideo's heart. He was right where he wanted to be. The tactics were odd, but he wasn't about to complain. For the sake of getting back at Britannia, for regaining his pride, he'd walk through hell and back. Working with Britannians and using odd strategies was nothing.

Major General Horace Cervantes felt a mixture of anger, determination and joy as he saw the Shikoku port come into vision in the distance from his command ship, the destroyer The Insatiable. To his surprise, there had been no attempt at stopping them, only the odd spy plane- they had to have struck fast, before that terrorist Zero and his traitor friend had consolidated their hold on Japan, and mobilized the navy. Excellent- things worked just as planned.

A man past his middle age, Horace Cervantes was a staunch servant of the crown, having graduated as an officer at the age of twenty, and served the army with pride ever since. He had fought across the many battlefields that Britannia had taken him, and always served with distinction. Throughout his entire career, he had not lost a single battle- a remarkable feat even for a man as accomplished as he. His head had gone bald, he was of average height, proudly wearing his general's uniform- but not as proudly as he wore his bushy, tawny beard.

Currently, he sat at the head of the table in his own command post in the ship, colonels and majors sitting around it. A holographic display of the port was up, with little lines indicating their planned route of attack.

"Gentlemen," he said, his voice authoritative and firm, "in five hours, our brave lads will have their boots on the ground, storming through that city. We will push in, secure a perimeter, and take this city back, for the emperor and for Britannia!"

He saluted at the mention of his homeland, and his subordinates, knowing well his sense of duty, followed suit.

"We do not have much intelligence on enemy resistance, sir," said colonel Fenkelstein, a short man with a thin, sharp face. "The docks do not appear in any way fortified, nor have we met any naval resistance, nor have we spotted any underwater mines. It appears… too simple."

"You forget yourself, Fenkelstein," said another colonel, named Hugentahl. "The simplest plans in battle usually work the best. We are here to fight traitors and subhuman rabble- if they lay out the red carpet for us, then we spring whatever traps they prepare. His grace Bismarck shall not find us wanting, nor shall the emperor! We are the lions, and they are the deer!"

"Well said, Hugentahl," Cervantes said calmly, "but we must not forget, we are not here to simply establish a base camp- we will take this city, in the name of Britannia, and drive the traitors out. We will send them packing, wherever they rear their ugly heads!"

"Sir, with respect," Fenkelstein said, "we are dealing with her maj- I mean, her former majesty, Cornelia. She controls more than half of the armies- and she did not become general simply because she was his majesty's daughter, sir."

"I will hear no objections!" Cervantes sneered. "We will take this city or die trying, is that understood?"

"…of course, sir." Fenkelstein said, sighing inwardly. "Do we have any idea how much resistance there will be?"

"No doubt the great traitor will launch a counterattack," Cervantes said dismissively, "but we shall have dug in, and will weather this storm like rocks facing storm waves. Like rocks, Colonel!"

"Like rocks, sir!" Hugentahl said.

"Now, I see your concerns, colonel- but it is extremely unlikely that their army has organized that well in such short time. Imagine the friction, seizing control over a whole country- her army is probably spread thin, keeping control. The Elevens likely hate her no less than they hate us." Cervantes said confidently. "I am confident, god willing, that before the day has ended, we will have run the traitors out of the city- then and only then, I am prepared to stop and wait for his grace Bismarck!"

"Hear, hear!" One of the majors cried, and the rest of the officers joined in.

Major General Cervantes smiled. This was going to be a glorious triumph.

For the Britannian soldiers in Area 12, being asked to board a carrier dreadnought and be the frontline fighters of the first battle between Britannia, Japan and their traitorous allies was a tough order to follow for many. After all, many soldiers knew that getting in the way of the former Princess- and Commander in-chief- Cornelia li Britannia was tantamount to suicide; her reputation as a conqueror was the stuff of legend.

But, then there were others, like Marcus Lyndon and his squad mates, who relished in Britannia's teachings, and thought anyone foolish enough to turn traitor against the nation was scum, deserving only to be wiped out.

Standing at about 170cm with flat black hair, a square jaw and blue eyes, Marcus was cleaning his trusted assault rifle for the chance that, were his Knightmare damaged, he could take the battle on foot if he had to eject. Standing next to him just watching over him was his best friend Steven Ackerman, a man that resembled the crown prince Odysseus a tad in hair and eye color, though was about ten years younger with more muscle mass. He had curly hair, and a clean shaven with a longer face.

"I say, my dear fellow," Ackerman said, "Don't you think that gun is clean enough?"

"It can never be clean enough, Steven," Marcus said as he shouldered the weapon, looking like he was ready to fire it. "I'm going to mow down dozens of them eleven gooks as they come runnin' up the streets, and I ain't gonna let a damn jammed gun get in me way."

"You should hope it never comes to that," Ackerman said, "we're Knightmare pilots first and foremost."

"Yeah, well, there's just something special about killing them Japs up close and personal, I tell ya." Marcus said.

"You shouldn't be so trigger happy, Marcus. Troubled minds lead to troubled decisions, and it could cost you dearly on the battlefield- your life, or that of your squad mates."

The voice had come from behind, and Marcus and Ackerman looked over to see a woman with short, sea green hair in a bob cut, with a pair of spectacles on. Her name was Linda Thorton. She was a member of Marcus' squad, and a damn good on-the-road Knightmare Frame mechanic in a pinch. She was straight laced, hardly ever raising her voice, but very expressive, as her tone of voice and facial expressions were enough to tell when she was angry.

"Oh please. I'll be fine as long as you're bringing up the rear," Marcus said.

"Don't forget that we're up against our former countrymen. Experienced soldiers, familiar with our tactics," Linda reminded him.

"Keyword being former," Marcus said. "The moment they decided to go turncoat was the moment they showed their inferiority. I hear even the purist faction betrayed the empire. What a load of hypocrites."

"Marcus!"

