Turn Ten: A World at War
"Who can say why it all happened the way it did? One minute the world was in a festive mood while preparing for the Olympiad of the International KnightMare Competition, the next minute we were in the midst of a full fledged world at war. It was all a hurricane of events swirling towards an unknown destination where everything we thought we knew for sure about the world...about life and death...reality and fantasy...was turned upside down in a matter of weeks because of the power of Geass. I must say I wish I had never heard that accursed word or been a part of what, at the time, seemed liked the end of the rational and scientific world I once knew." —Excerpt from an interview with Empress Jiang Lihua [The Tianzi] from the Kyoto Telegraph online newspaper, dated March 2nd, 2025 a.t.b.
"You do realize they're going to shoot us down at the first sight of us, don't you, Cecile?" Lloyd said standing at the front of the bridge with a cup of tea in his hand.
"It's been six hours since we left the principality, and no one has even come after us yet," Cecile smirked. "I'd say we've made a clean getaway."
“That is a bit troubling,” Nina remarked.
“What makes you say that, Nina?” Kannon asked while he helped himself to a second cup of tea.
“The principality has to know we’re gone by now,” Nina Einstein said. “It seems odd that Cornelia didn’t even bother to contact us to ask us why we left. She’s got to know the only place we can be headed is Japan.”
“I’d assume this is part of some scheme Cornelia and Guilford have cooked up against Schneizel,” Lloyd said as he finished his tea. “Cornelia has let us go so we’ll warn the UFN of the impending threat of these gods of Olympus. No doubt to either throw General Tohdoh off balance, or to ensure that if Schneizel tries to betray her, Cornelia can be certain the UFN will shift its focus from Britannia and the principality to Schneizel and his new found allies.”
“So, we’re now Cornelia’s insurance policy in all of this?” Cecile asked with a befuddled expression.
“It would certainly seem so,” Professor Asplund smiled.
* * *
“How far have they gotten?” Cornelia inquired of Guilford from her command chair on the bridge of the Avenger.
“The tracking beacon our Azul agents planted on the UFN Type-21s indicates they are nearly at the Island of Haiti,” he replied obediently.
“Good.” She smiled as she stood up. “Did you send out the false patrol report through the UFN balloon relays the way I asked?”
Guilford gave her a hurt look. “Of course, General. I transmitted it via an older encryption so the UFN should have no trouble deciphering it at all, while the Avalon isn’t even likely to pick up the signal.”
“Excellent. Li Xingke’s fleet should be able to intercept them at Haiti shortly and the cargo on the Avalon will safely be in Tohdoh’s hands.” Cornelia let out a laugh.
“Is it wise for us to hand Nina Einstein, Lloyd Asplund, and three potentially useful hostages over to the UFN? Doesn’t it effectively nullify your plan of using them to have Nunnally and Zero returned to us?” Guilford inquired.
“It’s risky I’ll admit, but I’ve thought this through, and I believe it is necessary if my hunch about Schneizel’s intentions are correct,” Cornelia said. “Besides, we don’t have a ship fast enough to catch the Avalon, so I’ve had to revise my strategy to compensate for this unforeseen development. On top of that, we don’t know how far Schneizel’s influence goes into the royal families of Britannia nor the UFN. If we’re not careful, we could find ourselves under attack by them as soon as the UFN is defeated.”
“You think Britannia can defeat the UFN alone?” Guilford asked.
“No, not alone, but Schneizel must have some kind of backing from someone,” Cornelia said with a troubled look. “He can’t possibly have destroyed the UFN fleet on his own. Some country is supporting his cause, and with FLEIJA weaponry no less. The only countries that have the technical capability to build a FLEIJA are India, China, Australia, and Japan. One or more of them must be supporting Schneizel, no doubt to gain control of the sakuradite deposit in Antarctica. If the goal of his supporters is world domination, or at the very least a reshuffling of the geopolitical map, then we are a target in their crosshairs.”
“All of those countries are founding members of the UFN. Do you believe the UFN would come to our aid if one or more of these countries are backing Schneizel?” Guilford was skeptical.
