Code Geass: Commandant Britannia

Key:

[ ] - Sound Effects

" " - Regular Speech

' ' - Unheard Thoughts

" " - Emphasis / Written Documents / Radio Communication

" " - Amplified Speech / External Speakers / Public Address System (PA System)

Disclaimer - Code Geass is owned by Sunrise Inc.

Chapter I - Royal's Uncovered

Cornelia li Britannia was, by all accounts, in a sour mood. It had been nothing more than a mere week since her arrival in the rat's hole that was Area 11 and already the 3rd Princess had appeared to be reaching the limits of her tolerance, a resource of which she held precious little. The former proud nation of Japan, now reduced to nothing more than a dried husk of its once great past, was as corrupt as it was inefficient. The local administration was saturated in corruption, the armed forces were nothing but a crass amalgamation of bickering factions and, to top it all off, the economy lay in shambles, crippled by debt. The Imperial Colony was, to be blunt, an absolute nightmare.

Cornelia's arrival within the region had been mandated by her own father, Charles zi Britannia, the Britannian Emperor no less, who had had her assigned the position of Viceroy in replacement of her predecessor, Clovis la Britannia, the 3rd Prince.

The blond heir had, much to Charles' ire, proven to be a less than capable leader in, well, virtually any aspect s other than those involving celebrating, his lax ruling and shoddy policies having brought nothing but ruin to the world's leading repository of Sakuradite, a mineral far to valuable to simply leave in such incompetent hands.

Clovis' fate had been sealed following the utter disaster that was the Shinjuku Skirmish, one of the worse military debacles in the whole of Britannian history, the entirety of the blue eyed painter's forces virtually wiped out by nothing more than a mere underground resistance group, a humiliating defeat. The fact that Clovis himself failed to escape the battle unscathed, a bullet wound to the stomach and gut by a still unknown assailant, only emphasized the magnitude of the former - Viceroy's failure.

The event, upon having reached the Emperor's ear, had served as the last straw, the Prince having been, from thereon, promptly stripped of his position and shipped of back to his estate in Pendragon. The whole affair had been, for simplicity's sake, a complete disappointment.

"Honestly Clovis, I knew you weren't exactly the best of commanders but this is just ridiculous." Cornelia muttered to herself, her voice laced with disappointment and a scowl upon her face as she eyed the aftermath reports of her half - brother's intervention in Shinjuku. The damage had, truly, been of an unprecedented magnitude. However, and despite the Prince's letdown, the colloquially named "Witch of Britannia" could not prevent herself from feeling a small sense of relief, grateful that Clovis had, regardless of it all, come out of the encounter alive, if not unharmed. The Elevens had already taken two of her family members to their graves, she would not widely stand by and let a third join their ranks.

"If only you were still here, we could be together again." Cornelia spoke again, tone laced in sadness as she eyed an aged picture of herself, Euphie and the vi Britannia children. There were no tears in the warrior princess' eyes, those droplets of salted water having fallen in due amounts years prior. Their deaths, combined with that of their mother's, above all else, had weighed heavily upon her heart. She could only hope she now possessed the strength to protect her younger sister.

Releasing the small, gilded picture frame in her hands, the violet haired royal sighed, sinking back down into her leather office chair, the crushing reality of several stacks of paperwork lying upon her desk bringing her out from her own musings. Then, suddenly, a voice made itself known throughout the stifling silence of the Viceroy's study.

"Princess Cornelia, are you alright?"

The unexpected voice was none - other than that of her ever loyal knight, Gilbert P. Guilford, whom had just entered the room from its adjacent hallway, his words tinged with their characteristic style of respect and, on this occasion, hints of worry. The black haired soldier's features were relaxed and chiseled, though his eyes seemed rather soft, hidden away behind the barrier that was said man's glasses.

Cornelia, leveling her own eyes so as to stare into Guilford's own, replied, "There is no need for you to worry Guilford, I was simply reminiscing of better times. To be honest I haven't been in the best of moods lately, a situation which I fear is far from being improved considering these here mountains of administrative nonsense Clovis' secretaries have been unloading upon me. Truly this Area is in poor shape."

The bespectacled knight let out a soft chuckle, not out of mockery but of understanding at his lord and liege's predicament. "Truly paperwork is more deadly than a Knightmare Princess Cornelia."

