Chapter 27: Damage Control
After a few months of inactivity, the next chapter is just about to be released.
In the meantime, there's an easter egg regarding a new OC introduced in this fic. Try to take a guess who the new character is based on.
"LELOUCH VI BRITANNIA!"
Slamming the door of the infirmary room was none other than Alicia Testarossa herself. With her barrier jacket and device at hand, she looked like she was seconds away from a fight she itched for a long time.
"You and I need to have a chat about leaving the house without supervision!"
Her rage may look like it has subsided, but she had yet to let her eyes off her prey. That smile on her face is clearly fake as it was too sweet, and her tone of voice is far too cutesy to be actually genuine. "What is this? I heard about an unauthorized mission at Tokyo Bay?" She crossed her arms at her waist like an angry woman.
Betraying her partner in crime, Quattro abandoned Lelouch to his fate.
"You're on your own, Lulu."
"Traitor!" That was Lelouch's last word before a hand finds itself grabbing on his coffers.
A pair of golden irises stared at him back with intensity at such close distance that their noses touched each other. Rather than a reunion between lovers, this encounter is more appropriate to be predator meets prey up close and personal.
"How can I help you, My Lady?" Begrudgingly, Lelouch playing the favorite guy card. He had fangirls back in school, and it worked on them, so why not on this woman?
"Flattering me won't save you, my dear prince."
"Oh please, Lelouch, are you serious?" Quattro noticed what the exiled prince is trying to do with disgust. Her crush actually though he can use his charms over the Testarossa woman. She crossed her arms, glaring at him.
"I'll take over from here, Quattro-chan," Alicia beamed with delight.
"Take your time," Quattro answered, not before realizing the slip of her tongue may imply something else entirely. Luckily, Alicia herself seems preoccupied with her nagging victim to notice.
"Peter is going to have a word with you, but you have to go through me first! I can't believe how irresponsible you are-" Alicia's words fell to Lelouch's deaf ears as he tries to tune out her nagging to the best he can. It appears that he's failing at the department as the younger girl proceed to yank him down to her height to make sure he's listening to her.
Lelouch sighed, knowing this would take a while as Alicia began to verbally tear into him.
"What a disaster…"
Gray's superior reclined in his chair as his red eyes scanned the screen before him. He just finished reviewing the battle through the eyes of the Wyvern Drones that had taken part. The man behind the drones and Gray expected a clean sweep of both Katase and Euphemia but suffered a complete and chaotic disaster instead.
"It's even worse I had to ask the Emperor to conduct some quick damage control with the Princess and her sister's subordinates."
"Then, that means I shall step forward."
"Are you sure about this?" the executive of the conglomerate spoke to his sudden guest. The arrival was under a shadow that made it hard for people to see, but her slim curvy legs show her to be female. On the other hand, the man seated behind his desk had an idea of who she was.
"With Gray inactive, we need an immediate substitute."
"You know this will sidetrack our plans. Your purpose-"
"I know, it is to be on reserve and standby for further instruction." The woman finished him to his irritation. "Furthermore, we have that unexpected development in Japan. The Black Knights appearing out of nowhere is one thing, but now, they're using our own Earth weapons against us. We should take a more active role against them."
"Yes, but you're additionally talking about some 'alliance' with our enemy."
"I didn't say I was offering an alliance," the woman retorted, still trying to act assertively to her superior. "I shall advise the TSAB, persuade them to turn their attention away, and take care of this third party for us."
"We're already past the point of undoing what's been done. Zero is only a troublemaker in the eyes of the TSAB; they still consider us to be the real threat. And because of that, they'll know sooner or later who you're working for."
"Not immediately," the woman pointed out. "They will recognize my face, but they won't tell by instance that I'm under your employment."
"That is true," There was a moment of cold silence. "Regardless, for now, just go to Japan and back up my subordinates. That is the most important task at hand."
"Understood."
"And another thing, ensure Gray is recovered for me. His device's emergency fail-safe likely teleported him away to a safe location when his vitals started to become critical."
"Sir, why are you concerned about saving a crippled..."
"And by that, I'm mean," as the executive changed to a more serious tone. "Don't have him die under any circumstance. He is your subordinate just as he is mine, which means you'll bear responsibility for what happens to him. I'll see to it that he gets the kind of recovery he needs to prevent this from happening again. No exception or discussion. Am I clear, Ms. Alexis?"
The woman in the shade merely sighed to her superior.
"I understand, sir. I'll see to it."
Aboard the Arthra, Vita's eyes slowly opened. The first thing she saw upon waking up was the blurred image of her Mistress Hayate, and to her right was Signum. Her vision was blurry at first, but as Vita regained full consciousness, she realized now only were they looming by their bedside within the infirmary.
"Ugh, I feel like I got hit by a train," Vita spoke with a groan.
"Vita, thank goodness you are awake," Hayate said worryingly before giving her knight an affectionate pat on the head.
"What happened?"
"You don't remember?" Signum asked, "You were knocked out by Zero's attack."
Vita experienced shock as she recalled her memories of being hit by Zero's Twilight Breaker.
"That bastard hit me with a cheap shot after his grunt kept holding her own against me," Vita said with repressed anger at having been bested in that manner.
"That grunt you fought, Ginga thinks was a combat cyborg," Signum pointed out.
"How the hell did Zero get some of those?" Vita snapped seething in anger over being figuratively sucker-punched by the masked man.
"Maybe that man you encountered on Midchilda might've been involved," Signum suggested while turning to Hayate before recalling the man's face.
"He would seem to have the likely skills and knowledge for it," Hayate said in agreement while bringing one finger to her chin as a sign of contemplation.
As Hayate contemplated this new development, Vita feared a powder keg would go off in the rumor mills once word begins spreading how Zero had bested her just as they seemed to have exaggeration Nanoha losing to Zero.
Vita had no idea how right she was.
"So, what else happened? Did anyone survive that explosion?"
Hayate adopted a sad expression, which confirmed what Vita already knew.
"None of the TSAB who boarded that vessel survived. Even now, Shamal's still trying to take care of the wounded patients who were lucky to be outside the taker. Yet, somehow, Gray survived that explosion. He must have dived into the ocean to escape the blast."
"I can't imagine he just walked away from that," Vita commented.
"No, he did not," Hayate said before adding, "And right after the battle, Zero contacted us."
"Zero called us!?"
Hayate nodded, "It was sudden, but he sounded agitated about us barging in and invading the tanker. We really had no control over them even if we wanted to, yet he demanded that we did not interfere."
"Agitated? I say he's flipping out about his trap plan going kaput," Vita turned around and humphed. "And what about Hawkins? I bet there not a trace of him left on the face of the Earth right now."
"According to Fate, he was last spotted entering the bridge of the tanker before it detonated. Currently, Admiral Haralown is in a meeting with the TSAB about the incident."
"Something tells me the Special Forces no longer have an excuse to be around," Vita assumed that they were only brought in because of Hawkins, who wanted nothing but glory to restore his reputation in capturing the Mandarin. It was inevitable to say that the plan failed miserably.
"No, they do not," Hayate confirmed. "However, now that Earth's weaponry has reached to this point, there's no telling what actions they'll take next."
Thankfully, in the following morning, Lelouch was allowed some time off before he had to face Graham. He wasn't pleased with last night's disaster, to put it mildly, although reading his emotions was difficult for the former prince. Graham sat behind a desk while Lelouch was seated in a chair opposite of him.
"Just what did you think would happen?" Graham asked, seemingly annoyed with Lelouch.
"I had no way of knowing the TSAB would barrage in like that."
Graham sighed, "I suppose not, but you are more than aware of the implications of what this will mean going forward?"
"I know," Lelouch answered, who wasn't as equally as happy with the outcome of last night's events as he was, "It was merely an opportunity to weaken the Mandarin and deliver a blow to the Britannians at the same time."
"I doubt it would have been that simple." Graham paused to massage his right temple with one hand before resuming speaking to Lelouch. "The Mandarin will no doubt give you his full attention now, which could complicate things, especially given Peter's project in India. There should've been no risk of discovery, but if the Mandarin starts pursuing the matter more aggressively, then it could put it at risk."
"Even so, I'm sure Peter was careful enough to cover his tracks."
Graham shrugged his shoulders, "Maybe, but from now on, Peter will be keeping a close eye on you to make sure you don't pull anything like this again unless we can eliminate any chances it will turn into a blunder. The twins will also supervise you more closely."
Lelouch sighed in annoyance, but he knew this wasn't as bad as it could've been. He had expected more of an earful from Graham, yet it seems Lelouch would be spared that.
