Chapter Text
She stared forward, observing the dead bodies. Despite the dead and the pooling blood, she was eerily calm. The only sign of her stress was a numbness, spreading to her limbs. ‘Looks like my body didn’t realize how to react yet.’
“I ordered them to die, and they killed themselves…” She whispered, barely believing what she was seeing. ‘I’m not having a hallucination… am I?’
[Negative. Master does not suffer from any mind-related problems.]
‘And I’m becoming schizophrenic. Damn, today must have hit me harder than I thought…’
[Negative. This is the effect of your Unique Skill, Great Sage. Furthermore, no time-related attacks have been detected.]
‘…huuuh?? There is a voice in my head now?’
[Correct.]
‘Um, hello? So, miss Voice, why can I hear you now?’
[Answer: This is the effect of your Unique Skill, Great Sage.]
´…Unique Skill?’
[Skills. Abilities that can be bestowed on individuals. Unique Skills. Abilities that stand above Extra Skills in power, are unique among all other Unique Skills, and are only bestowed in specific circumstances.]
‘Umm, ok? What do you mean by bestowed?’
[…]
[Error. Information access denied. Query cannot be completed.]
‘…alright, then, are you just a voice or can you do something more?’
[Answer: The Unique Skill, Great Sage, has the following subskills:
Thought Acceleration: significantly speeds up thinking. Caveat: In order to not overload the brain of the user, this skill is only activated for them when communicating with Great Sage.
Analytical Appraisal: allows the user to gain information about the composition and workings of an object by touching it. Additional information becomes available with prolonged touch. More detailed appraisal requires touching individual components of the object. Generalizations can be made upon appraising multiple objects of the same type.
Parallel Calculation: allows Great Sage to perform all thinking processes in parallel with the user, without straining their mind.
C̸̮̥̗̫̗̜̆h̷͙̃̂̚͝ȧ̵̦̺̮̥͚͔͊͗̐̕ń̵͔̽̈t̴̜͓́̈́̕ ̶̠͓̝̮͙̅̑̓͂̉̕A̶̤̝͙̎͂̈́̎͘n̴̳̭̘̣̠͂̂̂ṇ̵̛͎̞͖̝̘̌̊̎ư̴̟̍̚ļ̴̐͑̊m̸̡̼͎̬͓̩̾͑͂̚e̴̥͎̭̪̋͋n̵̗͆̌t̶͎̪͍͇̻͚͊: Corrupted.
A̶̼̞͖̎̿̽̕͜͝l̴̲̰͎͆̓̈ĺ̷͖̬͖̖͓̦͂̊̄ ̸̧̘͖͙̦̞́ǒ̸͈͍̩̻ͅf̴̤͕͌̑ ̸̺̲̹̐C̸̥̓͛ŗ̶̎̌̅̃e̷͍͆͐̓̋̾̌ă̷̦̜̗͉̠̹t̸̡̖̹̟͐̈́͜͠ị̵̈́̋ọ̵̽͠͝ṋ̵̞̓̑̕: Corrupted.]
‘...Ok? I’ll ask about the corrupted part later. Just to test, do you know why these soldiers died?’
[Answer: They killed themselves, influenced by Master’s Geass.]
‘So I did kill them… Wait, this thought acceleration is active right now, right?’
[Correct.]
‘Ok, good, I have time then. Second test, analyze my Geass.’
[Understood.]
[…]
[Partially completed. It appears that Geass has a significantly more complex structure than any other known object, which prevents analysis of the fundamental workings.
The following properties have been discovered:
- It is a mind-related ability.
- It is activated through eye contact.
- Conjecture: Transmitting the signal through video will not work. As such, recordings are also ineffective.
- Likely conjecture: Drawing the Geass symbol has no effect.
- When active, the left eye becomes red with a crane-like symbol inside it.
- Any target affected by the Geass must obey the given command to the best of their ability.
- Likely conjecture: The command cannot be resisted in any way.
- Conjecture: The command must be spoken. Other methods of transmitting the command will not work.
- Conjecture: The command must be heard by the target.
- Any target currently fulfilling orders granted by Geass has red rings surrounding their irises.
- Likely conjecture: The red rings are invisible to non-Geass users.