“After handing the UFN Nina Einstein and Lloyd Asplund…yes, I think Nunnally could convince the UFN council that we’re no longer a threat, and that Schneizel and his backers are the real danger in all of this, not us,” Cornelia told him with a grin. “And when the UFN chooses to strike at Schneizel, we’ll solidify our power within Britannia by calling for a cease-fire in the name of peace, and demanding the return of Nunnally and Zero in exchange for military support of the UFN cause.”
Guilford nodded with a smile, but inside he frowned with disapproval. He didn’t like when Cornelia got locked into a real world game of chess with her brother. She had done it for years, always trying to prove her equality to Schneizel’s military mind, and it often got her into trouble. Now was no different in Guilford’s mind; he knew Cornelia was no fool, but he saw this plan as reckless.
* * *
The Gorgon and its flight of Harpy Automatos zipped along the peaks of the Owen Stanley Mountains unopposed as they sped towards the Black Knight base at Port Moresby.
“You know we’re disobeying orders, Euryale?” Medusa asked her sister from the navigator/pilot’s seat of the Gorgon that was directly below Euryale who sat in the co-pilot/gunner’s position.
Euryale currently flew the Gorgon over the peaks with the ease of an expert pilot. “I love our sister dearly, but she’s too slow when it comes to military tactics. The enemy has already compensated for the loss of the Australian continent and has mobilized their forces. We can’t sit around and wait for Prince Schneizel’s brainwashed fools to fail at taking these Papua New Guinea islands. They make good shields, but little else.”
“So you intend on attacking when Schneizel’s forces try to destroy the ones that Jason allowed to escape?” Medusa asked with a vicious grin as she plotted the best course of attack for them as they came through to the edge of the sierra of the Owen Stanley Mountains.
“Yes,” Euryale hissed.
“Good, I was getting bored just sitting around the Philippine Islands,” Medusa smiled. “Their defenders were too easy to wipe out. I hope the warriors of this fleet are more of a challenge.”
“We’ll find out shortly,” Euryale said as the flight of Automatos made their way through the mountain hogbacks. In the distant plain beyond the mountain range, the silhouettes of the Ikaruga and its fleet of airships hung over the UFN base.
* * *
“All hands to battlestations!” Chiba shouted the order as the squadrons of KMFs flew out from the Australian airships that had penetrated New Guinea airspace.
“Captain, enemy air-fortress now in range of our weapons.” The female tactical officer spout off the information as new data flowed in.
“Fire Hadrons!” Nagisa bellowed.
The Hadron Cannons of the Ikaruga opened up and spewed forth a shower of the deadly black and red energy towards the large Longres class air-fortress. Its shields collapsed allowing the streams of death to disintegrate the airship under the onslaught of the beam weapons.
Schneizel’s fleet of brainwashed troops rained down volley after volley of cannon fire at the Ikaruga and its fleet.
“Captain Chiba, get your fleet out of here!” Colonel Masters’ bearded visage appeared on the viewscreen of the bridge of the Ikaruga.
“But, Colonel, your base needs our support,” she protested.
“You need to think of the safety of the civilians you’re carrying, Captain. Get them to Japan, and don’t worry about us, we can handle these upstarts,” he smiled.
“I understand, sir,” Nagisa said with a salute. “Good luck, Colonel.”
“We’ve got more than luck,” he chuckled as twenty Type-21Os screamed past the viewports of the Ikaruga towards the invaders.
The Papua New Guinea fighters transformed into KnightMare mode as soon as they came within range of the enemy KnightMare Frames. The Type-21Os tore through the Gareth, Vincent Ward, and Gloucesters with impunity using their rapid-fire sakuradite-tipped Gatling gunpods and Blade-Luminous swords.
* * *
The sounds of explosions thundered through the KnightMare hangar of the Ikaruga as the Japan Jaguars sat waiting for the order to launch.
“I can’t believe that Major Nu is allowing Li Jiang Fong to pilot the Guren after what he has done,” Mika said to Akira over a private channel.
“I don’t think she had a choice, Mika,” Nobunaga said. “We need every Devicer we have, and no matter how bad Fong may be as a person he’s a damn good pilot.”
“Yeah, but he’s dangerous, Akira,” she warned. “Fong has proven that he is revenge-minded to the extreme. You especially should know this.”