Or so he thought.
"But," Graham began. "Take this as a lesson going forward. If you do something so brazen again, especially if it's something that you can lose control over very easily, then you should really rethink your strategies."
"…Fair enough."
Meanwhile, Quattro was sitting in front of a computer in the computer center of their underground base while checking on Cornelia. Despite having made some effort to escape, the captive princess was unable to do anything since the prison was designed to contain beings far more dangerous than her.
Quattro was alone at first, but C.C. soon entered the room.
"Keeping an eye on Lelouch," C.C. mused, which prompted Quattro to quickly close the monitor where Quattro was secretly watching the meeting between Graham and Lelouch.
"Of course," Quattro replied, "I wanted to see if the old man would really tear into him over what happened."
"Well, you are just as much as responsible. Who else helped to create the mixture added to the sakuradite?" C.C. pointed out with a sly grin causing Quattro to turn around to address the immortal woman.
"Touché," Quattro replied, not wanting to give C.C. the satisfaction. She instead turned to a soft drink she was enjoying.
C.C. began smirking before asking, "if you like him, then make a move."
Quattro nearly choked on her drink but managed to swallow it before coughing.
"What are you talking about!?"
"I've lived long enough to recognize when someone has an attraction to someone, and you seem very taken with Lelouch, so why are you so hesitant."
"It's nothing like that," Quattro snapped back, although C.C. was sure she was lying because Quattro's cheeks had a slight shade of pink on them. "I respect his ability as a commander and how ruthless he can be when the situation demands it."
"Really now," C.C. replied with a smirk. "Your cheeks and body language tell a different story."
At that moment, someone else entered the room.
"Actually, I believe Quattro possessing an augmentation grade of B wouldn't have any problems reproducing with Lelouch. He is a healthy male of breeding age who could conceive a child with you thus securing the future of this organization with a new leader we can train should Lelouch become unable to fulfill his duties," Sette said with a matter-of-fact tone having walked in on the conversation after overhearing it from the hallway in passing.
"SETTE!" Quattro snapped with her face bright red, "I should've taught you social dos and don'ts."
Quattro had purged Sette's mind off anything unnecessary for a war machine like her, but now Quattro realized there perhaps some things she should've left in during Sette's growth and development.
"I do not understand your confusion? Your gestures indicate an interest? However, I do regret I possess no knowledge of the dynamics of human pair-bonding."
"Huh," Quattro muttered.
"Your face is all red," C.C. joked.
Without another word and Quattro's face had an even brighter shade of red for a different reason, she promptly left the room, leaving behind a confused Sette.
I wonder how long it will take for those two to get together, or will someone swipe Lelouch from her, C.C. remarked smugly.
It was around noon within the Government Bureau of the Tokyo Settlement. Dalton and Guilford assembled the other military commanders and government officials in the conference room with Euphemia at the very end of the table. They called for this emergency meeting shortly after they did a final count of their remaining active personnel.
"And that's the last of the casualty reports," one officer finished going over the fatalities and wounded. Like the previous battle at Narita, they only had around a quarter of the forces they deployed for the operation. "As for the enemy's numbers, we have yet to determine how many we've eliminated ever since that incident occurred."
The referred incident was everything that happened afterward. First, there was the vast shield dome that enveloped the entire port. Then, it was the human-like figures who flow into the scene, shortly before the tanker exploded. Finally, there were the mechanical creatures and the black Knights appearing, which was when Guilford decided it was time to retreat.
"It's obvious that this was a trap set up by the Black Knights," Guilford spoke up. "Could you confirm whether or not that we were their targets?"
"No, sir," another officer shook his head. "Nor can we identify the unknown forces in the area."
It wasn't easy to explain what had transpired last night, and no one in the room could blame themselves yet the facts before they were clear as day. They had witnessed what could be described as only aliens entering the battlefield and those strange machines that had attacked them. According to the men who studied the recovered bodies of the enemies who had attempted to attack Princess Euphemia, which was very troubling when they discovered them to be cyborg soldiers.
As unbelievable as it was, they had to acknowledge what happened was real.
"How do we even begin," One military officer commented.
"The weapons that the unknown hostiles and the Black Knights possessed are unlike anything we had ever seen," Guildford stated before reminiscing. "And then, there are those people."
The knight recalled his encounter with the Germanic Lolita girl his men confronted before he sounded a retreat. Not only were they after mechanical monsters and cybernetic super-soldiers, but they also dealt with little kids with what was best described as magic. Some Britannians, especially the Honorary ones, discussed that they could be those "magical girl" shows that were around before Japan became Area 11, but even they doubted that. Regardless, how they stand against such a powerful foe?
"Lord Guildford, with all due respect, this doesn't seem to be a unified force," the Vice Minister joined in. "From the footage we recovered, we found these unknown units engaging the Black Knights as well as our forces. It's sure to say that these belong to two or more organizations that are at each other's throats."
"And they destroyed those machines while our weapons did little to them," Guilford remarked, thinking of the Wyvern Drones.
"Maybe this is the pretense to an alien invasion," one commander worried over the thought.
"This is not the time to talk about aliens right now!" Dalton interjected over the mutterings of the others in the room while Euphy remained quiet. "Our priority is how to handle against the unknown enemy and recovering from this catastrophic incident!"
"There's also the matter of ensuring Princess Euphemia's protection from further harm," Guilford nodded, even though he had no answers to either problem.
"But sir," another commander objected. "How can we protect Princess Euphemia when we have no weapons capable of competing against such a foe?"
At that moment, the door to the meeting room opened, and to the utter shock of everyone present walked in the last person anyone would've expected.
"Your Majesty!" Guilford exclaimed as everyone snapped to attention, including a speechless Euphy who was understandably as shocked as everyone else to see her father the Emperor arrive.
Following closely behind Charles was a younger man in his thirties with shoulder-length black hair and a tanned complexion with one eye sew shut and a thin beard wearing a white uniform and a large sword on his back within a custom sheath.
He was the Knight of One; Bismarck Waldstein, known as the strongest knight of the Holy Britannian Empire and the personal bodyguard to Charles Zi Britannia.
"At ease all of you, as far as anyone knows, I am not here," Charles commanded, raising one hand to gesture everyone to be seated.
Euphemia noticed someone else behind Charles and Bismarck, and he appeared younger than the former with long blonde hair that extended to his waist tied into a ponytail with a black hairband. He possessed a fair skin complexion with red eyes dressed in a white double-breasted tunic with a round collar, black trousers and matching boots with a belt with a black metal clasp. Upon his shoulders was a black cape, which appeared to be part of the uniform itself.
"May we ask why you are here, Your Majesty?" Dalton asked respectfully.
"First, I intend to make Euphemia acting Viceroy of Area 11. And second," Charles began as she closed his eyes for a moment. Upon opening them, they possessed glowing emblems in the form of a phoenix taking flight. "To conduct damage control."
The officials of Area 11 were not the only ones having an emergency meeting in light of last night's events.
Peter, Lelouch in his Zero uniform, Quattro, and Ohgi went over what happened last night within the red motor home that was the locals' secret headquarters.
"The people of Cranagan today mourns for the losses of brave men and women killed in the name of duty here in the state capital."
The screen showed the Midchildan people mourning for the losses of their friends, families, and loved ones killed by the Mandarin. Needless to say, it is sad for everybody back home for what happened to the poor mages. The river was flooded with little boats with candles to represent the loss of an individual's life.
At the same time, support for Anti-Mandarin grew much to the delight of the higher-ups of TSAB. However, moments like these were countered with a growing sentiment from worlds against TSAB administration. The deaths of TSAB mages made evident that magic wielders are no longer invincible if mass weapons can defeat them.
They recalled the words that the Mandarin said while issuing the broadcast as he displayed footage of the tanker incident.
"As you can see, numbers are nothing to me."
The Mandarin's action to broadcast the video was controversial in itself. He never once mentioned his name, nor did he mention Zero and the world they're living in together. The very idea that TSAB mages can be defeated alone gave hope and despair to countless masses across the universe that a new change is coming whether they like it or not. The people who admire the TSAB from afar begin to seek the guidance of The Mandarin while the public outcry against the man grows stronger.
Ironically, the same cannot be said for Unadministrated World #97 as nobody except the Black Knights themselves were aware of such events happening outside the orbit.
"Well, at least he didn't mention your name." Peter sighed in relief, switching off the potable screen showing a recorded television broadcast from home. "If he did, a lot of people would have wanted your head for the little mashup."
"Regardless, TSAB did a good job covering up the real reason. All those deaths could have been prevented if the buffoon in charge wasn't so pig-headed."