The indigo eyed woman in question responded with a soft smile of her own, a small portion of her current tension removed from her shoulders at her trusted confidants usage of humor. She really couldn't have selected a better knight for herself.

Moving past these positive thoughts, the Princess questioned her loyal companion, asking "All of this set aside Guilford, what is it you came to see me for?"

Recognizing his commander's current state of mind, the knight in question responded, "It's Princess Euphemia your Highness, she has asked of me to present you with this, uhh, textbook that she happens to have gotten her hands on."

Cornelia merely arched one of her eyebrows before taking hold of the book in question Guilford had stretched out before her, curiosity seeping into her mind. Observing the, rather large, volume, she came to notice the gilded letters etched out across its surface.

"Ashford Academy Yearbook? I'll admit its imposing but I fail to see what Euphie would want me to do with this exactly."

At the Princess' apparent confusion, the glasses bearing knight stepped in to explain, "Princess Euphemia has requested that she be allowed to visit the establishment and has informed me of her keen interest in the school. She's told me that she wishes to meet certain of the on - site faculty and students, explaining how she might be able to meet certain member's of the Ashford household."

The referencing of Lady Marianne's former allies brought along another resurgence of aged memories from within Cornelia's mind, a sudden amount of interest peaked at their current fates'. What indeed did happen to the former noble's upon their exile from the Britannian Homeland? What fortunes had they made from their past sorrows? Glancing back up towards her stalwart Knight of Honor, the violet head replied, "While I don't exactly approve of Euphemia's enthusiasm for mingling with commoner's, I'll admit the Ashford's fate does intrigue me, it would be good to have news of them. The least I can do is to pay them some show of respect, if nothing else but for Lady Marianne's sake, not to mention that an outing might calm Euphemia down for a time, her restlessness has been getting to me if I'm honest. I want to make sure of our security however, I don't trust our safety when in public and the appearance of this "Zero" character is notice for alarm, my sister's security is our foremost priority."

Guilford merely nodded at his Princess' serious tone of judgement, silently approving of Cornelia's judgment, although he did ever so slightly feel as if said older sibling might be a tad bit overprotective of her blood - tie, not that he'd voice these opinions out of course. He then interjected himself within the conversation, questioning, "Is there any particular way in which you would wish to visit the campus your Highness?"

Taking not but a moment to ponder over this latest question, Cornelia responded, "Although I maintain my reservations on this it might be more prudent to start off with whatever Euphie wanted. Did she happen to mention anything she'd wish to see or meet first? That sort of information would probably serve best if I am to come up with an adequate solution."

The man opposite to her replied, "To be blunt Princess Cornelia, her Highness spoke quite a bit while I was in her presence and I failed to capture everything that was said. She did mention meeting the student council president I believe though, she'd apparently been told that the Ashford heiress served as it head."

Cornelia, intrigued but not surprised at this latest of information, merely gave off a gentle smile, her voice uplifted as she spoke, "Of course Ruben Ashford's granddaughter would serve as its leader, the girl would simply be too prideful to let any other rule over her peers. Tell me, do you have a picture of the girl?"

"Her and the other member's of the council should be included within the yearbook I've brought you your Highness. I'm sure you can find her figure and name somewhere within those pages."

Nodding in ascent at Guilford's logic, the Princess leafed open the thickly bound volume towards its index until finding the reference to the Academy's, apparently renowned and premier, student body. Flipping through page upon page of faculty, classes and students, Cornelia finally settled upon the 234th page, only for her eyes to widen in utter shock, her breath caught within her lungs. Starring blankly from across the page and among the small six man group, stood an all but dead pair of siblings. One of the figures was a boy in his advanced years of adolescence, his hair raven black and eyes scarlet violet, while the other was a small, auburn haired girl, her eyes closed and demure body sitting idly within the confines of an elaborate looking wheelchair. The list of names below the image spelled out in well written calligraphy, "From left to right: Millicent Ashford, Rivalz Cardemonde, Shirley Fenette, Nina Einstein, Lelouch & Nunnally Lamperouge."