- Conjecture: The red rings are also invisible to all Geass users except the person applying the Geass.
- Conjecture: A range limit exists.
- Conjecture: A usage limit exists.
- Conjecture: A time limit exists.]
‘That’s… a lot more than I expected. Thanks, Sage.’
[Acknowledged.]
[Warning: a Knightmare appears to be approaching this position. Recommend…]
--
Villetta Nu was annoyed. She was having a good time massacring those monkeys when the Royal Guard suddenly called, requesting a transport for… something. ‘Ugh, let’s get this done with.’
She burst through the wall of the warehouse, expecting to see a bunch of soldiers and something massive enough that it warranted an entire Knightmare. Instead her Factsphere showed… shot civilians, dead Royal Guards, a girl in a straitjacket (also dead) and… a girl in student uniform. Crouched. As if afraid.
“What happened here? Why is there a student in a warzone?” She called out through her speakers. To give her words force, she shot a few bullets through the wall. It immediately became apparent that that was the wrong thing to do, as the girl only whimpered quietly and huddled tighter.
“Please… don’t shoot…” The girl weakly called out. She lightly raised her eyes, looking straight into her cameras, whispering something before calling out again. “You have… to help me…”
Having heard her plea, Villetta internally debated for a few seconds. The girl, apparently sensing that she hesitated, continued. “I’m… a duke’s daughter. He’ll reward you… Save me, please…”
‘A duke’s? This might be my chance.’ Having decided, Villetta shut off the Knightmare and emerged from the cockpit, descending on the rope thing.
“You must have some identification. Don’t move, I’ll take it out myself.” Despite her brave words, she wasn’t even pointing her gun at her. After all, what can a teenager do?
When she was halfway to the girl, she suddenly whipped her head up, locking eyes with her. The left eye… red? Villetta froze from shock, which was the opening the girl needed.
{You will be unconditionally loyal to me.}
--
[Recommend to appear as weak and helpless as possible to incite sympathy from the Knightmare pilot and get them to exit the Knightmare.]
[Request: Attempt Geass control through the cameras of the Knightmare frame. Additionally, imagine the command mentally while activating Geass. In case of failure, whisper the command. In case of subsequent failure, repeat the command normally.]
[Request fulfilled. Updating Geass analysis:
Conjecture 2a (Transmitting the signal through video will not work): Proven.
Conjecture 4b (The command must be spoken): Proven with 2 possible exceptions.
Adding conjecture 4d: writing cannot be used to give commands via Geass.
Adding conjecture 4e: audio recordings cannot be used to give commands via Geass. Note: practically irrelevant due to point 2.1.
Conjecture 4c (The command must be heard by the target): no conclusion.]
[Warning: the pilot has not been geassed. Recommend to get them to exit the Knightmare.]
[The pilot appears to have military value. Suggestion: use a command to force her to be absolutely loyal to Master.]
[Geass successful.]
‘Well, fourth time’s the charm.’
“Yes, my Lady. My loyalty belongs to you and you alone.” The dark-skinned pilot replied, getting into a kneeling position at the same time.
“Your name?” Lelucia queried, getting up from the ground.
“Villetta Nu, my Lady. Forgive me my ignorance, but I do not know your name.”
“Lelucia. Also, you are forbidden from mentioning my name to anyone else unless I explicitly tell you otherwise.”
“As you wish, my Lady.”
Lelucia filtered out her response, noticing something more concerning. ‘Huh? Sage, why are her Geass rings gone?’
[Answer: the command directly changed her loyalty. As such, all her actions are still voluntary, and no active control from the Geass is required. It is likely that if her loyalty diverges, the Geass will reactivate to correct it.]
‘Well, that is convenient. She’ll not only do my bidding but also want to.’
[Correct.]
[Notice: before Master obtained Geass, the green-haired girl moved her hand. Recommend checking her vitals to establish the possibility of her survival.]
‘Oh yeah, that kind of flew over my head in all the chaos.’ Lelucia thought, moving over to the girl. At first glance, dead, but still… She pressed her hand to the girl’s neck, and after waiting for a few seconds, noticed a faint pulse.
[Notice: it is likely that the girl is either immortal, possesses regeneration, or both. Recommend leaving Individual ‘Villetta Nu’ to keep watch over her.]