Marcus, Ackerman and Linda all looked to one side to see a brunette with shoulder length hair running up to them. Her name was Joanna Upton, yet another member of Marcus' squad, and yet another childhood friend of his.

"What is it, Jo?" Said Marcus.

"We're being sent down to the hangar. Our squad is going to be the first to scramble."

"Us?" Ackerman asked.

"Yes, we're leading the charge once the ship docks in. Those are Major General Cervantes' orders."

"No complaints here. Gives me a good shot at those cockroaches before anyone else does." Said Marcus, giving an approving nod.

"Don't you think you're a bit eager to be shooting your former kin?" Joanna said. "We know these people. We've seen some of their names in the vids. I know I don't want to start butchering people I used to call my comrades. I don't understand why you are, sir."

"Hogwash." Marcus said dismissively. "Ain't no one on this planet that's my kin would betray my country. If you ain't going to give your all for the emperor and this country, you deserve to die. That's what my father always told me."

"And where'd that get your dad? Dead in a grave at the age of forty." Said Ackerman.

"Hey, shut up, Steven! My father was a god damn war hero, and you will respect his sacrifice!" Marcus snapped.

As Steven and Marcus got into an argument, Joanna bopped herself on the head. "Looks like I caused a bit of trouble again."

"Don't blame yourself. It's how these meatheads bond," Linda said. "That said, you said we were being asked to sortie. Did you tell Maxwell yet?"

"Ah! No! I haven't! I should go do that!" Maxwell Crawford was the last member of Marcus' little group of friends. Standing over two hundred centimeters tall, he was bald with a chinstrap beard, and didn't talk much. He was the best pilot out of their squads, having had more experience than any of them. As Joanna ran off to gather the last member of Marcus' group, he and Ackerman had ceased yelling at each other, and were now glaring angrily into each other's faces.

"Honestly, you two act like schoolchildren," Linda sighed and adjusted her glasses by the rims on the right side of her face. "By my estimate we'll be docking in twenty minutes. If you don't want to disappoint General Cervantes, you'll let go of each other, follow me and we're going to get ready to retake Area Eleven."

Wordlessly, both men did as Linda suggested, following her to the hangar. Once inside their individual Sutherlands, the lifts beneath each machine brought the individual war machines to the surface of the ship. Along with fifteen other ships on the Pacific Ocean, Marcus and his squad were prepared to lay waste to their enemies as soon as the ship had docked.

The first carrier to hit the ground was The Indomitable, docking at the port closest to the central city itself. At once, its deployment doors slammed open, and eighteen hundred men began running out to secure the perimeter, while the ship's armaments provided covering fire. Lieutenant Colonel Dorian Black was in charge, and it filled him with pride to see his men run, charge against the gun fire. He would join them soon enough, as soon as they had set up a field command. The enemy was there, all right, but from the top deck of The Indomitable, they looked pitiful- hundreds of men to be sure, but it was nothing compared to the might of the Britannian assault. There were casualties, Britannian soldiers dropping to the ground in agony, taking fire from the Elevens- but they were too many, the soldiers pouring into the shoreline, and they came too fast.

After the first two hundred had poured out, then came the Knightmares. A full squad of ten, rolling out and laying down a barrage of fire. It did not take long for the Elevens to break ranks and flee, panicked by the devastating firepower of the mechanized monstrosities. Dorian smiled to himself, as he walked toward the elevator that would take him to the deployment deck. First blood had been drawn, and he would be part of this glory.

Marcus Lyndon and his squad looked around them, as their Knightmares were readied and cleared for battle by dozens of technicians and engineers, scuttling about like ants. Their own craft, The Impetuous, was one of a dozen fully armed and battle ready massive carriers, each one ready to deploy the twelve thousand troops under General Cervantes' command. Two had already made shore, and Britannian infantry was pouring out en masse, under the cover of two squads of Sutherland Knightmares, laying waste to all before them. A forward command post was being set up, engineers were rigging wires, soldiers were firing their guns and taking forward position… and as a third and fourth carrier docked, they could see the chaos of war unfurl. The Japanese were putting up a resistance, but the sheer numbers of skilled, well-armed troops was overwhelming. Their own carrier would dock within minutes, to create its own forward assault along with The Righteous and its heavy infantry. Their job, along with all other Knightmares, would be to plow through enemy resistance with speed and fury, allowing the infantry to seize control of the city, one block at a time.

They were nearly there now. Even now, bullets whizzed their way, but the Japanese riflemen were too far off to hit anything. There was no sign of Knightmares yet; the traitors had to be short on them.

The fire from the enemy was laughable; the enemy might as well have been firing soft air-guns and spit wads, for all the good it was doing against Knightmare plating and the ship's hull. Marcus laughed.

"Hah! Look at them trying to fight back! They're desperate! Let's go!"

"Marcus! Wait!" Joanna called to him, but he wasn't listening. Like some others on other ships, Marcus fired a slash harken into a building near the port, where he then grappled himself onto the shore, and immediately charged a fire team of Japanese soldiers, crushing them under the treads of his wheels, and shooting any survivors dead with his rifle.

"Always rushing into battle without a second thought," Linda sighed. "This is why he never gets promoted."

"Shall we join him?" Ackerman said.

The ship docked at last, laying out deployment ramps directly from the ship, and at once their infantry poured out. At the forefront of this, all of the Britannian Knightmares in the attacking regiment made their way ashore, onto the Kochi prefecture. Using his fact sphere, Marcus located more hostiles several kilometers north.

"Hey! Look!" He shouted into the radio. "We got traitors to the north. Let's go!"

A full forty-five Knightmares followed suit, several squads joining up under Marcus' command. Search and destroy, push far and deep, crush all before them…

Over video communication, they could see Major General Cervantes from the command post, in all his bald, bushy-faced glory.

"How goes it, captain?" He said.

"We have the enemy in sight, my lord," Marcus said.