Lelouch did not even bother to remember the name of the person who ruined his entire operation. He didn't bother to remember his history with the TSAB or his involvement with Earth, only that he messed up his most excellent opportunity to launch a devastating first strike against the Mandarin.
"So, what happens now?" Ohgi asked. The incident from Yokosuka didn't leave his mind considering that he was part of the operation.
"We did what we could. I already explained the situation to the Admiral patched here on Earth's orbit after everything went to hell. Whether they'll be after us or not," Zero paused as he theorized. "Most likely, there will be an order for my arrest. And if that happens, they'll send the three Aces after me."
The very thought of all three of his friends from childhood after him alone is enough to make the masked man feel anxious.
"Lookie here." Quattro pointed out in a newspaper, which had an image of run-a-ground ships and destroyed warehouses. "The Britannians thought you blew up the harbor. Kind of small when you think about, isn't it? You're famous for a screw-up, Zero."
The cyborg smiled coyly, only to have her newspaper snatched away from the masked leader of the Black Knights.
"I still don't enjoy your sense of humor, Quattro," Zero stated. "In any case, it's only a matter of time before the Mandarin manages to contact us in any way. I need you to monitor all of our communication channels for any encrypted messages he might leave behind for us. I'm not ruling out that he managed to track our base of operations. And there's another matter a matter I would like you to handle."
"And what will that be, Zero?"
"Do you remember Diethard Ried?"
"The producer at Hi-TV who revealed Cornelia's capture at your hands and if I recall has been trying to join our organization," Quattro answered. "The same one who help trick the Britannians in the last operation, who did a much better job than you."
Lelouch clicked his tongue under the mask before returning to the topic.
Although it was odd for a Britannian seeking to join an Anti-Britannian organization like the Black Knights, Lelouch knew some Britannians like himself have an ax to grind against the Empire for one reason to another. Still, even with that in mind, Lelouch had Quattro look over his background and found nothing that could suggest he had some grudge against the Empire, but his actions in publishing that article he made did make him stand out.
He's a wild card at worst, but he could be useful in expanding our intelligence division, Lelouch contemplated before considering his ideas.
"I might actually consider recruiting him, but to ease any concerns about him, I would like you to take a closer look at him."
"Alright," Quattro replied as Zero turned to Peter.
"And how's the new base of operations coming along?"
"Almost finished," the scientist answered as he checked the time and date. "In a few days, we should be ready to transfer our equipment and materials from here and the school."
"Our new base?" Ohgi became intrigued.
"We have our submarine from the Militarized Zone of India," Zero explained. "Peter's designed the machine so not only we'll hide better from the Britannian forces, but from the Mandarin as well. Most important of all, it's mobile."
The idea that they now had a submarine still startled the former resistance leader. Before meeting Zero, it was hard to get even a motorcycle in Area 11. Even if it was from the help of a few special persons, the fact they got advanced weapons like a submarine was unbelievable.
"By the way," Peter added. "Alicia insists on calling it the Catfish since it was never given a name."
"Deny her that right." For once, Ohgi spotted a more human side of Zero: sounding very annoyed.
"Too late. Alicia pestered me so much I caved in."
"Wait, we're seriously calling it the Catfish?" Once again, Ohgi sounded surprised.
"You'll be amazed at how much influence that girl has in this group."
Chrono was seated in the middle of a video conference with screens floating in front of his desk. They had already completed their review of the chain of events surrounding the beginning and end of the Battle of Port Yokosuka. As Hayate and the Wolkenritter predicted, Hawkins became the scapegoat for the fiasco. Special Forces will also be pulled out, putting the investigation back in the hands of the Arthra. Now, the floor was open to Chrono.
"Make a note of this: Banning the use of sakuradite." A member of the TSAB's Internal Affairs Division began.
As much as Chrono would love having the main topic at hand towards the current problem regarding the Mandarin, the more political members of TSAB decides to cash in favors and ideas about what to do during their free time.
"We already know that sakuradite is unstable," Chrono reminded everybody in the teleconferencing meeting. "The reports we sent stated that the mineral is superconductive and radioactive."
"Ah, but let's not forget how they fuel the Mandarin's robots. We can make use of that information. Isn't that right, everybody?" Another officer asked. He was a member of the Naval Special Forces division around his colleagues about his idea.
This is, of course, was fueled by the Mandarin's broadcast from earlier. The incident was still fresh in everybody's minds thanks to the leaked footage of TSAB mages killed by a gigantic pink explosion. It wasn't enough that they already received flak thanks to the whole thing being run by an idiot who thought he could make things "covert" to restore his reputation. The public responded according to their allegiance towards TSAB or not. Developed worlds have to start to fear this unknown weapon that could break through barrier jackets and kill so many mages.
Chrono could only sigh; his fists tremble before wanting to strangle the man. The subjugation of Earth was an extreme and bold move for TSAB to execute under such a premise that the Mandarin operated on Earth. As it stands, it was only a few steps away before a new decree was declared to have TSAB fleets surround Earth. The officer may not be from the planet, but for the sake of his friends, he will do anything in his power to prevent further conflict from escalating.
"With all due respect, Earth is not under TSAB's banner. We don't have the right to ban people from making use of their world's resources."
"And what is stopping other worlds from coming to Unadministered World #97?" the naval officer rebutted. "That world is a dangerous coal mine that can jeopardize the safety of worlds under TSAB's flag."
At this notion, everybody agreed. Seeing the effects on sakuradite from Earth has opened their eyes that this "insignificant blue planet" is likely to become a planet-sized arms factory.
"We have to act fast before it's too late!"
"And just what do you purpose? We can't exactly take control of the Earth and forcibly shut down their mining and production of sakuradite?" another officer shouted.
"True, we cannot resort to anything that drastic," Chrono offered in agreement before the discussion could steer off into that direction.
It was unlikely, but Chrono didn't want to risk it.
"We should try a more surgical approach. So far, we have narrowed down that Britannia is potentially the country the Mandarin is involved in, so we should begin our efforts by following the flow of sakuradite from Japan."
"To what end! Such an effort will not lead us to the Mandarin!"
"No, I suggest we do it to put pressure on the Mandarin."
None of the officers offered an objection, which brought a thin smile to Chrono's lips before he began explaining his purposed idea.
"Or if some of you prefer something more direct, I suggest we should bring former Viceroy Prince Clovis into custody for questioning."
In a nearby bunker, Suzuka leaned behind a desk while looking over a report of the disaster at the harbor last night. It went without saying she was not pleased with their losses.
Her computer brought up the report on Gray's injuries, though she wished to watch the recording of events captured by his Device on another screen. Gray's injuries were not fatal, but they were quite severe enough that it was remarkable he managed to escape that disaster. But Gray's device revealed that the General Katase they were pursuing was a hologram, which raised many questions.
Did Katase actually die, and if so, did the Black Knights use it to draw us into a trap?
Suzuka was leaning towards that idea as the likely reason. But until they could confirm Katase's death, she decided it was best to act as if he was still alive.
That aside, where did the Black Knights get those weapons they used to destroy our drones and cyborg troops with ease?
The more Suzuka tried to fill in the blanks and gather a complete understanding of events, the number of questions seemed to increase instead. She was then interrupted by a knock on the door to her office.
"Enter," Suzuka commanded before a Yoshimitsu Trooper entered the room.
"My lady Mao has a report for you."
"Very well, let him in," Suzuka commanded with a hand gesture before the cyborg trooper stepped aside, allowing the Chinese teen to enter.
"I have been sweeping around Toyko as you wanted, and I might've located my beloved C.C," Mao replied happily.
"Really," Suzuka said, pleased with some good news following last night's disaster. "Where?"
"At Ashford Academy," Mao answered, "apparently she has been meeting with the same pizza delivery man at least four times a day to receive her meals."
"I see," Suzuka said, sounding disappointed a little, but Mao wasn't done.
"However, I did notice some students speaking to some whose minds I couldn't read. I tried to focus my power on the students speaking to the ones I couldn't read, but something seemed to be interfering when I focus on a single target."
Now that interested Suzuka.
In orbit aboard the Arthra within the privacy of her cabin, Fate was carefully watching a recording of Nanoha's battle with Zero using footage recorded from Rising Heart. Ever since that battle at Yokosuka, she had reviewed all information collected from her team's Devices. She carefully watched how Zero conducted himself and led his troops, trying to find something that could provide a clue to his identity.
Nothing could be found in Yokosuka, but something during Zero's clash against Nanoha caught her attention.