‘Yeah, good idea Sage.’
“Nu, give me your key and access code for the Knightmare, as well as your phone number.” Lelucia ordered, while picking up a pistol from a dead guard and checking the ammo level.
“Yes my Lady. Here are my number and the key. The code is XG2IG2D4.” Villetta replied, tossing her the key.
Lelucia caught it, her mind already in the midst of planning. ‘Hmm, I could test the usage limit here.’
“Good. I will be departing. You are to keep watch over the girl. If she wakes up, tell her that Lelucia will be waiting for her after the battle at the Shinjuku crossroads. Afterwards, return to base, but without hurry. If anyone questions you, your Knightmare was destroyed and you ejected. I will call you afterwards when I require your services. {Do not mention anything that happened in this warehouse.} You were never here. Finally, avoid exposing your true loyalty at all costs.”
“As you command, my lady.” Villetta responded.
“What was your last action, Villetta?” Lelucia quickly asked.
“I gave you my Knightmare key, my Lady. Is something wrong?” Villetta replied. The red rings never appeared.
“No, it’s nothing. Continue.” Lelucia ended the conversation. ‘Looks like I can only use it once per person. This makes permanent commands all the more important.’
[Updating Geass analysis:
Conjecture 7 (A usage limit exists): Proven. Further details: Geass can only be used once per person, regardless if the command is active or not.]
Lelucia quickly mounted the Knightmare. While it was unfamiliar unlike the Ganymede or Glasgow, she did receive Knightmare training as a Princess, considering that her mother was at the forefront of its development. That memory brought a wave of pain. ‘Mother… I miss you…’
Despite her momentary lapse, she quickly calmed herself, inserting the key and inputting the code. After activating the Knightmare, she rolled outside.
[Notice: beginning the process of learning Knightmare ‘Sutherland’s controls. Utilizing memories of Master to accelerate the process.]
--
Lelucia quickly rolled through the streets of Shinjuku, getting ever more acquainted with the controls. All around her, war was going on. Or, more precisely, a massacre. Thousands of Japanese civilians dead, yet the Britannians appeared to suffer almost no losses. ‘Well if you don’t count me stealing their Knightmare.’ She giggled, before noticing a smoke trail, going towards one of the helicopters. ‘A missile… Looks like there is still some resistance. Maybe I can… No, I still lack information. If I…’
Her musing was suddenly interrupted by Great Sage.
[Warning: enemy detected ahead. 1 IFV, up to 20 infantry. Recommend avoiding combat to preserve stealth. Recommend temporarily disabling the IFF.]
She instantly saw it too, a squad of infantry, getting ready to execute some Japanese civilians. ‘I’m not leaving them to die if I can do something about it, Sage. Plus, this is a good combat trial.’
[…Understood. Recommend using Slash Harkens on the IFV while using HE rounds on the infantry. Recommend killing the enemy as fast as possible to prevent the alarm from being raised. Disabling the IFF to avoid exposure.]
‘Thanks.’ She thought, pressing a few buttons and opening fire, while also launching her harkens towards the IFV. The first slash harken hit the frontal armor without dealing much damage, but the second reached the engine, blowing it up. Meanwhile the soldiers were clustered fairly closely together, which meant that despite her lackluster aim, she was able to rapidly kill all the infantry.
[Report: all enemies eliminated. Aiming skills satisfactory, but recommend further training to improve. No communication detected. It appears the enemy remains unaware. Recommend moving to a less exposed position.]
The civilians, seeing that there was no danger anymore, quickly dispersed to the nearby buildings. Despite feeling somewhat faint from the killing, Lelucia didn’t stick around either, moving a few blocks further before noticing a building that had fallen over towards another building, creating a gap where she could stop for a bit without danger. ‘Alright. Deep breaths, calm down.’ She breathed in and out a few times, feeling her mind and vision becoming clearer. ‘To recap, I have: a Knightmare, a geassed Britannian officer (not useful, she already has commands), a terrorist communicator, a phone, … A phone! I can call someone to confirm my theory.’
She picked up the phone, feeling a wave of lingering irritation due to almost being killed by the stupid thing. ‘Meh, Shirley will do.’ She thought, calling her number and attaching her phone to her ear so she could continue operating the Knightmare.