"Wonderful!" The Major General exclaimed, zeal and fervor in his voice. "Show them no mercy! We will make these traitorous swine fold like the paper tigers they are! Let us teach these treasonous dogs the meaning of fear, Captain Lyndon!"

"The meaning of beard, sir?" Marcus asked, sounding confused.

"NAY!" The general snapped indignantly. "The meaning of fear, Captain! Have you got wax in your ears, lad?!"

"Er- um, no, general." Marcus said embarrassedly. "It was my mistake." Damn these faulty radio frequencies!

"It is quite impressive though, isn't it?" Major General Cervantes said, stroking his beard, which was of impressive length, well groomed, and a lovely tawny shade. "I tell you, my boy, I have not shaven since first I was put into action, and not once have I faced defeat. My beard and mustache are like a good luck charm- for as long as I have these," he said, twirling the mustache as Marcus resisted the urge to roll his eyes; the old man did ramble, "for as long as I carry it, I am sure I am unbeatable. Why, it's practically a science!"

"With all due respect, general, that is positively preposterous," Linda said.

"You are still young, Specialist Thorton. You will understand one day."

Marcus sighed. Working for General Cervantes was certainly no picnic. The man was an experienced veteran, but not atypically for a man his age, he was a bit eccentric. "You heard the general," he radioed to his company. "Leave no stone unturned. We'll push this rebellious scum all the way to Tokyo!"

"Yes, my lord!" his subordinates exclaimed.

As Marcus pressed forward with his fellow soldiers, they faced only token resistance. Whenever challenged, the infantry would try to fire back, and retreat the moment they had gotten a taste of their Knightmares' guns. They kept slinking farther and farther back through Shikoku, giving him and his men more and more ground and room to spread out. He laughed triumphantly. "Do you see them run, Steven? How positively pathetic! This is the best her former highness Cornelia can produce in terms of war tactics, or are the soldiers loyal to her just so damn pathetic?"

"Cap—" A soldier radioed in, only to suddenly be cut off abruptly, leaving nothing but static behind.

Suddenly, from all around them, there was pandemonium. At once, hundreds of small missiles fired, from every story in the buildings around them. The tightly packed urban area had become a shooting gallery, and although the missiles were not strong enough to outright kill a Knightmare on their own, the sheer mass of firepower made it pointless- seven missiles slammed into the Knightmare next to Marcus, reducing it to scrap before the pilot had a chance to eject. All around them, there was chaos- hundreds of missiles going off, hitting Knightmare after Knightmare, from all sides.

"RETURN FIRE!" Marcus roared, aiming his gun toward the building. They were everywhere, soldiers suddenly come out of hiding, holding crude missile launchers. Hundreds of them- and to make matters worse, they were throwing smoke grenades. From all over his comms, he could hear the same- Knightmare pilots frantically radioing about the ambush, before being silenced one by one. Like a house of cards falling, he could see 'signal lost' in the holographic display in his Knightmare.

"Steven! Linda! Joanna! Maxwell! Do you copy?" Markus shouted. Just as he cried out, another salvo of missiles landed nearby, knocking up a cloud of dust and shrapnel. Shit! I can't see a damn thing like this! Pulling back a little, Marcus moved east. But he was unknowingly playing right into enemy hands- a mass of strangely designed Knightmare Frames- strange for the Britannians, anyway- the Japanese styled Burai descended upon the battlefield, whizzing past the members of Marcus' company. As one, they opened fire on the disorganized, shocked Knightmare company, just as the infantry, well spread out and still with plenty of rockets, unleashed another salvo. More and more little beeps indicated 'signal lost'; it had to be at least twenty at this point- he had to take charge of this situation.

"On me!" He roared over the radio. "Retreat two blocks and regroup!"

There was comms interference, static, and Joanna was going in and out.

"Back, Joanna. We need to-" Marcus was cut off by Joanna suddenly screaming at the top of her lungs, followed by dead silence. Quickly, Marcus turned his Knightmare around, and made the point he had ordered, but he was followed. The Knightmare pursuing him fired its slash harken straight towards his back, intending to puncture both him and his ejector seat from behind, but the enemy war machine was suddenly destroyed by a slash harken hitting its blind spot. The cable of its slash harken spun wildly out of control, and veered far away from Marcus' Knightmare. The driver of the Sutherland that had come to his rescue then lined up with Marcus.

"Need help?" The voice was deep, and Marcus recognized it immediately.

"Thanks for the save, Maxwell."

"No problem," Maxwell said.

"Goddammit!" Ackerman shouted as he swerved into the area on his wheels backwards, firing his mounted assault rifle to discourage pursuit, "Where the hell did they come from?"

"Don't break down, and don't waver!" Marcus snapped. "We are in a war zone- we do not lose focus! We pull back, and wait for infantry support!"

"…yes, sir," Maxwell said over the radio, sounding a bit shocked.

Marcus growled. "They got… Joanna. She…"

"She was a good soldier," Maxwell said. Marcus just sighed. He looked at the map on his computer. He was down to half his company, and his seemed to be the only one still active. The ambush had hit him and his teammates hard- they had pushed too far, too fast, led into a trap.

Firing on the retreat, the Knightmares regrouped, taking up position on the streets two blocks back. Out of the forty-five that had set out, Marcus counted twenty-two- fully half of his force had been destroyed.

"Hold positions!" Marcus ordered, scanning the nearby buildings. "Be on the alert for hostile infantry- the bastards armed them with RPGs!"

He looked around. This was, in all honesty, a disastrous place to be. The cramped quarters of these buildings were terrible for vision in a vehicle the size of a Knightmare, and they had no way of detecting them- for all they knew, every building was crawling with gook anti-armour troops.

"All right," he said, "we're going to-"

Suddenly, there was a boom, and the buildings behind them collapsed, crashing down on the streets behind them.