“Right now his ire is focused on Sayoko, not me,” Akira told her. “Fong is a jerk, but he’s also selfish. He’ll fight like a professional out there without any nonsense so long as it suits his needs.”
“I really wish I knew what the two of you find so special about Lena,” Mika grumbled. “You two have practically killed each other over her…why?”
Akira huffed. “I guess it won’t hurt to tell you, Mika. Lena, Fong, and I were all in a Taiwanese orphanage together after Charles zi Britannia’s armies invaded Japan, and refugees of that war flooded the coast of the Chinese Federation. Lena and I were the only Japanese kids there, as both of our parents were officers in the military advising the Chinese Federation forces in the Ryukyu Islands. Fong was from the Ryukyu Islands, as his family had been Chinese who had immigrated to Japan. His father was a physician who went to Ryukyu to help with the wounded from the war. Both of his folks were killed when Britannia invaded the Ryukyu Islands, but he made it to Taiwan on a refugee boat where he ended up in the orphanage with us.”
“I had no idea,” Mika said a bit embarrassed.
Akira thought back to that time. “The orphanage was a hard place to live. There were too many kids there of various ages and backgrounds all living in tight quarters. Li Jiang and I fought to keep the older boys away from Lena…a lot of horrible things went on in that place, but we kept her safe from it all.”
“So when Lelouch vi Britannia freed Taiwan from China, you guys came back to Japan?” Mika asked cautiously.
“Lena and I did. Since our parents had been military officials, we were entitled to go to Ashford on a military scholarship. Li Jiang Fong stayed behind in China because an uncle of his had finally found him. Fong’s uncle owned an energy filler company and was filthy rich. The next time I saw Li Jiang after that was in my sophomore year when he came to Ashford to try and take Lena back with him to a life of luxury. She was taken with the idea at first, but…Li had changed. He quickly became used to getting what he wanted, and he wanted Lena.”
“I take it she didn’t want him?” Mika surmised.
Akira spoke to her in a distant tone. “If he had been kind and gentle, like he was in the orphanage, I think he could have had her heart, but like I said, he became selfish and greedy, drunk on his uncle’s wealth. Lena told me that Jiang tried to force himself on her and that she didn’t want to go back with him to China.”
“And he didn’t take no for an answer?” Mika asked.
Nobunaga sighed, “No, he didn’t.”
“Who won?” Mika inquired even though the answer was obvious.
“Kallen Kozuki,” he said softly.
“You met Captain Kozuki?” Mika was astonished.
“Yep, she was visiting the school to give a commencement speech to the graduating class when she came upon Fong and me fighting. Li Jiang was winning. Kallen Kozuki tried to stop the fight, but Fong took a swing at her, and, well…” Akira sounded embarrassed, “she finished the fight.”
“Geez, Fong really knows how to pick his enemies, huh?” Mika laughed.
“Yah, he’s a bit over the top,” Akira snickered. “Which is probably why he wants to pilot Guren. If he can use it like Kallen did in battle, he probably thinks he’s beating her in some way. The guy has revenge on the brain.”
“Attention, Jaguars, this is Captain Chiba; we have a squadron of forty unidentified KnightMare Frames heading towards our position from the Owen Stanley Mountains. We need air support in case they are hostiles. Therefore, I’m clearing you to launch immediately.”
Villetta’s voice came over the radio. “You heard her, people. We launch now!”
* * *
“Euryale, I’m picking up twenty enemy Automatos breaking through Schneizel’s fleet of puppets,” Medusa told her sister as she monitored her control screens.
“What kind of Automatos are they?” Euryale asked.
“According to the information Hephaestus inputted into our attack computer, they’re Type-21 variable KnightMare Frames,” Medusa said.
“Which means?” Euryale inquired in a bored tone.
“They are tenth-generation KnightMare Frames as opposed to the seventh- and eighth-generation frames that Jason and his men have encountered thus far,” Medusa said.
“Well, well, a real challenge.” A half-smile crossed Euryale’s face as she touched the holographic controls in front of her and opened up a channel to their legion of Harpies. “Attention all units, let our slaves deal with the lesser machines. We will deal with the transformable ones.”
The flight of Greek warmachines flew high up into the air above the UFN base towards the squadron of Type-21Os that were engaged with the Australian Defense Force fleet that was under Schneizel’s Geass.