“Lulu? Where are you? If you keep skipping class, you’ll have to repeat the grade.” The concerned tone of the girl echoed through her phone.
“Listen, do you have a TV nearby? It’s kind of important.”
“Geez, give me a second. … Can I borrow this? … Ok, what do you need, Lulu?”
“Is there anything on the news about Shinjuku?”
“Shinjuku? … Just some traffic restrictions, nothing else that I can see. Why-”
“Any reason?”
“…Dunno, it doesn't really say here. … Lulu, you need to stop doing the gambling. One day you’ll get into trouble and-”
“Yeah, yeah, mom. Listen, can you tell Nunnally that I’ll be late today? Thanks.” She quickly ended the call, having gotten everything she needed. ‘So they are hiding the operation, which confirms my theory that they are not employing the full force of their military.’
[Correct. It is likely that the secret project is developed by Clovis personally, which means that only forces loyal to him are present. In other words, the enemy’s reinforcements are limited by their need for secrecy. Therefore…]
‘… if the terrorists follow me, I can win.’
--
“Hnngh!” Kallen grunted, evading another burst from the Sutherland. Just now, she destroyed another helicopter with her slash harken, but the Sutherlands were too much for her to handle. Her skill alone might’ve been enough to bridge the technological gap that her Glasgow had, but the poor maintenance and the fact that her Knightmare had lost an arm in the beginning of the fight was not something she could overcome. However, she could still distract the chasing Knightmares, preventing them from killing civilians or her friends.
A quick glance at the energy indicator revealed a much more pressing problem. ‘Only thirty minutes left!’ She thought. Thirty minutes, if she didn’t make a mistake earlier. She felt rising panic. ‘Brother--’
As if answering, her communicator suddenly whirred. “Head towards the west entrance!” A female voice spoke.
“What, who are you? How do you know this frequency?” Kallen questioned.
“Does it matter? You can ignore my voice, and die to those Sutherlands. Or… you can trust me and win today’s battle.”
‘…win?’ Kallen was stupefied. Someone not only claimed to be able to save her, but also to win against Britannia? ‘Well, not like I have anything to lose either…’
She quickly made a turn, weaving through the buildings before reaching a railway, jumping on top of the tracks.
“Ok, I’m here, what now?”
After two seconds, the voice responded. “See the train? Jump on top of it and keep moving, then turn around after three seconds.”
She followed the order, skipping over the train cars. The train quickly lurched to a stop, most likely due to her pursuers. After counting the seconds, she rotated her Knightmare to see… a third Sutherland in a building, using its Slash Harkens to attack the frontal pursuer, quickly knocking it off course and destroying it.
The other Sutherland appeared to comprehend the situation even less than her. “You, what squadron are you from? We’re after the one-armed--”
The reply was a hail of bullets raining on the Sutherland, which while dealing little damage managed to destroy a landspinner. Kallen, seeing her chance, accelerated, throwing a punch with a war cry. The pilot, caught in a pincer attack, quickly ejected.
“Thanks for the assist!” She said, taking a look at the building. “But where did you… Huh?” The third Sutherland disappeared, the building as empty as before.
“Hey! Kallen!” She heard a shout from outside her Knightmare. Turning, she recognized the others from her group: Kaname Ohgi, Yoshikata Minami, Shinichiro Tamaki, Toru Yoshida, Kento Sugiyama and Naomi Inoue. “What was that transmission just now?” Ohgi asked her.
“Huh? She contacted you too?” Kallen replied.
Before their conversation could continue, the radio chirped again.
“You must be the leader.”
“Uhh, yeah.” Ohgi replied, hesitant.
“I’ve brought presents. Have a look inside the train.” The voice intoned, sounding happy about something.
The group moved, quickly throwing the doors of the first train car open.
“…Huuuh??” Kallen’s eyes widened, almost resembling two moons. Inside the train were state-of-the-art Sutherlands, practically combat-ready.
“Oh look, there’s more!” And by the looks of it, the other cars contained the same cargo.
“Merry Early Christmas!” The radio voiced. Kallen could almost swear she heard her giggle. The next orders were completely serious however. “Ready the Sutherlands, you have ten minutes. Glasgow, switch your energy filler for a fresh one.”