"They're blocking the road!" Ackerman snapped. "Captain!"

"To the east, at once!" Marcus shouted. "On the double-" But he was cut off. Again, the hell began, and seemingly out of nowhere, from every story in the buildings around them, infantry leveled their rocket launchers at them.

"FIRE!" Marcus cried, and his unit responded- but dozens and dozens of rocket propelled grenades hit home into his squad. At the same time, the Burai Knightmares returned, backed by infantry following close behind them. They were surrounded. Around him, Marcus could see Knightmares being wrecked, pilots ejecting…

"Marcus!" Linda called to him via radio.

"Linda, what's your status?"

"I'm surrounded, and my Knightmare's all jammed up. Sorry, captain, but it looks like today's my last day." Her voice was calm, sounding resigned.

"Last day? Linda! What are you talking about?"

"There was another enemy ambush due east. I got separated, and… they've closed us in with a pincer maneuver. If I'm going down, I'm taking as many of those bastards as I can down with me!"

"Screw that! If you're alive, abandon your Knightmare and hide out somewhere." Marcus shouted, through the unrelenting fire rained down upon them.

However, unbeknownst to Marcus, Linda was already fading fast, with shrapnel stuck in her body after her ejector pod blew a fuse when it was attacked mid ejection. She had survived with a broken shoulder, and a badly bruised hip, after a twenty foot drop and her glasses were shattered from the blast, but she wasn't quitting just yet. She had rigged what remained of her Knightmare to explode by rewiring the circuitry and tampering with the energy filter. She had only a few seconds before even the adrenaline pumping through her wouldn't be able to keep her alive. When this thing went boom it would explode with much greater force than any Sutherland was usually capable of.

"Goodbye, captain," she said weakly as she propped herself up against the side of a ruin. She gazed up at the sun as a pair of Knightmare Frames turned a corner and spotted her, aiming their guns at her.

"LINDA!" Marcus shouted as Linda detonated her damaged Knightmare, destroying her body and the pilots and Knightmares near her in a fifty meter radius. Marcus' head hit his dashboard. It wasn't supposed to be like this. He was supposed to charge in, sweep up the rebels like a hero- not lose two of his best friends, and be cornered like a rat with its foot caught in a trap.

Finally, the fire ended. Around him, he could count only seven Knightmares left, eight including his own. The troops were everywhere, swarming like ants, and the squad of Burai had their weapons levelled at them.

"Captain Marcus Lyndon of the Britannian Army, this is Lieutenant General David T. Darlton of the Glaston Knights. I am ordering your immediate surrender. Do as I say, and no further harm comes to you or your men." The voice came across the radio, clear as day.

"Wait, how do you know it's him?" Ackerman asked. It shouldn't be possible for enemy Knightmares to know the identities of those piloting the machines. "And how did you get into our communications channel?"

"That's not important," David said. "Surrender now!"

Marcus, Maxwell and Ackerman suddenly found themselves surrounded by enemy Knightmares. "So this is how it ends, huh? Gentlemen, it's been an honor fighting at your side," Marcus said.

"Marcus… you're crazy," Maxwell said.

"Maybe… maybe." Marcus took a deep breath and then yelled as loud as he could. "ALL HAIL BRITANNIA!"

The Japanese bomber squadron, twenty in total, flew on approach to the Shikoku harbor. The ships had little anti-air capacity, they were told- if they hit hard and fast, they should be in and out in no time. Major Teiku was in the lead, feeling the comforting hum of his plane's engine.

"Major, target in sight," came the calm, smooth voice of his second in command, Lieutenant Takida. "Awaiting orders, over."

"All pilots, engage with extreme prejudice," Major Teiku said, letting his plane go into a dive, getting a closer look. Six personnel carriers, large and fat, and hard to miss. "Send them to hell, boys. Over!"

The planes went in low, and one by one, they dropped their payload. From afar, Major Teiku could see the devastation- two carriers completely destroyed, sinking fast, and two more looking completely disabled.

"Another run, boys," he said contentedly, "destroy them completely, over."

"Roger, roger," came the voice of the other pilots, as they circled around. The Destroyer ships were out, far away from the harbor- doubtless, none of them had anticipated a bombing run. All the better. For Japan, Major Teiku thought to himself, as they came in a second time.

It was in the fourth hour of fighting that colonel Fenkelstein, the highest ranked officer in the field, began to come to terms with their impending failure. That damned fool Lyndon had led a reckless charge headlong into enemy territory, and his unit had been entirely destroyed- they were all either dead or captured at this point, and the infantry following him had been surrounded, shot quite enthusiastically, and their survivors soon forced to surrender. His own unit had fared little better, their Knightmares falling victim to the same trick- wherever they went, it seemed some obstacle was ready and waiting. Mines, barbed wire, snipers, mortar rounds, collapsed buildings… at this point, their force of Knightmares- which had been a hundred and twelve strong- had been reduced to less than thirty, desperately holding the defensive line by the docks. They were surrounded on all sides, traitor Britannians and Elevens alike closing in on them. Initially, they had hoped to hold the perimeter, hold out for reinforcements- but that had soon proved a delusional fantasy of optimism, as Japanese Burai had kept overrunning one line after the other.

All six carriers had sunk within hours of arrival. One of them had been full of troops; only five had even landed their troops. At this point, something like three thousand faithful Britannians had met their maker, and half as many again were wounded. Only a few thousand men were fit to do battle, and their defensive line was shrinking by the minute.

Was this how the Japanese felt, seven years ago, when they had rolled over them like nothing, with Knightmares? Frustrated, angry, humiliated? He had kept his cool, but Fenkelstein could not ignore the reality of the situation- if this kept going, they would all die. Cervantes himself was out among the destroyers, which dared not get close to the shoreline- artillery was setting up close to the water line, and bombing planes often flew over. Even if they did… there was not nearly enough men on those ships to make a difference.