I can't help but wonder how Zero responded to many of Nanoha's attacks. Someone would have to study her combat abilities to do such a feat, but Zero seemed more familiar with Nanoha than that.
Fate based this upon her experience and comments from Nanoha herself when she was acting as an instructor and engaged in some mock battles against her own students. They all watched footage of Nanoha's fighting techniques in the hopes of gaining an advantage. These efforts had failed, but the only ones who have been able to fight Nanoha on equal footing have been both Signum and herself.
Following that line of reasoning, Fate began to wonder if Zero was someone who was very familiar with Nanoha as a person and knew more than enough about her fighting style to cleverly devise counterattacks against her.
But, Fate began thinking internally, yet as she felt ashamed as to where her thoughts led her. There is only one person who could be capable of that if he had magic.
"It's impressive he survived that kind of blast," Kusakabe remarked as he stood outside of Gray's unconsciousness body.
The former Japanese military officer stood inside a chamber containing a roll of empty tanks with the one containing Gray being the only one in use. The tanks were regeneration chambers that put the user into suspended animation while the nanomachine filled substance began a slow but effective healing process.
"It was thanks to his Device that he teleported away when his vital signs began to drop," Suzuka explained.
I suppose if it's any consolation, things will be a lot quieter around here for the time being,
"He'll recover in time," the Mandarin said as he entered the room moments later. "But make no mistake, the Black Knights will not go unpunished for this act."
"Mao tells me he might have a lead on tracking down Zero," Suzuka offered.
"Really," the Mandarin said as Mao chose this moment to make himself known.
"Yes, I found a place where there are a few minds I cannot read."
Before the Mandarin could ask further, a new voice interrupted them.
"I hear the big boy has taken a beating," a voice rang within the commanders of Logos.
Suzuka turned in surprise, almost hesitating to form her ice powers, though something within the voice told her not to. Mao was intrigued as she sighted upon the lady who just entered in.
The woman entering the room was around the twenties, though specks of magic indicated there was something that made her look that way. She had long black hair dropping down to her waist, silver eyes, and a fair skin complexion. She wore a suit similar to a female secretary with an odd addition of a hood, perhaps to conceal herself during desperate times, that looked like air vents when put down. It was nearly all black, but her shirt had a white line going straight down the center and thin, white linings on the sleeves. She had additional accessories such as a gold diamond-shaped necklace and a ruby-embedded silver ring on her left index finger. She also has a long white glove covering her right arm that crossed with her ordinary one.
As she approached the leading team, Kusakabe unsheathed his traditional katana.
"Identify yourself!"
The woman glared at the Japanese Colonel, but the Mandarin raised his hand, signaling them to stand down.
"We have been waiting for your arrival, Ms. Alexis."
"I recommend that you do not use my original name in front of others. Nonetheless, the pleasure is mine, Mandarin."
And speaking of the devil, Mao suddenly jumped in.
"So if it isn't the new princess of the house, Alexis Vectra von G-"
Mao stopped when Alexis shot a sharp glare at her that made him cringe. Suzuka witnessed the now frightened manchild while the Mandarin took the stage more forcefully.
"There will be no violence in this place. Not with a wounded officer around."
Suzuka turned to her leader and asked.
"So who would she be, Mandarin-sama?"
"Allow me to introduce," the Mandarin turned to the other officers. "This is our secondary commander for the war against the TSAB. She takes her original name with rage, and only those she well respects have the right to know. For now, you shall know her as Alex Vesper."
"I never thought we would be working like this," Alex replied to the masked leader of Logos. "It will take a while to get used to your subordinates and see how useful they really are."
"No, your arrival was more than convenient for us."
"I only come here because of the situation. Not just for the Knight, but the Black Knights as well. Speaking of whom, I'm...appalled by the ridiculous resilience and barbaric nature he had had out there."
"Like hell, we are!" Suzuka blurted out. "We thought he was trying to get himself killed!"
"Indeed, and I would've left him dead out there myself if it weren't for my orders."
"There is no need to be to feel irritation," the Mandarin answered moderately. "Your substitution for our casualty should fit more than enough into our plan."
With some relief and surprise, Suzuka was more than interested in the newcomer.
"You're here to substitute him, aren't you?"
"That and take him back. Our boss wants to fix whatever the Black Knights did to him in that sakuradite blast. Can't say I blame him for it."
"It was an unexpected event," the Mandarin assured. "But with your assistance, we can reinforce the plan and ensure this doesn't happen again."
"As you request. But keep in mind that my availability will not be until later, and I'm not the type who'll take orders from you easily."
"Of course, Ms. Alexis. You are his commander, after all."
Alex merely nodded as the Mandarin started walking out of the room. As she followed the Mandarin out, the other essential figures only watched with mixed expressions: Kusakabe was still wary of the new arrival while Mao broke out of his terrifying stance to check out more Alex's...curves. A quick wince from her back to the room quickly made him reconsider.
Suzuka, on the other hand, was more curious. While clearly tough, not someone anyone would mess around with, Suzuka could sense something within her. It was only for the moments when they sighted upon each other, but she could see hints of...sadness and pain. To a girl like Suzuka, that kind of feeling was more than familiar.
No matter, I suppose, Suzuka noted internally. Once she's done here, we can begin drawing up plans to follow up on Mao's lead.
Hours later, a chess game between two men was taking place, and at that moment, one of the players had moved their pawn to their opponent's side of the board, where he swapped it for a white knight.
"I must apologize to you for having to ask you to handle that matter," The blonde-haired young man said, sitting opposite of Emperor Charles.
"It's a minor inconvenience at best, but I didn't expect the situation in Area 11 to become so chaotic," Charles replied as he examined the chessboard before moving a black piece.
"Neither did I, but I suppose the Black Knights have at least made it difficult for them to focus their efforts in hunting down my followers. However, the injuries that rendered Gray out of commission has annoyed me somewhat," the blonde-haired young man replied while contemplating his next move.
"Isn't Gray your closest follower?"
"He is, but Gray is too aggressive and too eager for his own good sometimes," the young man replied, "That being said, I do greatly appreciate his loyalty as both a follower and a…friend."
"I see," Charles remarked before changing the subject, "But what of that new body you're crafting?"
"The body I am creating as per your request will be done soon. Other than the improvements and cybernetics I added will be just like the old one when it's done."
"She'll be pleased to hear that," Charles said, "So what do you plan on doing next…Simon?"
Simon Testarossa smiled as he moved another chess piece.
"Despite the recent setbacks, my plans remain unchanged, and I assume the same is true for you?"
"We only need to locate the rest of the Thought Elevators," Charles replied, yet his expression soured when he explained before moving another chess piece. "However, our armies were once again defeated by the Kingdom of Zilkistan."
"So the nation of mercenaries then," Simon mused, having heard about them as he moved a chess piece in response to Charles's move. "I suppose this means its Queen has been making use of her Geass."
"What do you know about her?"
"She never revealed her Geass to me, but I suspect it's triggered after her death. Based on the reports I received, she knows events leading up to her death to herself hours or maybe a day before it happens, allowing her to prepare."
"You met her?" Charles asked, which Simon confirmed with a nod.
"As the Mandarin, when I needed to hire some extra hands for a minor operation that didn't require my personal forces."
"I assume you can't convince her to allow us access to the Thought Elevator?"
"She'll probably refuse, and that woman sees herself as a prophet, but," Simon replied with a graceful dark smile, "I might have an idea to have some of our enemies to deal with that kingdom. We just need to warn them about her abilities."
As the day came to a close, the former prince entered his room before deciding to collapse onto the bed.
I am glad this day is over...
First, there has been Lelouch getting grilled over what happened at harbor by Alicia. Then, there was Peter, although Lelouch was thankful Graham didn't decide to grill him as well over that mess.
I wonder if Peter allowed Alicia to name the submarine the Catfish in retaliation for what happened.
Regardless, Lelouch was grateful his day was over. But he knew that starting tomorrow, he would be increasingly occupied with the aftermath of events at the harbor.
All we can do is keep pushing forward, Lelouch was ready to let sleep take him before the door to his room suddenly opened.
"I am sorry to bother you, Master Lelouch," Sayoko said upon seeing Lelouch lying in his bed, "But your friend Fate is here to see you."
As tried as he was Lelouch forced himself out of bed and quickly cleaned himself up before going to greet his guest.
Lelouch met Fate in the dining room, where the latter was seated at the table.
Fate didn't greet Lelouch immediately, but the expression on her face made it clear she was troubled by something.
"Is something wrong, Fate?"
Fate remained ashamed over resorting to this. However…
How else can I suspect someone I know to be a terrorist?