“Yes!” Kallen responded. Ohgi seemed to have more questions however.
“Hey, who actually are you? At least tell us your name!”
“…I don’t want to call your intelligence into question, but considering I, an outsider, am already on your network should already tell you everything about your security.”
“Ok, fine, it’s just that calling you ‘the voice’ every time seems somewhat weird.” Kallen interjected before her interlocutor got annoyed.
“Call me Leader. Or something else. A callsign is not that deep.” The voice replied indifferently. At least she seemed to still be willing to support them. “That said, chop-chop, we need to move in nine minutes.”
Kallen quickly moved, ejecting her old Energy Filler and slotting in a new one. Meanwhile, a discussion was brewing outside.
“Is this really okay? I mean, the voice could be a trap.” Tamaki was seemingly skeptical.
“It’s a bit much for a trap. I mean, she destroyed two Sutherlands and is giving us a dozen more. Even without her guidance, we would still be able to deal significant damage to Britannia.” Ohgi replied, seemingly willing to follow the voice.
“Yeah, and Britannia was already winning before. They have no need for traps.” Kallen added. “The voice knew that I was doomed without her help, meaning that she could’ve just left me to die. It would have been much more effective to destroy us than whatever this is.”
“Fine, fine. You’re the leader.” At that, the discussion drew to a close.
Kallen leaned backward, drinking some water. It seemed that there was a lull in hostilities. The shooting quieted down, which gave her some time to rest. She started thinking about the voice. ‘She is commanding a squad of terrorists who are hesitant to follow her, fighting against the strongest military in the world. And yet, she is confident in her victory. Why?’
After a few minutes, her thoughts were interrupted.
“One minute. Mount up, I will give you your callsigns now.”
--
Clovis was sitting on his throne in the G-1, leaning with one elbow on the railing. After giving the speech, his mood had plummeted when he discovered that his most secret project, Code-R, was stolen. He had sent out the Knightmares and the Royal Guard, but the terrorists managed to retreat to the ghetto. ‘Shinji… Shinju… Whatever it’s called.’ Apparently, the canister was opened and the girl got away from his Royal Guard. He was forced to order the complete destruction of the ghetto.
Now he was a lot calmer than before. Sure, his project was stolen and had escaped, but with his army destroying everything in sight, the girl would be found eventually. It was a foregone conclusion. ‘They don’t even have to keep her alive, she can regenerate any injury.’ Though it was taking longer than he expected. The terrorists were showing a frankly impressive amount of resilience, managing to down a few vehicles and prolonging the fight. But still, they too would fall eventually. After all, nobody could defeat the mighty Britannian Empire.
“Enemy discovered at point F31!” One of his officers announced.
“A distraction? How plebeian.” Clovis responded, feeling as bored as ever. ‘The terrorists are getting desperate. Good, that means this will soon be over.’
“Lazarus squadron, proceed. Valerie and Orion, move to F31 and destroy the enemy!” Bartley ordered.
Clovis calmly observed the map. The signals of the two Knightmares moved over to the target, who didn’t seem to make any evasive maneuvers. ‘Is he stupid? Or overconfident?’ Clovis pondered. Suddenly, the two Knightmares disappeared, their signals being replaced by the ‘LOST’ sign.
“Orion and Valerie, communication lost. Presumed destroyed.” An officer confirmed the obvious.
“An ambush?” Clovis muttered. ‘Did they finally find their nerve?’
“Norton squad, flank the enemy! Lazarus, ensure they can’t retreat!” Bartley rapidly gave orders.
“Norton lost.”
“We’re being outmaneuvered by terrorists…” Clovis quietly said.
“Lazarus- no, Glaube go over!”
“Lord Glaube ejected, comms lost!”
“Change the encryption, our comms are being tapped!”
“We already have, four times in fact!”
“Then do it again, dammit!”
Everything seemed to devolve into pandemonium. Clovis lost his patience.
“What a disgrace!!!” He shouted.
Bartley seemed shaken, with sweat on his brow. “I- I’m sorry-”
“Hello!” The high-pitched voice of Lloyd Asplund was heard.
“What is it?? We’re in the middle of a combat operation!” Bartley angrily responded.