Tiredly, he looked up from his command post, down the street where his soldiers were set up. Just a block down was the enemy line, and they would be setting up another push soon- and they might hold that one, and the next, and the next, but eventually they would die in vain, having failed their empire. Being alive and having failed Britannia, Fenkelstein thought, was better than being dead and having failed Britannia.

"Blast and damnation!" Hugentahl snarled. He had done little besides bully the troops ever since they landed, infuriated at their failure to take the city- he had called it cowardice, incompetence, and every nasty word he could recall- at least twice.

"Fenkelstein, do you believe this? The men refuse to charge the enemy lines!"

"It is suicide, Hugentahl," Fenkelstein said calmly.

"Then they die heroes!" Hugentahl snapped. "They will all-"

"Shush!" Fenkelstein said sharply. The radio was cracking with noise again, undoubtedly that wretched David Darlton again. Still, anything to delay the next push…

"This is David Darlton," the voice said through the radio. Predictable, so far…

"Please, any leading officer, respond. This is needless brutality- save yourself an inglorious death."

"This is Colonel Nathan Hugentahl," Hugenthal said tentatively into the microphone.

"Colonel Hugentahl, I know what you must think of me," David said, "but consider your men. They have wives, children, and families waiting for them. Do you really want them all dead?"

"They knew this was possible when they signed up," Hughentahl said haughtily.

"In the name of peace and sanity, colonel, I ask you- consider surrendering," David said softly. "You would be treated humanely. This, I swear on my honour."

"You have no honour, you filth!" Hugentahl snarled. "Let me tell you this, you heretical little scumbag, we have thousands of men here wanting nothing more than to go down swinging, taking as many of you gooks and traitors before-"

There was a loud bang, and Hugentahl suddenly went silent, blood dripping from his chest. Fenkelstein holstered his gun, and watched his fellow colonel drop to the street floor, a shocked look on his face.

Grabbing the microphone for himself, he said, "General, this is Colonel Edvard Fenkelstein. We… I am hereby opening negotiations for surrender. I will tell my men to stand down."

Horace Cervantes looked with horror, as he saw through the satellite feed as his men threw down their arms, the Knightmares powering down…

What on earth had gone wrong? Mumbling a quick order to the captain of the ship, the destroyers soon turned tail, unmolested. What purpose would pursuit have, anyway? He… had lost.

Sipping some freshly brewed coffee in the command center, Lelouch watched Knightmare Frame icon after Knightmare Frame icon have the words 'signal lost' appear on the battlefield map.

"Did they really not think to change the frequency of their communications? I didn't even need to have Inoue hack into it."

"Yes, I'm surprised they didn't plan that far ahead either. It pays to always be thinking." Cornelia knew all military frequencies for communications channels by heart. She had to, as the former commander-in-chief. Fortunately for her and Lelouch and the rest of the army, they were using a Japanese frequency, meaning they could communicate without enemy interference while also still listening in on the enemy. It had made this first battle relatively simple.

"How are the docks?" Lelouch asked.

"See for yourself," Cornelia said, bringing up satellite feed. The docks were in flames, each carrier destroyed like a glorious bonfire.

"Positively merciless," Lelouch said, smirking and taking another sip.

"Wipe that smug grin off your face this instant, Lelouch!" Cornelia exclaimed, and scowled.

"I'm… sorry?" Lelouch said, looking a tad perplexed.

Cornelia sighed. "Perhaps it's not the same for you since you were exiled for seven years, but these are my former countrymen. They might not believe in our vision, but they believe in their own sense of morals. Serving a corrupt nation might not be the best belief system, but it's what they chose. It is all they ever knew. It is with a heavy heart that I fight this war, Lelouch. Do not delight in their deaths."

"That might be more convincing if you didn't order the docks be bombed how many times…five, six? I lost count." Lelouch said smoothly. He'd never lose count of anything, but he was trying to sound clever.

Cornelia turned back around to face the interface. "You can't change the world without getting your hands dirty." She said, calmly.

"You'll hear no complaints from me with that logic." Lelouch said and almost immediately after he did so, Cornelia radioed both field commanders.

"Colonel Tohdoh, General Darlton, what's your status?"

"Colonel Fenkelstein is ordering his men to stand down as we speak," David responded. "There are stragglers as a result of our jamming frequencies so I'm simply waiting for things to calm down before I engage peacefully."

"We're almost done on that front," Tohdoh responded. "Chiba and Urabe have that covered."

"What happened to Colonel Hugehntal?" Cornelia knew of Hugehntal and Fenkelstein. They were of contrasting mindsets, the former always pushing the attack, the latter holding the other's leash. She didn't expect a surrender this soon, not if Hugehntal wasn't a confirmed corpse.

"Um, I'm a little scarce on details, your highness."

Cornelia cleared her throat.

"Er, I mean, my lady. I heard what sounded like a gunshot when I radioed for a commanding officer. When I have a full grasp of the situation I'll let you know."

"See that you do," Cornelia said. "Colonel, do tell your men to try and leave the enemy Knightmares intact. They're more useful to us in one piece than as scrap metal."

"Understood," Tohdoh answered.

Cornelia then closed communications.

"I never thought the day would come that you would so vigorously deny your blue blood," Lelouch chuckled. "Even as a soldier, you still took some level of pride in your birth."

"Status is meaningless when it comes right down to it. I never cared much for the special treatment that I was given simply because of my birth. There is no difference between a soldier born of nobility and one born from the streets that matters, other than raw skill. A leader should have their title because they are fit for the role, not because of their lineage."

"That's…" Lelouch thought about it for a minute, finding the words strange to come from Cornelia's mouth. Then he remembered one important thing about Cornelia. "It's because of my mother, isn't it? That's why you feel that way."

"She appeared out of nowhere, or so I've heard. One day she just showed up in a Britannian military camp, hungry and covered in dirt. Her intention was stealing food. The troops couldn't bring themselves to shoot a little girl, and tried to subdue her with their hands. I'm told she fought and overpowered men and women twice her age."