In the meantime, there's an easter egg regarding a new OC introduced in this fic. Try to take a guess who the new character is based on.
Chapter 27
Damage Control
Damage Control
"LELOUCH VI BRITANNIA!"
Slamming the door of the infirmary room was none other than Alicia Testarossa herself. With her barrier jacket and device at hand, she looked like she was seconds away from a fight she itched for a long time.
"You and I need to have a chat about leaving the house without supervision!"
Her rage may look like it has subsided, but she had yet to let her eyes off her prey. That smile on her face is clearly fake as it was too sweet, and her tone of voice is far too cutesy to be actually genuine. "What is this? I heard about an unauthorized mission at Tokyo Bay?" She crossed her arms at her waist like an angry woman.
Betraying her partner in crime, Quattro abandoned Lelouch to his fate.
"You're on your own, Lulu."
"Traitor!" That was Lelouch's last word before a hand finds itself grabbing on his coffers.
A pair of golden irises stared at him back with intensity at such close distance that their noses touched each other. Rather than a reunion between lovers, this encounter is more appropriate to be predator meets prey up close and personal.
"How can I help you, My Lady?" Begrudgingly, Lelouch playing the favorite guy card. He had fangirls back in school, and it worked on them, so why not on this woman?
"Flattering me won't save you, my dear prince."
"Oh please, Lelouch, are you serious?" Quattro noticed what the exiled prince is trying to do with disgust. Her crush actually though he can use his charms over the Testarossa woman. She crossed her arms, glaring at him.
"I'll take over from here, Quattro-chan," Alicia beamed with delight.
"Take your time," Quattro answered, not before realizing the slip of her tongue may imply something else entirely. Luckily, Alicia herself seems preoccupied with her nagging victim to notice.
"Peter is going to have a word with you, but you have to go through me first! I can't believe how irresponsible you are-" Alicia's words fell to Lelouch's deaf ears as he tries to tune out her nagging to the best he can. It appears that he's failing at the department as the younger girl proceed to yank him down to her height to make sure he's listening to her.
Lelouch sighed, knowing this would take a while as Alicia began to verbally tear into him.
"What a disaster…"
Gray's superior reclined in his chair as his red eyes scanned the screen before him. He just finished reviewing the battle through the eyes of the Wyvern Drones that had taken part. The man behind the drones and Gray expected a clean sweep of both Katase and Euphemia but suffered a complete and chaotic disaster instead.
"It's even worse I had to ask the Emperor to conduct some quick damage control with the Princess and her sister's subordinates."
"Then, that means I shall step forward."
"Are you sure about this?" the executive of the conglomerate spoke to his sudden guest. The arrival was under a shadow that made it hard for people to see, but her slim curvy legs show her to be female. On the other hand, the man seated behind his desk had an idea of who she was.
"With Gray inactive, we need an immediate substitute."
"You know this will sidetrack our plans. Your purpose-"
"I know, it is to be on reserve and standby for further instruction." The woman finished him to his irritation. "Furthermore, we have that unexpected development in Japan. The Black Knights appearing out of nowhere is one thing, but now, they're using our own Earth weapons against us. We should take a more active role against them."
"Yes, but you're additionally talking about some 'alliance' with our enemy."
"I didn't say I was offering an alliance," the woman retorted, still trying to act assertively to her superior. "I shall advise the TSAB, persuade them to turn their attention away, and take care of this third party for us."
"We're already past the point of undoing what's been done. Zero is only a troublemaker in the eyes of the TSAB; they still consider us to be the real threat. And because of that, they'll know sooner or later who you're working for."
"Not immediately," the woman pointed out. "They will recognize my face, but they won't tell by instance that I'm under your employment."
"That is true," There was a moment of cold silence. "Regardless, for now, just go to Japan and back up my subordinates. That is the most important task at hand."
"Understood."
"And another thing, ensure Gray is recovered for me. His device's emergency fail-safe likely teleported him away to a safe location when his vitals started to become critical."
"Sir, why are you concerned about saving a crippled..."
"And by that, I'm mean," as the executive changed to a more serious tone. "Don't have him die under any circumstance. He is your subordinate just as he is mine, which means you'll bear responsibility for what happens to him. I'll see to it that he gets the kind of recovery he needs to prevent this from happening again. No exception or discussion. Am I clear, Ms. Alexis?"
The woman in the shade merely sighed to her superior.
"I understand, sir. I'll see to it."
Aboard the Arthra, Vita's eyes slowly opened. The first thing she saw upon waking up was the blurred image of her Mistress Hayate, and to her right was Signum. Her vision was blurry at first, but as Vita regained full consciousness, she realized now only were they looming by their bedside within the infirmary.
"Ugh, I feel like I got hit by a train," Vita spoke with a groan.
"Vita, thank goodness you are awake," Hayate said worryingly before giving her knight an affectionate pat on the head.
"What happened?"
"You don't remember?" Signum asked, "You were knocked out by Zero's attack."
Vita experienced shock as she recalled her memories of being hit by Zero's Twilight Breaker.
"That bastard hit me with a cheap shot after his grunt kept holding her own against me," Vita said with repressed anger at having been bested in that manner.
"That grunt you fought, Ginga thinks was a combat cyborg," Signum pointed out.
"How the hell did Zero get some of those?" Vita snapped seething in anger over being figuratively sucker-punched by the masked man.
"Maybe that man you encountered on Midchilda might've been involved," Signum suggested while turning to Hayate before recalling the man's face.
"He would seem to have the likely skills and knowledge for it," Hayate said in agreement while bringing one finger to her chin as a sign of contemplation.
As Hayate contemplated this new development, Vita feared a powder keg would go off in the rumor mills once word begins spreading how Zero had bested her just as they seemed to have exaggeration Nanoha losing to Zero.
Vita had no idea how right she was.
"So, what else happened? Did anyone survive that explosion?"
Hayate adopted a sad expression, which confirmed what Vita already knew.
"None of the TSAB who boarded that vessel survived. Even now, Shamal's still trying to take care of the wounded patients who were lucky to be outside the taker. Yet, somehow, Gray survived that explosion. He must have dived into the ocean to escape the blast."
"I can't imagine he just walked away from that," Vita commented.
"No, he did not," Hayate said before adding, "And right after the battle, Zero contacted us."
"Zero called us!?"
Hayate nodded, "It was sudden, but he sounded agitated about us barging in and invading the tanker. We really had no control over them even if we wanted to, yet he demanded that we did not interfere."
"Agitated? I say he's flipping out about his trap plan going kaput," Vita turned around and humphed. "And what about Hawkins? I bet there not a trace of him left on the face of the Earth right now."
"According to Fate, he was last spotted entering the bridge of the tanker before it detonated. Currently, Admiral Haralown is in a meeting with the TSAB about the incident."
"Something tells me the Special Forces no longer have an excuse to be around," Vita assumed that they were only brought in because of Hawkins, who wanted nothing but glory to restore his reputation in capturing the Mandarin. It was inevitable to say that the plan failed miserably.
"No, they do not," Hayate confirmed. "However, now that Earth's weaponry has reached to this point, there's no telling what actions they'll take next."
Thankfully, in the following morning, Lelouch was allowed some time off before he had to face Graham. He wasn't pleased with last night's disaster, to put it mildly, although reading his emotions was difficult for the former prince. Graham sat behind a desk while Lelouch was seated in a chair opposite of him.
"Just what did you think would happen?" Graham asked, seemingly annoyed with Lelouch.
"I had no way of knowing the TSAB would barrage in like that."
Graham sighed, "I suppose not, but you are more than aware of the implications of what this will mean going forward?"
"I know," Lelouch answered, who wasn't as equally as happy with the outcome of last night's events as he was, "It was merely an opportunity to weaken the Mandarin and deliver a blow to the Britannians at the same time."
"I doubt it would have been that simple." Graham paused to massage his right temple with one hand before resuming speaking to Lelouch. "The Mandarin will no doubt give you his full attention now, which could complicate things, especially given Peter's project in India. There should've been no risk of discovery, but if the Mandarin starts pursuing the matter more aggressively, then it could put it at risk."
"Even so, I'm sure Peter was careful enough to cover his tracks."
Graham shrugged his shoulders, "Maybe, but from now on, Peter will be keeping a close eye on you to make sure you don't pull anything like this again unless we can eliminate any chances it will turn into a blunder. The twins will also supervise you more closely."
Lelouch sighed in annoyance, but he knew this wasn't as bad as it could've been. He had expected more of an earful from Graham, yet it seems Lelouch would be spared that.