Upon her reading of the final words within the short phrase, the book, so far held within Cornelia's, otherwise strong, hands fell from her grip, landing in a dull thud upon the study's desk and scattering papers from the generated winds. The warrior Princess' hands were shacking, not a word escaping her otherwise red lips as she continued to stare bug eyed at the person's within the image. Guilford, upon having realized his lord's uncharacteristic demeanor anxiously asked, traces of panic in his voice, "Princess Cornelia, what it is? What have you found?"

The royal in question continued to stare at the unmoving picture, thoughts racing through her mind, 'Could it really be them? Could it really be Lelouch and Nunnally? But they died during the invasion, the Emperor himself said so! I'd searched the wreckage of the Kururugi Shrine myself and found nothing! But, those eyes, that wheelchair, Lady Marianne's maiden name… Can it truly be coincidence?'

The still shocked woman blinked at her knight's somewhat forceful shacking of her leftmost shoulder, his actions having roused the indigo eyed woman from her unperturbed musings. He was asking, "Princess Cornelia? Princess Cornelia? Are you alright?"

In an almost chocked manner, Cornelia asked, "Guilford, how soon can you convene my royal guard and Euphemia?"

Guilford, still caught in his moment of worry for his liege, robotically replied, "I can have them gathered within the Knightmare Hangar in less that ten minutes, the Princess along with them. But, Lady Cornelia, what is it that has caused you to react this way?"

Cornelia's final words left the typically proud soldier in his own temporary amazement, "Empress Marianne's children are residing at Ashford. My siblings are alive."

Lelouch Lamperouge, once known under the title of Lelouch vi Britannia, exiled 11th Prince of the Holy Britannian Empire, was experiencing a day like any other. The daytime's events had been, at lest so far, that of routine, beginning with his mourning greeting of Nunnally and ending with his mid - afternoon meeting with the student council. It was, for simplicity's sake, the same as yesterday, the day before that and the day before that yet again, a steady stream of copy - pasted movements and actions, a sprinkling of variety giving it the semblance of life. Granted, it wasn't the most memorable of lives, yet it remained peaceful and calm. Nunnally was happy, therefore he was happy, and so he accepted the way in which things were… Except he didn't.

'Geass.' Lelouch thought to himself, his steps slow yet regal as he made his way towards the student club house, 'The power of the kings she'd said. An impressive tool I'd agree.' Inwardly, the exiled former royal was tending to the sparks of vengeance and rebellion, the remnants of a long ago kindled fire of rage and despair left in the wake of his mother's demise. This power, this weapon he'd been given, it would be the catalyst towards his goal for the utter and complete destruction of Britannia. Its beliefs, its crimes, its entire system would come crashing down, nothing to be spared in what he saw as the Emperor's unjust vision of the world, a burning wreckage of a once mighty ideology reduced to nothing more than cinders and ash, and he would relish every moment when such a day would come. It would be glorious, his crowning achievement, the birth of a new world left within his wake. Yes, such was his destiny. He would, no matter the odds, create a kinder, gentler world where Nunnally could live free and happy, a gentle should whom no - one would judge her simply for her weakness. There would be peace.

"Lulu, what is it your thinking about?"

The feminine voice originated from none - other than Shirley, her orange locks gently swaying in the passing breeze, a curious and perplexed look upon her face, notes of worry laced throughout her words. Both she and the accompanying Milly were intently observing him some several feet away, in front of him he'd noticed, wondering what had suddenly caused the ever focused raven haired boy to halt. He'd apparently gone so far into his musings that his movements had simply stopped, leaving him standing upon the academy's central courtyard, various student's of different ages coming and going all around him, oblivious to his thoughts.

Regaining his senses, the violet eyed boy replied, "It's nothing Shirley, I simply got lost in my thoughts, nothing to serious." He forced himself a gentle, though fake, smile, eyes glinting in humor, as he attempted to put his not - so - secret crush's worries at ease.

At the sight of his supposedly relaxed and unworried facade, the green eyed girl relented, a slight blush upon her cheeks as she stuttered out her response, "O… OK Lelouch, but make sure you don't fall too deep into those memories of yours, I… I mean we wouldn't want you to trip, right Madam Prez?"