Lelouch merely blinked. This sounded like a bad fairy tale. He knew his mother was a woman of note, but this was a bit hard for him to swallow.

"The commanding officer on duty happened to take note of this, and asked for her name. She was immediately enlisted as a Private First Class. Things went up the chain of command about the incident, and father eventually heard about it. He had Lady Marianne promoted to Chief Warrant Officer. However, by the time I met her, she was already knighted. Our father could not let talent like that go to waste on the frontlines. All men are not created equal," Cornelia laughed. "That's the one thing about our nation I wholeheartedly agree with. I just interpret it differently than most."

Lelouch sat there in silence for a bit. Knowing something as a fact of trivia was one thing, hearing about it in more detail was entirely another. He knew that Cornelia idolized his mother, but even he didn't know this much about his own mother, the woman whose memory he cherished above all else. As he stared at Cornelia's back, he realized just how much time had passed him by. His eyes had been closed for the last seven years- no, they had been closed since the day he was born. He only opened them when the power of Geass fell into his lap. For one reason or another, he hadn't been seeing all of reality, only the bits and pieces he wanted. Cornelia on the other hand, with her years of experience and formerly decorated status, she knew more about the world than he could possibly hope to at his age. Somewhere in the back of his mind he always knew that, but it was only sinking in now.

"Out of curiosity, where did you hear all of that?"

"Straight from the horse's mouth," Cornelia said. "When you're the chief general of the military, you tend to be allowed audience with the Emperor at your leisure. While his majesty wasn't forthcoming with information about the nature of Lady Marianne's death, he would talk about her at length if I asked. Anything I could want to know about her he was willing to answer."

"That's…" The way Cornelia talked made his father sound almost human. Yet when he got mad, he was thrown out.

"Don't misinterpret that. I know what you're thinking. His majesty respected status and rank above all else. I would not have gotten as far as I did into my investigation of your mother's death, were it not for my status as Chief General of the Army. The only ones his majesty ever really paid attention to were Schneizel and myself. Even Guinevere and Odysseus didn't get to see his majesty quite as frequently as we did." She then began tapping a few keys and switching interfaces, examining troop detail. "Hmm, that's a bit odd."

"What's a bit odd?"

"I'm counting in about seventy-five of our own Knightmares destroyed, but there doesn't seem to be even a single Japanese Burai signal lost." She opened comms. "Colonel Tohdoh, respond."

"Yes, your ladyship."

"My systems are counting that no Burai have been destroyed. Can you confirm this to not be a case of system malfunction on my end?"

At this, Katase joined the video chat, laughing. "It's one hundred percent accurate, Princess Cornelia. Our people didn't call him Tohdoh of Miracles for nothing."

Deciding to get in on the conversation, Lelouch put on his Zero helm and opened up the communication console from the armrest of the command chair. "A job well done, Colonel," he said to Tohdoh. "But that's exactly why we had you be the ambush squad. The less Japanese we sacrifice, the better."

"Are you saying our kind is expendable?" David said angrily, having been listening in on the conversation, outraged by Zero's implications.

"That's not what he's saying," Cornelia defended. "This is Japan's soil. This is their war. We're simply fighting it with them. PR is everything sometimes. If our casualties are higher, the public will start to see that we really mean well for both their nation and ours. That said, I want a full report of our dead and injured, so I can inform the families."

"Of course," David said. "I'll have it sent to you as soon as I confirm our surrender."

"No. Now. Have your brothers see to the formal surrender and prisoners."

"Yes, my lady." David said obediently.

Area 12, Viceroy's chambers

The late Prince Clovis had been a somewhat competent ruler before Zero had eventually put a bullet through his head. No one, not even his closest half-siblings Schneizel and Cornelia, had believed he could be in charge. He hadn't the guts and gumption to make tough decisions, to rule carefully and wisely. However, his gentle hand had actually minimized terrorist activity, and only the most radical still bothered to cause trouble.

You attract more flies with honey than with vinegar. That had been Clovis' tactic. Rebellion was not tolerated, and put down as violently as the Shinjuku Massacre, but other than that, he had tried to do his best to appear approachable, like a young lamb.

By stark contrast, the rule of the Viceroy of Area 12 made the Shinjuku Massacre look cute by comparison. The Twelves had even less rights than the Elevens in their respective nation, and taxes on Honorary Britannians were at an all-time high. Some living in Area 12 considered it even more fascist and oppressive than the very core of the empire. Then again, nothing less could be expected when the man in charge was none other than Gabriel the Mad. His full name being Gabriel Blackwood, he was known throughout Britannia for beliefs so radical, even someone as integrated in Britannia's culture as the Crown Princess Guinevere refused to break bread with him.

He stood in his chambers, receiving a video-streamed message from Horace Cervantes, who was hanging his head in shame. Bile rising in his throat, Gabriel was nearly frothing at the mouth, as the Major General told him of the defeat.

"INSOLENCE!" he shouted clenching the right hand of his sickly gray skin into a fist and pounded it on his arm rest as even the very hairs, dark red like blood, of his circle beard were bristling with anger. "You're telling me practically your entire divisions was wiped out with minimal enemy casualties?! Someone hasn't been feeding his men a properly balanced breakfast!"

"M-my apologies, sire. My men went in a bit gung-ho. We dreadfully underestimated the enemy's resourcefulness. It will not happen again." Cervantes said, shaking his head in defeat, looking harrowed.

"Certainly not, General. Certainly not!" Gabriel exclaimed, pounding his fist on his arm rest again. He then tugged at the collar of his bright yellow suit and adjusted his green cape. "I'm employing General Armstrong and the rest of the corps to battle."

"But, sir, if you send almost all of our men to Japan, who will protect you?" Cervantes asked.