Or so he thought.
"But," Graham began. "Take this as a lesson going forward. If you do something so brazen again, especially if it's something that you can lose control over very easily, then you should really rethink your strategies."
"…Fair enough."
Meanwhile, Quattro was sitting in front of a computer in the computer center of their underground base while checking on Cornelia. Despite having made some effort to escape, the captive princess was unable to do anything since the prison was designed to contain beings far more dangerous than her.
Quattro was alone at first, but C.C. soon entered the room.
"Keeping an eye on Lelouch," C.C. mused, which prompted Quattro to quickly close the monitor where Quattro was secretly watching the meeting between Graham and Lelouch.
"Of course," Quattro replied, "I wanted to see if the old man would really tear into him over what happened."
"Well, you are just as much as responsible. Who else helped to create the mixture added to the sakuradite?" C.C. pointed out with a sly grin causing Quattro to turn around to address the immortal woman.
"Touché," Quattro replied, not wanting to give C.C. the satisfaction. She instead turned to a soft drink she was enjoying.
C.C. began smirking before asking, "if you like him, then make a move."
Quattro nearly choked on her drink but managed to swallow it before coughing.
"What are you talking about!?"
"I've lived long enough to recognize when someone has an attraction to someone, and you seem very taken with Lelouch, so why are you so hesitant."
"It's nothing like that," Quattro snapped back, although C.C. was sure she was lying because Quattro's cheeks had a slight shade of pink on them. "I respect his ability as a commander and how ruthless he can be when the situation demands it."
"Really now," C.C. replied with a smirk. "Your cheeks and body language tell a different story."
At that moment, someone else entered the room.
"Actually, I believe Quattro possessing an augmentation grade of B wouldn't have any problems reproducing with Lelouch. He is a healthy male of breeding age who could conceive a child with you thus securing the future of this organization with a new leader we can train should Lelouch become unable to fulfill his duties," Sette said with a matter-of-fact tone having walked in on the conversation after overhearing it from the hallway in passing.
"SETTE!" Quattro snapped with her face bright red, "I should've taught you social dos and don'ts."
Quattro had purged Sette's mind off anything unnecessary for a war machine like her, but now Quattro realized there perhaps some things she should've left in during Sette's growth and development.
"I do not understand your confusion? Your gestures indicate an interest? However, I do regret I possess no knowledge of the dynamics of human pair-bonding."
"Huh," Quattro muttered.
"Your face is all red," C.C. joked.
Without another word and Quattro's face had an even brighter shade of red for a different reason, she promptly left the room, leaving behind a confused Sette.
I wonder how long it will take for those two to get together, or will someone swipe Lelouch from her, C.C. remarked smugly.
It was around noon within the Government Bureau of the Tokyo Settlement. Dalton and Guilford assembled the other military commanders and government officials in the conference room with Euphemia at the very end of the table. They called for this emergency meeting shortly after they did a final count of their remaining active personnel.
"And that's the last of the casualty reports," one officer finished going over the fatalities and wounded. Like the previous battle at Narita, they only had around a quarter of the forces they deployed for the operation. "As for the enemy's numbers, we have yet to determine how many we've eliminated ever since that incident occurred."
The referred incident was everything that happened afterward. First, there was the vast shield dome that enveloped the entire port. Then, it was the human-like figures who flow into the scene, shortly before the tanker exploded. Finally, there were the mechanical creatures and the black Knights appearing, which was when Guilford decided it was time to retreat.
"It's obvious that this was a trap set up by the Black Knights," Guilford spoke up. "Could you confirm whether or not that we were their targets?"
"No, sir," another officer shook his head. "Nor can we identify the unknown forces in the area."
It wasn't easy to explain what had transpired last night, and no one in the room could blame themselves yet the facts before they were clear as day. They had witnessed what could be described as only aliens entering the battlefield and those strange machines that had attacked them. According to the men who studied the recovered bodies of the enemies who had attempted to attack Princess Euphemia, which was very troubling when they discovered them to be cyborg soldiers.
As unbelievable as it was, they had to acknowledge what happened was real.
"How do we even begin," One military officer commented.
"The weapons that the unknown hostiles and the Black Knights possessed are unlike anything we had ever seen," Guildford stated before reminiscing. "And then, there are those people."
The knight recalled his encounter with the Germanic Lolita girl his men confronted before he sounded a retreat. Not only were they after mechanical monsters and cybernetic super-soldiers, but they also dealt with little kids with what was best described as magic. Some Britannians, especially the Honorary ones, discussed that they could be those "magical girl" shows that were around before Japan became Area 11, but even they doubted that. Regardless, how they stand against such a powerful foe?
"Lord Guildford, with all due respect, this doesn't seem to be a unified force," the Vice Minister joined in. "From the footage we recovered, we found these unknown units engaging the Black Knights as well as our forces. It's sure to say that these belong to two or more organizations that are at each other's throats."
"And they destroyed those machines while our weapons did little to them," Guilford remarked, thinking of the Wyvern Drones.
"Maybe this is the pretense to an alien invasion," one commander worried over the thought.
"This is not the time to talk about aliens right now!" Dalton interjected over the mutterings of the others in the room while Euphy remained quiet. "Our priority is how to handle against the unknown enemy and recovering from this catastrophic incident!"
"There's also the matter of ensuring Princess Euphemia's protection from further harm," Guilford nodded, even though he had no answers to either problem.
"But sir," another commander objected. "How can we protect Princess Euphemia when we have no weapons capable of competing against such a foe?"
At that moment, the door to the meeting room opened, and to the utter shock of everyone present walked in the last person anyone would've expected.
"Your Majesty!" Guilford exclaimed as everyone snapped to attention, including a speechless Euphy who was understandably as shocked as everyone else to see her father the Emperor arrive.
Following closely behind Charles was a younger man in his thirties with shoulder-length black hair and a tanned complexion with one eye sew shut and a thin beard wearing a white uniform and a large sword on his back within a custom sheath.
He was the Knight of One; Bismarck Waldstein, known as the strongest knight of the Holy Britannian Empire and the personal bodyguard to Charles Zi Britannia.
"At ease all of you, as far as anyone knows, I am not here," Charles commanded, raising one hand to gesture everyone to be seated.
Euphemia noticed someone else behind Charles and Bismarck, and he appeared younger than the former with long blonde hair that extended to his waist tied into a ponytail with a black hairband. He possessed a fair skin complexion with red eyes dressed in a white double-breasted tunic with a round collar, black trousers and matching boots with a belt with a black metal clasp. Upon his shoulders was a black cape, which appeared to be part of the uniform itself.
"May we ask why you are here, Your Majesty?" Dalton asked respectfully.
"First, I intend to make Euphemia acting Viceroy of Area 11. And second," Charles began as she closed his eyes for a moment. Upon opening them, they possessed glowing emblems in the form of a phoenix taking flight. "To conduct damage control."
The officials of Area 11 were not the only ones having an emergency meeting in light of last night's events.
Peter, Lelouch in his Zero uniform, Quattro, and Ohgi went over what happened last night within the red motor home that was the locals' secret headquarters.
"The people of Cranagan today mourns for the losses of brave men and women killed in the name of duty here in the state capital."
The screen showed the Midchildan people mourning for the losses of their friends, families, and loved ones killed by the Mandarin. Needless to say, it is sad for everybody back home for what happened to the poor mages. The river was flooded with little boats with candles to represent the loss of an individual's life.
At the same time, support for Anti-Mandarin grew much to the delight of the higher-ups of TSAB. However, moments like these were countered with a growing sentiment from worlds against TSAB administration. The deaths of TSAB mages made evident that magic wielders are no longer invincible if mass weapons can defeat them.
They recalled the words that the Mandarin said while issuing the broadcast as he displayed footage of the tanker incident.
"As you can see, numbers are nothing to me."
The Mandarin's action to broadcast the video was controversial in itself. He never once mentioned his name, nor did he mention Zero and the world they're living in together. The very idea that TSAB mages can be defeated alone gave hope and despair to countless masses across the universe that a new change is coming whether they like it or not. The people who admire the TSAB from afar begin to seek the guidance of The Mandarin while the public outcry against the man grows stronger.
Ironically, the same cannot be said for Unadministrated World #97 as nobody except the Black Knights themselves were aware of such events happening outside the orbit.
"Well, at least he didn't mention your name." Peter sighed in relief, switching off the potable screen showing a recorded television broadcast from home. "If he did, a lot of people would have wanted your head for the little mashup."
"Regardless, TSAB did a good job covering up the real reason. All those deaths could have been prevented if the buffoon in charge wasn't so pig-headed."