The buxom blonde standing at Shirley's side gave off an aura of amusement and giddiness, a trademark Cheshire Cat - like smile plastered across her lips. "Well of course we wouldn't like him to fall," She began in a teasing manner, "if he landed on his face he'd be a lot less attractive. As to what he's thinking, I'm sure it may have something to do with, oh, I don't know, some orange haired girl on the student council? Maybe the reason why he suddenly stopped is because all the blood left his brain for another reason, hmm?"

Shirley's eyes went wide with shock, an enormous blush born from embarrassment rising amongst her cheeks as she realized the, rather obvious, innuendo put forth by her superior. Lelouch, on the other hand, simply let out a sigh of frustration, his years of experience with the rambunctious Ashford heiress having granted him a semblance of immunity to her tortures, although it could be noted an all but imperceptible redding of his chiseled cheeks appeared following said blonde's analysis.

The so called "Ice Prince" of Ashford Academy was about to formulate a response when, all of a sudden, a series of cries and shouts began to echo amidst the nearby students, their faces turned towards a rather intimidating image: Knightmares.

Turning his gaze towards his surroundings, Lelouch noted the curious and impressed faces of numerous student's an faculty, their collective visions, whether they be on the courtyard or leaning out nearby classroom windows, from both floors he might add, focused upon a large oncoming convoy of Sutherland Knightmare Frames and infantry mounted troop carriers, their standard grey helmets and kevlar armor acting in stark contrast to the otherwise vibrant colors of the school grounds. However, it was not so much these military vehicles that struck at Lelouch's heart, but more so the single, imperial purple colored limousine around which the majority of said troops were gathered around, its slim frame gliding soundlessly towards his and his friends' position.

As the oncoming vehicle came to a stop, a man stepped out, his figure clad in what he could only guess to be a Knight's uniform, its material seemingly clinging onto the glasses wearing soldier.

'Glasses?' Lelouch thought, a sense of panic and fear gradually building within his body, 'But the only knight I know who wears glasses is Guilford! And if he's here that means…'

Lelouch failed to complete his thought as a duo of women, both youthful in their age and vibrant in their demeanor's, stepped out to Guilford's side, pink and violet hair leaving little guessing to their potential identities.

For several moments, Lelouch's mind went blank, his entire body frozen in place, unable to move. He simply starred, wide eyed and open mouthed, at his half - siblings, Euphemia and Cornelia, both standing still as they looked upon his figure. So focused upon them was he that he became oblivious to all other movements around him, the Knightmares surrounding the school, covering its exits, while the infantrymen unloaded from their transports and began to fan out into position. And then, as rapidly as Lelouch had become petrified in shock, his mind became embroiled in rage.

Nunnally was here. Britannia was here. Nunnally was here. Britannia was here. His sister, blind and crippled, was awaiting in the clubhouse. Britannia, the country that had abandoned him, was invading upon his sacred ground. The enemy was at the gates. Nunnally was no longer safe. Time slowed to a crawl. And then he moved.

It was sudden, so fast that, had one not been of trained standing, they would most likely have missed it. And yet it happened. Lelouch, quick on the draw, dipped his hand within the folds of his standard Ashford issued uniform, only to pull out, much to the observing trio's horror, an aged World War era German pistol. And then the first shots rang out.

Upon seeing the archaic weapon within her half - siblings hands, a fiery inferno clearly visible within his eyes, Cornelia flung Euphemia down onto the ground, using her own body as protection for her younger sister's. Her knight, Guilford, had done the same, only he pulled out his own sidearm and placed himself in front of the two royal's, knee upon the ground in his trained fighting stance. Should it be necessary, something he truly hoped wouldn't be, the black haired knight would be able to subdue the 'enemy'. Except, even if he wanted to, he couldn't.

Lelouch's sidearm, despite its outdated nature, produced a deafening sound as it fired, the dual shots sounding across the entirety of the academy's walls, their effect's instantaneous. At the echoing of gunfire, virtually every non - military individual throughout the nearby area erupted in a slew of panic and fear, student's and staff running in all directions or dropping to the ground, hoping to escape whatever oncoming slew of projectiles they all predicted to be flying around soon. The swathes of running adults and teenagers essentially created a human wall of sorts, groups of people scurrying for safety in packs, blocking both Guilford's and the accompanying troops' line of sights. They could not identify and engage the target without incurring massive civilian casualties, Britannian casualties. It would be unacceptable.