"It is not Japan! It is Area Eleven!" Gabriel snapped. "I don't care what those traitorous pigs say, that nation is ours! At any rate, I still have my guard, the local authorities, and General Wolfe of the Air force. What matters is crushing those rebels regardless of the cost! His majesty will accept nothing less than the blood of those traitors splattering the ground! Then we'll take the heads of Zero, the fallen princess and all those important that stand with them and parade them around on stakes outside Pendragon! It will be the most glorious day in all of Britannia!"

Gabriel then laughed maniacally. It was a habit of his, a testament to his lack of mental stability, and it was one of the many reasons he would quickly alienate those around him.

"Er, yes sir," Cervantes said. "I'll rally the men and go into battle myself. We shall win for sure."

"See that you do!" Gabriel said and closed the communication channel. He massaged the brim of his forehead beneath his widow's peak and sighed. "I'm surrounded by idiots."

"I hope that doesn't include me, General," a flirtatious voice chuckled. Gabriel looked off to his right. It was a woman in a high ranking air force uniform approaching him. She had long white hair, dark skin, and a very voluptuous build. Had a casual onlooker had the luck to see her take her shirt off, though, it would have revealed a muscular body, well trained and ever the soldier.

"Ah, General Wolfe," Gabriel said, sounding much more amiable. "What brings you to my chambers without a phone call? Not that I mind."

"I just thought I would inform you that we've had to put down riots in our own borders, milord," Wolfe said with a chuckle. "It seems her former royal highness, and Zero, has inspired others to rise up against us."

Gabriel frowned, his lips curling into a sneer. "You put those revolts down definitively, do you hear me? Butcher the lot of them! I will not tolerate such insubordination! These swine need to be taught a proper lesson!"

Wolfe chuckled. "If that's your will, I'll take care of it." Wolfe then exited Gabriel's chambers, her hips swinging provocatively as she did so. She went to her command post, then radioed for her subordinates. "The Viceroy has ordered a total annihilation. Shoot them all down," Wolfe said coldly.

"Yes, my lady!" the operator on call reported back.

And so it began, as several ghettos were butchered by air strikes and the rifles of recovery troops. But such mercilessness would not break the native spirit. They would continue to fight back against their oppressors, all while chanting Cornelia and Zero's names.

With Cervantes preparing for his next assault, and waiting to join with Armstrong's forces, that meant a delay in active warfare for the Confederacy and its allies. Realizing the tentative breather they could take, Lelouch and Cornelia had dinner together, alone in the HQ. Ordinarily, Cornelia would be joined by Euphie, Darlton and Guilford, but the latter two had their own important business to attend to and the former was with Nunnally at Ashford for her own safety, though not attending classes for fear of students and staff that might resent Cornelia for her decision and leaving them and their families high out to dry.

Cornelia's conduct and directing the flow of battle earlier had impressed Lelouch. He couldn't have done a better job himself. In fact, he probably would have done the exact same job. As the two siblings ate in silence, Lelouch's mind could only drift towards the fact once again that she was in his company. She was older, more experienced and, damn it, she loved him. He was the son of her hero, and she cherished his life almost as much as she cherished Euphemia's. He had already found it in him to fully trust her and after today he was reminded just how much he could learn from her. Just what had she been doing these last seven years? What things had she seen? What tactics had she employed? He hadn't seen her in seven years, only heard stories and she was just as competent and commanding as he had heard, if not more so. He only really remembered Cornelia from when she was in charge of his mother's guard.

In fact, growing up, he had learned a lot of tactics just from talking with her when his studies were finished. In some ways, Lelouch looked up to Cornelia.

There were things she knew that he did not, though the reverse also held true. After today, Lelouch was realizing just how much her partnership really mattered to him. Granted, he could not have come this far, this fast without her, but even after the fact she was still proving useful. When the really hard part of the war would eventually hit them, Lelouch knew he wouldn't have to worry about her. She knew what she was getting herself into, was prepared for it for years, even longer than he had been. She knew warfare on more than just paper. She was right- watching her had been a learning experience.

"That was quite the performance." Lelouch said, looking at his sister with a bit of admiration. "In less than seven hours, a whole division was brought to its knees."

"The idea to supply our troops with rocket launchers such as those was yours," Cornelia said. "As was the ambush tactic."

"Nevertheless, you handled it well." Lelouch said, nodding approvingly. "Now we just have to figure out how to deal with approximately eight thousand five hundred prisoners of war."

"I suppose we can't just kill them, then?" Lelouch said offhandedly, in a joking tone.

"Not if we want to be any better than Charles, no." Cornelia said, sounding unamused. "We'll have to set apart resources, rebuild some old army camps into prison camps…"

"I never tried it before, but I could perhaps geass all of them at once. Wouldn't that be a sight, thousands of once loyal Britannians throwing themselves at their former comrades-"

"Lelouch, no." Cornelia said firmly, scowling. "Not even as a joke. My army is loyal to me because I earned their trust. I know your geass has its uses- but to brainwash thousands? Never on my watch, little brother."

"All right, it was just a joke," Lelouch said smoothly, holding up his hands. "Duly noted- no geass. So what will you do with them?"

"I am thinking I will put them to work in the mines until the war is over, or we trade POWs for POWs with the Britannian forces should they get a hold of our soldiers in the future," Cornelia said with a shrug. "Lord knows we need extra hands for menial labour. They'll get three meals a day, and hard work to keep them distracted from keeping trouble- and they won't need to die either."

"You are so very compassionate," Lelouch said dryly. "Were it up to me, I would put them all in one big fenced off area and let the Japanese throw things at them to blow off steam. I would give them a taste of their own medicine."

"Lelouch, enough!" Cornelia said firmly, her voice sharp. He hadn't said it like he was joking. His tone of voice was… troubling.

"And what's wrong with humbling the corrupt? Be it lightening their pockets of ill-gotten goods or humiliating them before their economic inferiors, it's all the same." Lelouch said callously.