Lelouch did not even bother to remember the name of the person who ruined his entire operation. He didn't bother to remember his history with the TSAB or his involvement with Earth, only that he messed up his most excellent opportunity to launch a devastating first strike against the Mandarin.
"So, what happens now?" Ohgi asked. The incident from Yokosuka didn't leave his mind considering that he was part of the operation.
"We did what we could. I already explained the situation to the Admiral patched here on Earth's orbit after everything went to hell. Whether they'll be after us or not," Zero paused as he theorized. "Most likely, there will be an order for my arrest. And if that happens, they'll send the three Aces after me."
The very thought of all three of his friends from childhood after him alone is enough to make the masked man feel anxious.
"Lookie here." Quattro pointed out in a newspaper, which had an image of run-a-ground ships and destroyed warehouses. "The Britannians thought you blew up the harbor. Kind of small when you think about, isn't it? You're famous for a screw-up, Zero."
The cyborg smiled coyly, only to have her newspaper snatched away from the masked leader of the Black Knights.
"I still don't enjoy your sense of humor, Quattro," Zero stated. "In any case, it's only a matter of time before the Mandarin manages to contact us in any way. I need you to monitor all of our communication channels for any encrypted messages he might leave behind for us. I'm not ruling out that he managed to track our base of operations. And there's another matter a matter I would like you to handle."
"And what will that be, Zero?"
"Do you remember Diethard Ried?"
"The producer at Hi-TV who revealed Cornelia's capture at your hands and if I recall has been trying to join our organization," Quattro answered. "The same one who help trick the Britannians in the last operation, who did a much better job than you."
Lelouch clicked his tongue under the mask before returning to the topic.
Although it was odd for a Britannian seeking to join an Anti-Britannian organization like the Black Knights, Lelouch knew some Britannians like himself have an ax to grind against the Empire for one reason to another. Still, even with that in mind, Lelouch had Quattro look over his background and found nothing that could suggest he had some grudge against the Empire, but his actions in publishing that article he made did make him stand out.
He's a wild card at worst, but he could be useful in expanding our intelligence division, Lelouch contemplated before considering his ideas.
"I might actually consider recruiting him, but to ease any concerns about him, I would like you to take a closer look at him."
"Alright," Quattro replied as Zero turned to Peter.
"And how's the new base of operations coming along?"
"Almost finished," the scientist answered as he checked the time and date. "In a few days, we should be ready to transfer our equipment and materials from here and the school."
"Our new base?" Ohgi became intrigued.
"We have our submarine from the Militarized Zone of India," Zero explained. "Peter's designed the machine so not only we'll hide better from the Britannian forces, but from the Mandarin as well. Most important of all, it's mobile."
The idea that they now had a submarine still startled the former resistance leader. Before meeting Zero, it was hard to get even a motorcycle in Area 11. Even if it was from the help of a few special persons, the fact they got advanced weapons like a submarine was unbelievable.
"By the way," Peter added. "Alicia insists on calling it the Catfish since it was never given a name."
"Deny her that right." For once, Ohgi spotted a more human side of Zero: sounding very annoyed.
"Too late. Alicia pestered me so much I caved in."
"Wait, we're seriously calling it the Catfish?" Once again, Ohgi sounded surprised.
"You'll be amazed at how much influence that girl has in this group."
Chrono was seated in the middle of a video conference with screens floating in front of his desk. They had already completed their review of the chain of events surrounding the beginning and end of the Battle of Port Yokosuka. As Hayate and the Wolkenritter predicted, Hawkins became the scapegoat for the fiasco. Special Forces will also be pulled out, putting the investigation back in the hands of the Arthra. Now, the floor was open to Chrono.
"Make a note of this: Banning the use of sakuradite." A member of the TSAB's Internal Affairs Division began.
As much as Chrono would love having the main topic at hand towards the current problem regarding the Mandarin, the more political members of TSAB decides to cash in favors and ideas about what to do during their free time.
"We already know that sakuradite is unstable," Chrono reminded everybody in the teleconferencing meeting. "The reports we sent stated that the mineral is superconductive and radioactive."
"Ah, but let's not forget how they fuel the Mandarin's robots. We can make use of that information. Isn't that right, everybody?" Another officer asked. He was a member of the Naval Special Forces division around his colleagues about his idea.
This is, of course, was fueled by the Mandarin's broadcast from earlier. The incident was still fresh in everybody's minds thanks to the leaked footage of TSAB mages killed by a gigantic pink explosion. It wasn't enough that they already received flak thanks to the whole thing being run by an idiot who thought he could make things "covert" to restore his reputation. The public responded according to their allegiance towards TSAB or not. Developed worlds have to start to fear this unknown weapon that could break through barrier jackets and kill so many mages.
Chrono could only sigh; his fists tremble before wanting to strangle the man. The subjugation of Earth was an extreme and bold move for TSAB to execute under such a premise that the Mandarin operated on Earth. As it stands, it was only a few steps away before a new decree was declared to have TSAB fleets surround Earth. The officer may not be from the planet, but for the sake of his friends, he will do anything in his power to prevent further conflict from escalating.
"With all due respect, Earth is not under TSAB's banner. We don't have the right to ban people from making use of their world's resources."
"And what is stopping other worlds from coming to Unadministered World #97?" the naval officer rebutted. "That world is a dangerous coal mine that can jeopardize the safety of worlds under TSAB's flag."
At this notion, everybody agreed. Seeing the effects on sakuradite from Earth has opened their eyes that this "insignificant blue planet" is likely to become a planet-sized arms factory.
"We have to act fast before it's too late!"
"And just what do you purpose? We can't exactly take control of the Earth and forcibly shut down their mining and production of sakuradite?" another officer shouted.
"True, we cannot resort to anything that drastic," Chrono offered in agreement before the discussion could steer off into that direction.
It was unlikely, but Chrono didn't want to risk it.
"We should try a more surgical approach. So far, we have narrowed down that Britannia is potentially the country the Mandarin is involved in, so we should begin our efforts by following the flow of sakuradite from Japan."
"To what end! Such an effort will not lead us to the Mandarin!"
"No, I suggest we do it to put pressure on the Mandarin."
None of the officers offered an objection, which brought a thin smile to Chrono's lips before he began explaining his purposed idea.
"Or if some of you prefer something more direct, I suggest we should bring former Viceroy Prince Clovis into custody for questioning."
In a nearby bunker, Suzuka leaned behind a desk while looking over a report of the disaster at the harbor last night. It went without saying she was not pleased with their losses.
Her computer brought up the report on Gray's injuries, though she wished to watch the recording of events captured by his Device on another screen. Gray's injuries were not fatal, but they were quite severe enough that it was remarkable he managed to escape that disaster. But Gray's device revealed that the General Katase they were pursuing was a hologram, which raised many questions.
Did Katase actually die, and if so, did the Black Knights use it to draw us into a trap?
Suzuka was leaning towards that idea as the likely reason. But until they could confirm Katase's death, she decided it was best to act as if he was still alive.
That aside, where did the Black Knights get those weapons they used to destroy our drones and cyborg troops with ease?
The more Suzuka tried to fill in the blanks and gather a complete understanding of events, the number of questions seemed to increase instead. She was then interrupted by a knock on the door to her office.
"Enter," Suzuka commanded before a Yoshimitsu Trooper entered the room.
"My lady Mao has a report for you."
"Very well, let him in," Suzuka commanded with a hand gesture before the cyborg trooper stepped aside, allowing the Chinese teen to enter.
"I have been sweeping around Toyko as you wanted, and I might've located my beloved C.C," Mao replied happily.
"Really," Suzuka said, pleased with some good news following last night's disaster. "Where?"
"At Ashford Academy," Mao answered, "apparently she has been meeting with the same pizza delivery man at least four times a day to receive her meals."
"I see," Suzuka said, sounding disappointed a little, but Mao wasn't done.
"However, I did notice some students speaking to some whose minds I couldn't read. I tried to focus my power on the students speaking to the ones I couldn't read, but something seemed to be interfering when I focus on a single target."
Now that interested Suzuka.
In orbit aboard the Arthra within the privacy of her cabin, Fate was carefully watching a recording of Nanoha's battle with Zero using footage recorded from Rising Heart. Ever since that battle at Yokosuka, she had reviewed all information collected from her team's Devices. She carefully watched how Zero conducted himself and led his troops, trying to find something that could provide a clue to his identity.
Nothing could be found in Yokosuka, but something during Zero's clash against Nanoha caught her attention.