While chaos reigned, Lelouch ran towards the nearby clubhouse, mustering every inch of his pitiful being so as to reach his destination faster, keen on evacuating and protecting his beloved sister, the only light he had left within this all but blackened world.

Meanwhile, an evidently frightened Shirley lay sat upon the ground, knees quivering despite their being embraced by the swimmer's developed arms. An equally shocked Milly sat facing the wildly mumbling girl, her arms having latched onto the green eyed woman in a tight embrace, both in an attempt to calm her partner, as well as herself, down.

'My God, Lelouch has lost it, hasn't he?' The blonde thought. She'd envisioned various ways in which a 'family reunion' between the Lamperouges and the Imperial Family could have gone, but never had she believed it would be in the form of a gunfight. What worried her more, however, was not the fact that Lelouch had opened fire, but more that he'd had a gun on his person, in his uniform while at Ashford no less! Truly Lelouch's fear had morphed into sheer paranoia with time, that was certain.

As the crowd of students dispersed, the Britannian forces, under the direction of an ever vigilant Guilford, soon accompanied by a now upright Cornelia, cautiously advanced towards the student clubhouse. Radio chatter rocketed back and forth between the subordinates and their commander, a constant stream or orders and information playing endlessly upon the channels.

"Knightmare pilots, you are not to open fire!" Shouted a somewhat shaken Cornelia, the barely past event having rocked her to the core. She'd expected Lelouch to react negatively, that was true, but for him to actually open - fire on them, or at least into the air, was not within the planned parameters. "You are to prevent all person's from entering or leaving the premises, use your scanners do detect any heat signatures indicating attempted escape and subdue them non - lethally! Ground troops, you are to move in and surround the student clubhouse from all sides and await further instructions before proceeding. I want stun - rounds ready and loaded, the target must absolutely be unharmed, do I make myself clear!?"

And all but ingrained, "Yes, your Highness!", of a response sounded back, the Britannian army's Chief General's instructions followed without question, the pawns moving into position.

All the while, Lelouch, whom had reached his dwelling's front door after what seemed to be an eternity, opened - fire yet again, though this time not harmlessly into the air as before, but at the approaching gray mass, killing intent. He was not a soldier, that was true, but surviving throughout a war zone, along with seven years of on and off practice, had given Lelouch quite an understanding of the usage of firearms and their handling, not to mention his own lesson's with Tohdoh, the soldier having humored the boy upon having realized his ineptitude in martial arts. These various factors combined, however, made the banished prince quite a surgeon.

As the shots rang out, on after the other, one, two, three, four soldiers feel upon the ground, wounded but alive. He couldn't afford to kill anyone, his all but inevitable punishment most likely being rendered worse should he be, in addition to treason, be convicted of murder against the Empire's soldiers. Things were bad enough as they were.

Upon seeing a number of their comrades fall, several of the three dozen ground troops opened fire on their own, rubber bullets scattering in a precise, but inaccurate manner towards the raven haired target, though some hitting their mark. The teenager stumbled, stunned and dazed, before emptying his weapon in an unaimed and hap hazardous manner, only to then crawl his way into the clubhouse, slamming its door shut.

When Sayoko heard gunshots echo throughout Ashford Academy, she expected the worst. She didn't know if it were her countrymen carrying yet another shameful terrorist strike, or whether it was some deranged individual offing off another. Whatever the reason was, her priorities had changed instantly.

Letting go without care of Mistress' Nunnally's afternoon tea, the kunoichi maid quickly found herself at her Master's sibling's side, kunai drawn and at the ready. No one would, as long as she breathed, harm the sweet and loving girl. It was a matter of honor as it was principal, and the heir of the Shinozaki school would fight to her last. And so, it was, with considerable surprise, when the Master himself came tumbling through his home's door, his face pale and body shacking. Her surprise, however, failed to last long as he forcibly leaned himself, though not without great effort, considering his erratic breathing, upon the wall, an old pistol in his hands. She then understood the situation.

"I will have the Mistress escorted to safety Master Lelouch." She replied, her voice serious and embedded with steel like conviction.

The young Nunnally, on the other hand, was in a state of panic and fear, completely oblivious to whatever had been going on around her in the past few minutes, save for the sound of gunshots and roaring screams.

"Onii - sama, what's going on? What is happening outside?"