* * *
“Hey, where the heck are they going?” Gregor asked aloud over the radio as he watched the Gorgon and its legion of Harpies fly up away from them with considerable speed.
“It would seem we’re viewed as not being a worthy opponent,” Jeremiah said as they flew escort for the airship fleet around the Ikaruga.
“Jaguars, you are clear to pursue the enemy and help the Port Moresby defense forces,” Nagisa said over their radios. “Looks like those enemy units aren’t interested in us for the moment, but the New Guinea forces need every KnightMare they can get, and we might just stop this enemy here and now if we defeat them.”
“That's our cue, Jaguars,” Villetta said. “We will proceed to the enemy fleet at maximum speed.”
With that, the Japan Jaguars broke off from their guard formation around the fleet of six UFN airships and headed towards the battle that was now behind the fleet.
“You think you can free this many at once, Major Gottwald?” C2 asked Jeremiah as the Japan Jaguars sped towards the battle.
“You mean with my Geass-canceller?” Jeremiah inquired with intrigue in his voice. “I hadn’t even thought of that.”
“You can cancel out Geass, and you only thought of using it now?” Mika was shocked.
“I don’t like using it,” Jeremiah balked. “It takes a lot out of me mentally.”
“Assuming the Australian forces are under Schneizel's Geass power, nullifying it could give us the advantage we need here, Jeremiah,” C2 said as their KnightMare Frames closed in on the battlespace around the enemy fleet.
“It’s not a bad idea if you’re up to it, Jeremiah,” Villetta said.
“We’ll have to get to the center of their fleet for maximum effect,” Jeremiah replied enthusiastically. “I may get only one chance at this during the battle.”
“Understood,” Villetta said. “Okay, people, you heard the man, we need to break through their defenses and get to the center of this fleet. Don’t let me down.”
“Are you ready for this, Li Jiang?” Akira asked him over the general frequency as the first enemy KnightMare units headed in their direction. Fong had been silent the whole time.
“I’m always ready, Akira,” he said sternly as he flew up to the head of the formation next to the Zangetsu.
“That’s good enough for me,” Nobunaga said concerned about what Fong would do during such a cluttered melee of KnightMare Frames. He worried that Li Jiang might take advantage of the situation and try to take down Sayoko.
“Cut the chatter,” Major Nu said over the comm. “Here they come.”
The Gareth and Vincent Ward KMFs launched a massive barrage of Hadron and autocannon fire towards the Jaguars as they maneuvered their way through the swarms of KnightMares towards the second Longres class sky-fortress.
* * *
The Harpies did battle with the Type-21Os, their swords clashed and projectile weapons exchanged fire as the battle raged all around them.
“Very heavy resistance,” Euryale said as she watched an Outbacker cut down another of her Harpy legion.
“Ten new enemy Automatos have entered the fray, Euryale,” Medusa said as she now flew the Gorgon through Schneizel’s air fleet of brainwashed minions. “However, they don’t appear to be putting much effort into attacking our forces.”
“Oh?” Euryale smirked. “I wonder what they’re up to.”
“Shall we go and find out?” Medusa tittered.
“Let’s,” Euryale told her younger sister as she powered up the Gorgon’s weapons. The twenty tentacle-like head-mounted Hades Cannons came to life like a mass of snakes. The female-looking machine spread its large metallic wings and pulled a mecha-sized bow from off its back, which unfolded into the representation of a typical Greek bow with a thread of energy where the string would be on a man-sized version of the archaic weapon.
“Keep us steady, Medusa,” Euryale said as she aimed the great bow weapon. “I’ll take down the black machine with the red tassels first.” Euryale let a golden bolt of energy loose from the bow of the Gorgon.
* * *
“AIKRA, LOOK OUT!” Lena shouted over the radio as she tried to block the energy arrow with the Katen Yaibatou revolving blade sword of her Gekka to no avail.
Nobunaga dodged the golden energy bolt, which grazed the shoulder of Zangetsu. “That was close,” he said as he whipped his KMF around to face where the attack had come from.
“There’s the real enemy,” Li Jiang said over the comm. as he flew the Guren towards the Gorgon with all the speed he could muster out of the flight unit of the KnightMare.
“Li Jiang, wait,” Akira said as he sped off after Fong.