I can't help but wonder how Zero responded to many of Nanoha's attacks. Someone would have to study her combat abilities to do such a feat, but Zero seemed more familiar with Nanoha than that.
Fate based this upon her experience and comments from Nanoha herself when she was acting as an instructor and engaged in some mock battles against her own students. They all watched footage of Nanoha's fighting techniques in the hopes of gaining an advantage. These efforts had failed, but the only ones who have been able to fight Nanoha on equal footing have been both Signum and herself.
Following that line of reasoning, Fate began to wonder if Zero was someone who was very familiar with Nanoha as a person and knew more than enough about her fighting style to cleverly devise counterattacks against her.
But, Fate began thinking internally, yet as she felt ashamed as to where her thoughts led her. There is only one person who could be capable of that if he had magic.
"It's impressive he survived that kind of blast," Kusakabe remarked as he stood outside of Gray's unconsciousness body.
The former Japanese military officer stood inside a chamber containing a roll of empty tanks with the one containing Gray being the only one in use. The tanks were regeneration chambers that put the user into suspended animation while the nanomachine filled substance began a slow but effective healing process.
"It was thanks to his Device that he teleported away when his vital signs began to drop," Suzuka explained.
I suppose if it's any consolation, things will be a lot quieter around here for the time being,
"He'll recover in time," the Mandarin said as he entered the room moments later. "But make no mistake, the Black Knights will not go unpunished for this act."
"Mao tells me he might have a lead on tracking down Zero," Suzuka offered.
"Really," the Mandarin said as Mao chose this moment to make himself known.
"Yes, I found a place where there are a few minds I cannot read."
Before the Mandarin could ask further, a new voice interrupted them.
"I hear the big boy has taken a beating," a voice rang within the commanders of Logos.
Suzuka turned in surprise, almost hesitating to form her ice powers, though something within the voice told her not to. Mao was intrigued as she sighted upon the lady who just entered in.
The woman entering the room was around the twenties, though specks of magic indicated there was something that made her look that way. She had long black hair dropping down to her waist, silver eyes, and a fair skin complexion. She wore a suit similar to a female secretary with an odd addition of a hood, perhaps to conceal herself during desperate times, that looked like air vents when put down. It was nearly all black, but her shirt had a white line going straight down the center and thin, white linings on the sleeves. She had additional accessories such as a gold diamond-shaped necklace and a ruby-embedded silver ring on her left index finger. She also has a long white glove covering her right arm that crossed with her ordinary one.
As she approached the leading team, Kusakabe unsheathed his traditional katana.
"Identify yourself!"
The woman glared at the Japanese Colonel, but the Mandarin raised his hand, signaling them to stand down.
"We have been waiting for your arrival, Ms. Alexis."
"I recommend that you do not use my original name in front of others. Nonetheless, the pleasure is mine, Mandarin."
And speaking of the devil, Mao suddenly jumped in.
"So if it isn't the new princess of the house, Alexis Vectra von G-"
Mao stopped when Alexis shot a sharp glare at her that made him cringe. Suzuka witnessed the now frightened manchild while the Mandarin took the stage more forcefully.
"There will be no violence in this place. Not with a wounded officer around."
Suzuka turned to her leader and asked.
"So who would she be, Mandarin-sama?"
"Allow me to introduce," the Mandarin turned to the other officers. "This is our secondary commander for the war against the TSAB. She takes her original name with rage, and only those she well respects have the right to know. For now, you shall know her as Alex Vesper."
"I never thought we would be working like this," Alex replied to the masked leader of Logos. "It will take a while to get used to your subordinates and see how useful they really are."
"No, your arrival was more than convenient for us."
"I only come here because of the situation. Not just for the Knight, but the Black Knights as well. Speaking of whom, I'm...appalled by the ridiculous resilience and barbaric nature he had had out there."
"Like hell, we are!" Suzuka blurted out. "We thought he was trying to get himself killed!"
"Indeed, and I would've left him dead out there myself if it weren't for my orders."
"There is no need to be to feel irritation," the Mandarin answered moderately. "Your substitution for our casualty should fit more than enough into our plan."
With some relief and surprise, Suzuka was more than interested in the newcomer.
"You're here to substitute him, aren't you?"
"That and take him back. Our boss wants to fix whatever the Black Knights did to him in that sakuradite blast. Can't say I blame him for it."
"It was an unexpected event," the Mandarin assured. "But with your assistance, we can reinforce the plan and ensure this doesn't happen again."
"As you request. But keep in mind that my availability will not be until later, and I'm not the type who'll take orders from you easily."
"Of course, Ms. Alexis. You are his commander, after all."
Alex merely nodded as the Mandarin started walking out of the room. As she followed the Mandarin out, the other essential figures only watched with mixed expressions: Kusakabe was still wary of the new arrival while Mao broke out of his terrifying stance to check out more Alex's...curves. A quick wince from her back to the room quickly made him reconsider.
Suzuka, on the other hand, was more curious. While clearly tough, not someone anyone would mess around with, Suzuka could sense something within her. It was only for the moments when they sighted upon each other, but she could see hints of...sadness and pain. To a girl like Suzuka, that kind of feeling was more than familiar.
No matter, I suppose, Suzuka noted internally. Once she's done here, we can begin drawing up plans to follow up on Mao's lead.
Hours later, a chess game between two men was taking place, and at that moment, one of the players had moved their pawn to their opponent's side of the board, where he swapped it for a white knight.
"I must apologize to you for having to ask you to handle that matter," The blonde-haired young man said, sitting opposite of Emperor Charles.
"It's a minor inconvenience at best, but I didn't expect the situation in Area 11 to become so chaotic," Charles replied as he examined the chessboard before moving a black piece.
"Neither did I, but I suppose the Black Knights have at least made it difficult for them to focus their efforts in hunting down my followers. However, the injuries that rendered Gray out of commission has annoyed me somewhat," the blonde-haired young man replied while contemplating his next move.
"Isn't Gray your closest follower?"
"He is, but Gray is too aggressive and too eager for his own good sometimes," the young man replied, "That being said, I do greatly appreciate his loyalty as both a follower and a…friend."
"I see," Charles remarked before changing the subject, "But what of that new body you're crafting?"
"The body I am creating as per your request will be done soon. Other than the improvements and cybernetics I added will be just like the old one when it's done."
"She'll be pleased to hear that," Charles said, "So what do you plan on doing next…Simon?"
Simon Testarossa smiled as he moved another chess piece.
"Despite the recent setbacks, my plans remain unchanged, and I assume the same is true for you?"
"We only need to locate the rest of the Thought Elevators," Charles replied, yet his expression soured when he explained before moving another chess piece. "However, our armies were once again defeated by the Kingdom of Zilkistan."
"So the nation of mercenaries then," Simon mused, having heard about them as he moved a chess piece in response to Charles's move. "I suppose this means its Queen has been making use of her Geass."
"What do you know about her?"
"She never revealed her Geass to me, but I suspect it's triggered after her death. Based on the reports I received, she knows events leading up to her death to herself hours or maybe a day before it happens, allowing her to prepare."
"You met her?" Charles asked, which Simon confirmed with a nod.
"As the Mandarin, when I needed to hire some extra hands for a minor operation that didn't require my personal forces."
"I assume you can't convince her to allow us access to the Thought Elevator?"
"She'll probably refuse, and that woman sees herself as a prophet, but," Simon replied with a graceful dark smile, "I might have an idea to have some of our enemies to deal with that kingdom. We just need to warn them about her abilities."
As the day came to a close, the former prince entered his room before deciding to collapse onto the bed.
I am glad this day is over...
First, there has been Lelouch getting grilled over what happened at harbor by Alicia. Then, there was Peter, although Lelouch was thankful Graham didn't decide to grill him as well over that mess.
I wonder if Peter allowed Alicia to name the submarine the Catfish in retaliation for what happened.
Regardless, Lelouch was grateful his day was over. But he knew that starting tomorrow, he would be increasingly occupied with the aftermath of events at the harbor.
All we can do is keep pushing forward, Lelouch was ready to let sleep take him before the door to his room suddenly opened.
"I am sorry to bother you, Master Lelouch," Sayoko said upon seeing Lelouch lying in his bed, "But your friend Fate is here to see you."
As tried as he was Lelouch forced himself out of bed and quickly cleaned himself up before going to greet his guest.
Lelouch met Fate in the dining room, where the latter was seated at the table.
Fate didn't greet Lelouch immediately, but the expression on her face made it clear she was troubled by something.
"Is something wrong, Fate?"
Fate remained ashamed over resorting to this. However…
How else can I suspect someone I know to be a terrorist?