"Lelouch what you're suggesting by its very nature is inhumane." Cornelia said, sounding angry.

"And the number system is any less?" Lelouch said, raising his voice.

"The numbers system," Cornelia said, scowling, her voice harsh, "is oppressive, cruel and unfair. It is inhumane, and it is one of the things that made me despise our empire. But Lelouch, we must not live by an eye for an eye, or we will end up being no better than Charles. Revenge might satisfy you, Lelouch, but in the end you are just adding suffering upon suffering. If we want this… revolution to have a point, we must afford ourselves mercy. We must be better than they are. Is that clear?"

"Yes, it's clear," Lelouch said calmly. Cornelia balled her fist, resisting the urge to slap Lelouch for his apathy.

Instead, she continued to berate him. "And another thing," she said, pointing at him with her fork, "That macabre humor of yours is not funny. If you keep making jokes like that, you're going to say the wrong thing at the wrong time and you will regret it. What's next? Are you going to suggest we parade our prisoners around with collars around their necks, pulling floats?"

"Well I wasn't, but that's a wonderful suggestion," Lelouch said with a grin.

This time Cornelia did slap him, lashing out quickly with one hand. "What the hell is wrong with you?" she asked furiously. "The Lelouch I knew didn't have a sense of humor this sick and twisted."

"I've changed, Cornelia, as have you. Time does that to people."

There was silence until Cornelia found it in her to speak. "Lelouch, what exactly happened? You were alive for seven years, yet not once did you decide, before this happened to you that you wanted to come home."

"Well… no, not exactly." Cornelia looked at him, intrigued. "After the war ended, I didn't have very much left in the ways of currency." Lelouch was now picking at his plate, talking with a tired smile on his face. "After I calmed down a little, I actually contemplated calling you on a public phone. I felt scared, alone, and betrayed."

"Why didn't you?"

Lelouch tugged at his hair a few times. "I'm not really sure. I guess I was just so fed up with Britannia after my mother's death and the war that I didn't want to be in anyone's company. I let anger and rage get the better of me and before I knew it, it was too late. I was declared dead to the world."

Cornelia now stared at her plate in misery. "You know… I was nearly discharged from the military after the war."

Lelouch looked at Cornelia in surprise.

"I deliberately disobeyed orders, and overclocked my Knightmare, just to make it to where you were supposedly, but by the time I got there… well… you know what happened."

"The bombs almost hit you," Lelouch said. Cornelia nodded.

"I got out of the area with seconds to spare. I think that if I was not royalty, I would have found myself looking for a new job, with a dishonorable discharge."

"Growing up alone, not sure if I would make it during those cold winters, I only grew more and more bitter like the biting cold of the season itself. I grew to despise my homeland and the people in it." Lelouch laughed. "I actually had the intention of murdering you and every last one of my half-siblings as part of my grand rebellion."

"That would have been difficult, since some of us are in charge of EU and Chinese embassies." Cornelia said dryly.

"And I was more than ready to accept the challenge."

Hearing Lelouch say something with such a cold and completely straight face only troubled Cornelia further. She made a mental note to talk about his resentment towards his former nation when they got the chance. It might destroy them one of these days if he didn't get it under control. "I'm glad I got to you when I did, then. I dread to think what might've happened if anyone else had been your opponent, or had I not captured you."

Lelouch shrugged. "Who can say? But," he looked directly at Cornelia seriously. "We're a team now. You and I will win this war together, and we'll find out the truth about what happened to her late majesty, the empress, my mother, your idol."

"That we are."

There was another long pause before Lelouch spoke again. "Would you tell me more of what you know about her? I only knew my mother for ten years, and you—"

"Ask anything, I'll do my best to answer. But, on one condition."

"And that is?"

"I want you to tell me about what happened to you during those four years that you said you were completely alone. I want to understand what it was that turned the cheerful, bright young lad I called 'little brother' into the ruthless idealist and cunning strategist he is now."

"…I accept your terms, but only if you go first."

"Very well. Ask me anything you like, Lelouch."

"…tell me about Britannia," Lelouch said. "Not its military or ruling system, but Britannia itself. I only saw it as a small child, and… well, my view of it is biased, to say the least. I'd like to learn more."

"By all means," Cornelia said, smiling at him. "Where would you like me to start?"

"Anywhere you like. We have some time, after all."

"It will take long, but all right," Cornelia said. "You see, back there, it's not all bad…"

Together, they sat and talked, for hours, until it got very late, asking questions of one another until well past midnight, and Lelouch found it strangely agreeable.

(A/N: Phew, finally done. Right so, let's talk for a bit. First and foremost, I'm thinking of switching out the poll for the pairings list. It's gotten pretty baseline and perhaps I will bring it back from time to time, but I'm going to have to put up other polls over it for Fairy Without Wings, since that's my main project. I need to collect data and the data I've collected right now for Cornelia of the Defection is sufficient. Don't worry, the poll will eventually be back, but right now you all have spoken and I appreciate your input. No, you're not getting the results. When Lelouch is finally paired off with someone I will display the results and explain my choice as they correlate to the results. I'll say this right now, it boggles my mind just how many of you voted for Lelouch/Cornelia. Like, I'm hoping that at least some of those aren't votes cast with one hand on your mouse and the other hand somewhere else.

And with that said, please, please, please provide feedback on the fighting in this chapter. Originally I had written the battle as being very minimalistic with a limited perspective—as I am used to from projects like Soul Chess, Fairy Without Wings etc.—but Rat thought it best to expand things to both sides. If you think I should've done a limited perspective or if you're happy with how the fighting turned out, let us know. I cannot improve as a writer if you do not tell me how things are going so keep those reviews detailed. Anyways, with that said, I'll see you all in December (hopefully) as I turn things over to my co-writer. As always, from all of me to all of you, let your hearts stay human and your wrath draconic. Ja ne!)