His sister's undoubtedly shacking voice brought Lelouch's attention away from the door in an almost immediate fashion, his aching body moving right next to that of his light. He explained, "Nunnally, I will always love you, you know that don't you? I can't explain right now but brother might not see you again in a long time, alright? Sayoko will take you someplace safe, someplace peaceful, and then we'll meet again at another time. Do you understand Nunnally, can you stay strong for the both of us?" The prince's words were shallow and often whispered, his mouth unable to properly formulate words as he gasped for air, his chest in seeing pain as large bruises formed from the bullet impacts.

Nunnally's expression only worsened at the pained and panicked explanation of her brother, worry multiplying as he'd carried on. However, before she could try to formulate a response, her loving main had already begun to wheel her away from her brother at frightening speed, their destination all but unknown. She yelled out, "Brother, please don't leave me, come back!"

Lelouch, despite the pain he felt in his heart, could only respond, "I love you Nunnally!"

Outside the clubhouse, Cornelia and Guilford, along with twenty other armored infantrymen, stood outside the large oaken doors of her half - siblings seven year home. They'd proceeded with caution, unsure of what sort of resistance to expect, their briefing back at HQ having never anticipated hostile action. The mission had been deemed as nothing more than a retrieval effort in friendly civilian territory, nothing more, so it had come as a surprise when they'd actually been forced to utilize their weapons. But this was the army, the Britannian army, and so they adapted, all on high alert as to whatever threats would come next. They didn't have to wait long.

Guilford, whom was heading the squadron, a focused Cornelia at his side, placed a standard breaching charge upon the entrance, his fingers counting down the remaining number of seconds until an opening was created. The ensuing detonation blew apart the constructs hinges, the building now wide open to invasion.

"For the Empire!" The knight shouted, rifle in hand as he jumped into the fray, his lord and compatriots close behind. It was only then that, to his dread, he and his follower's were faced with the demonic looking figure of a crazed violet eyed boy, loathing and hatred so thick it penetrated the very air he created. The boy, Prince Lelouch, was sitting against a large, wooden dresser, machine gun in hand…

"I'LL KILL YOU ALL FOR COMING HERE!" Lelouch screamed, seven years of pent up anger, loathing and rage speaking out in the most vocal of manners, his finger taunt as it unleashed a maelstrom of anti - personal rounds down the now exposed opening of his house.

His sister and soldiers instantly dived for cover behind whatever they could find, a door, a wall, a table, a chair, anything of which would shield them from the onslaught of deadly metal aimed their way, attempting anything that would allow them to remain unsaved. Their armor would protect them should they be hit, but the strain of dozens of continually impacting rounds would, by all accounts, quickly tear through whatever protection they had, necessitating other forms of defense. Luckily for them, and unfortunately for Lelouch, the weapon's sheer firepower proved to be the defendant's undoing.

Lelouch, though his considerable connections and vast pool of capital, had been able to purchase the military grade firearm off the black market in similar fashion to his pistol. It had been expensive and difficult to sneak in, his having to use the Academy's underground tunnel system to sneak the weapon onto the grounds piece by piece, only to then have it resembled, yet again, in secret, within his room. It had taken, overall, the better portion of a month, most spent on said weapon's reconstruction. Lelouch was a genius, he was not, however, an engineer. In any case, the heavy - duty service weapon was meant to serve as a last resorts, a time he'd considered to be that of know.

But despite his planning and contingency measures, the Prince's last most potent weapon served him little. His injuries from outside were causing his vision to blacken, his head swimming from the pain he felt upon his chest. This, combined with his weapon's naturally inaccuracy, mended only by its rathe of fire, resulted in little more than the suppression of the Britannian soldiers, not the damaging wounds he hoped to inflict. His finger, growing tired from the impressive recoil of the bulky weapon, gradually unclenched itself, the machine gun falling silent as it's clip became exhausted, its half - thousand round clip exhausted from little more than a minute of continuous fire, the barrel red hot.

With his last available strength, Lelouch, ready for his imminent demise and comforted in the security of his sister, fished out a bright red detonator from his pocket, flipping up the built in safety that would allow him to initiate his final defense. But, at the moment of truth, he hesitated. It was then that single shot was fire, a non - lethal bullet thing him right upon the skull, and the world went black.