“Well, you seem to be in a bit of a bind. I figured I would offer my help in the form of our Mobile Weapon.”
“Now is not the time for that!” Clovis resolutely ordered. ‘I’d rather not owe Schneizel a favor if I can avoid it.’
“Lazarus squadron lost!” The latest of the reports arrived. With this however, Clovis saw his chance.
“Now! Deploy Quincy squadron!”
“But Your Highness, if we do that, our encirclement will-” Bartley tried to dissuade him.
“Tighten the circle! The enemy is somewhere in the region. If we assault from all sides, they will be trapped!”
--
[Notice: the enemy appears to use their encirclement in an attempt to trap our forces. This tactic is predicted to be very inefficient.]
‘I can tell. Clovis really chose the stupidest possible option.’ Lelucia thought. ‘You were never a good general. You should have stuck to banquets and art, brother.’
“Q-1, this map is accurate, right?”
“Y-yeah, but it’s based on the original city, not the current one.”
“It will do.” Lelucia replied. “Descend in the tunnels and move to point G25.”
The enemy Knightmares kept advancing on her screen, not even realizing they were playing right into her hands. ‘You live in a volumetric world, not a flat one. Hmm, I should add that to the list.’
The enemy finally converged at one point, slowing down as they realized no one was there.
“Now, use your slash harkens to collapse the ground.”
‘Check. Your move, Clovis.’
--
Clovis felt the worst shock in his life. A sinkhole was expanding on the map, engulfing his entire force, each unit being replaced by the dreaded ‘LOST’ sign.
He staggered back to his throne. ‘How were we so soundly defeated? Who the hell is the commander of those terrorists? They seem even better than Tohdoh. Wait, Lloyd! He could still turn this around!’
“Lloyd! Could we win if we used your toy?”
“Please, Your Highness.” Lloyd responded. “Call it, the Lancelot.”
--
“Mobile Weapon Z-01 Lancelot is being activated. Standby for activation. Releasing locks.”
Suzaku was in the changing room, adjusting the zipper of his pilot suit. Having been shot by a Royal Guard for refusing to execute his friend, he had woken up in a medical bed. Apparently, the bullet hit his father’s pocket watch that he had with him. He had asked, but nobody else was found near him. ‘Lelucia… I must find her.’ The scientist Lloyd Asplund offered him the chance to pilot an experimental Knightmare, the Lancelot. Seeing as this was his best chance to stop the fighting and to find his friend, he easily agreed.
“You’ve familiarized yourself with the manual?” Cecile Croomy, Asplund’s assistant, asked him.
“Pretty much. Listen, about what I asked earlier…”
“…I’m sorry, but the chances are close to zero.”
“But not zero…” Suzaku answered, feeling more confident at that assertion. He walked out of the changing room and towards the Knightmare.
“True, but don’t overextend yourself. There is no ejection system in this frame, and the shields consume a lot of the energy.”
“Alright, I understand, miss Cecile.”
He mounted the Lancelot, feeling awe at the advanced technology and design of the frame. The lack of an ejection system didn’t bother him much. ‘With this, I can stop the combat, and find Lelucia and that girl. Please, wait for me.’
“Lancelot, beginning activation procedure. Phase twenty. Installing Energy Filler.”
“Energy Filler stable. Basic output stable.”
“All systems nominal.”
“Devicer entry confirmed. Identification key entered. Devicer signal receiving. Man-machine link active.”
“Yggdrasil Drive, starting up.”
“Rejection response minimal, devicer stress level minimal.”
“Power reached required level. Decoupling support systems.”
“Lancelot ready.”
“M.E. Boost…” Suzaku muttered.
“Lancelot, launch!”
“Launching!”
--
Lelucia observed the carnage from her vantage point. The sinkhole was everything she had hoped for and more. The entire enemy force was wiped out and the G-1 was exposed. Now, she had a chance.
“B-group here, enemy sighted!”
Lelucia glanced surprised at her screen. ‘Reinforcements? They don’t show up on my screen. Meaning special forces, most likely. Where did they come from?’
“Situation?”
“E-Everyone escaped, but three machines were instantly-”
“How many enemies?”
“J-Just one! Aaaa-”
“Huh? B-group, respond!” Despite her demand, the was only static on that channel. She quickly switched to a different one.
“…”
“The hell?? It can block bullets??”
´One enemy, what appears to be energy shielding, high maneuverability as it couldn’t otherwise have destroyed three frames in quick succession. In other words, an advanced Knightmare. Sixth gen, no Seventh? Most likely. Sage?’
[Insufficient information on the enemy’s weaknesses to create a strategy. Insufficient information on the enemy’s position. Recommend avoiding combat. Recommend heading towards the G-1 while the enemy is busy. Recommend abandoning Knightmare when nearby.]
Lelucia gave it a quick thought. ‘Yeah, it doesn’t make sense to keep playing this game. Clovis, I’ll concede this battle. But don’t relax just yet. Another quote I picked up: Lose the battle, win the war. I can sacrifice small elements to come out on top in the grander scheme.’
“All forces, be advised. The enemy deployed an advanced knightmare, do not engage. Retreat and hide your Sutherlands. Leader out.”
She switched her comms off, before the terrorists could question her. ‘That Glasgow girl is too adept to die here, and the others have no significant relevance.’ She felt a small pang of guilt but suppressed it. ‘I’m not abandoning them. I could escape, but I’m using my chance to force a ceasefire. This will benefit them too. This is fine.’
Her Knightmare rolled quickly through the streets. Luckily for her, that advanced frame decided to clear up her flank first, which left a straight path towards the G-1. When it became visible, Lelucia swung her Knightmare around and ejected her cockpit.
‘Clovis, you used your strongest piece to escape check, not realizing you’ve set yourself up for checkmate. Ironic.’
--
Clovis sat in his command center, pondering. Today was a complete fiasco, only barely saved by the miracle that was the Lancelot. As much as he hated relying on the ‘Special Envoy’, he couldn’t deny that Lloyd managed to make the most advanced machine to date. Now, the Prince had dismissed his officers, ordering them to oversee the reinforcements. He needed to be alone to process the events.
‘And there is still no sign of the girl. What a pain.’
The door to his right hissed open, letting a soldier through.
“What is it? I ordered everyone to leave me alone.”
The soldier didn’t respond, walking to the center of the command room. Out of the corner of his vision, Clovis noticed her long hair, but the lack of light obscured any other details. ‘Still, long hair? In infantry? Who would allow this?’
His thoughts screeched to a halt when the girl, having reached the center of the chamber, turned to point a gun at him.
“Order a ceasefire.” Her voice matched the rest of her appearance: cold, without any specific details that stood out.
Despite being cornered, Clovis gathered his courage and activated his PA system.
“All forces in Shinjuku, cease fire! In the name of the Third Prince, Clovis la Britannia, I order you to cease fire at once. Cease all structural destruction as well! All wounded are to be treated without prejudice, regardless of whether they are Britannians or Elevens! All forces, cease fire immediately! I shall allow no further fighting!”
The PA system shut down with a click. Clovis leaned back again.
“Was that sufficient?”
“Good enough. I especially liked the part about the wounded. Would have been funnier if you said ‘Japanese’, but oh well. You can’t have everything in life.” The girl appeared to be genuinely pleased, which gave Clovis a little hope of escaping unharmed.
“What now, shall I sing you a ballad? Or should we play a chess match, perhaps?”
“That brings back memories. You kept coming up with strategies against me, losing, and swearing that next time would definitely be the one.” The girl mused, taking off her helmet and throwing it to the side.
“You know me? Who are you?” Clovis asked sharply. Despite this, the girl ignored him.
“Although I liked that one time that you made a portrait of me, playing chess. You truly had the ability to breathe life into any scene. Instead of this Governor-General business, you should’ve stuck to painting, brother.” The girl finally stepped into the light, revealing her purple eyes and flowing black hair. All together, an ensemble he easily recognized.
“L-Le-Lelucia?? But aren’t you-”
“Supposed to be dead? Well, Britannia tried really hard to make it happen. Unfortunately for them, I am too stubborn to just accept death.”
Lelucia, finishing her sentence, got on one knee, one hand on her chest, the other behind her. A mock bow. Her face had a wide grin, giving her an almost demonic appearance.
“Seventeenth in line to the throne. Eleventh Princess of Britannia, Lelucia vi Britannia. I have returned, Your Highness.”