“Should we go after them, Major Nu?” Mika asked with concern.
“No, let them go, Mika,” Villetta said. “We need them to keep that enemy custom unit busy while we get Jeremiah into position.”
“Well, I hope we don’t have much farther to go,” Gregor said as his Gekka cut down another Vincent Ward. “Our KnightMares won’t last long if this combat is prolonged.”
“Stop whining, you big baby,” Mika scolded him as she riddled a Gareth with autocannon rounds from the forearm gun of her Gekka causing the enemy machine to explode in midair. “I could take on these morons blindfolded.”
A Gloucester fired a salvo of missiles from its shoulder-mounted pods at Mika’s Gekka.
She flew her machine backwards trying to dodge the warheads when Gregor shot down the volley with the machine gun of his Gekka.
“You were saying?” Gregor teased.
“Okay, maybe not blindfolded, but these jokers are still no match for us,” Mika retorted as she cut the Gloucester in two with her Katen Yaibatou revolving blade.
“They’re still dangerous,” C.C. interjected as she blasted an Avalon class frigate out of the air with the Zero Beam of Shinkirou.
* * *
“This group must be some kind of elite unit,” Medusa told Euryale as she dodged the Katen Yaibatou blade the Guren unsheathed from its flight unit pack.
“What makes you say that,” Euryale replied as she used the snake-like Hades guns mounted on the head of the Gorgon to unleash a hail of energy bolts at both the Guren and Zangetsu, forcing both machines back.
“They fight better than the transformable pilots do, yet their machines seem of inferior quality.” Medusa dodged a slash harken attack by Zangetsu, which grazed the left knee of the Gorgon.
“Perhaps it is more of a challenge for their heroes to fight in lesser Automata in order to prove their quality.” Euryale fired the bow weapon at the Guren.
“Whoa,” Medusa said as she watched Shinkirou destroy the Avalon class frigate in the distance. “That one is impressive.”
“Don’t let it distract you, Medusa,” Euryale told her as she fired another hail of Hades beams from the snake-like cannons.
“I wonder why they’re moving towards the center of the fleet,” Medusa said to her sister with concern as she rolled the Gorgon out of the way of another of the sword swipes from Guren.
“That’s a good question, my sister,” Euryale said. “I don’t like it either; we better shake off these two pests and proceed to intercept this new force and stop whatever it is they are up to.”
* * *
“Oh, no you don’t,” Akira said aloud as he moved Zangetsu to block the Gorgon’s path. “You’re not getting away so easily.”
Li Jiang flew the Guren up and over the large Greek machine and reached out with the claw hand of the Guren. The Gorgon spun around and pointed its bow directly at the red KnightMare Frame.
“I’ve got you now,” Li Jiang said over the comm. as the golden arrow bolt singed the front armor of the Guren while it flew past the arrow sideways. Li Jiang slipped the Guren in close to the large Greek machine and grabbed the bow of the Gorgon with the oversized hand of his KnightMare.
"Let's see what you're really made of," Fong spat over the radio as he set the Fukusha Hadou Kikou radiation wave unit to maximum power. In seconds, the bow of the Gorgon bubbled and melted under the massive heat of the Guren's claw.
"Not bad, Li," Akira said as he came up under the bottom of the Gorgon. Nobunaga dodged the Greek machine's adamantine sword as the mecha unsheathed it and slashed at him in one fluid motion. Akira spun Zangetsu into a summersault and drove the Seidotou brake blade down hard into the left shoulder armor of the Gorgon causing the limb to go limp.
“We make a good team, don’t we, Nobunaga?” Li Jiang Fong asked in a soft tone as he made Guren flip underneath and behind the Gorgon. He slashed at the head of metallic snakes and cut three of the twelve tendrils off the head of the Greek metal monster.
* * *
"Destroy them, Euryale!" Medusa yelled at her sister.
"I would be able to if you'd fly this thing with a little more finesse," Euryale shot back as she fired a salvo of Hades bolts from the snake-guns of the machine. She managed to drive Zangetsu and Guren away as a flight of six Gareth KnightMares dove down from above them.
"Let those six idiots deal with these two," Euryale told Medusa. "We need to find out why it is so important for this elite unit to make it to the center of the fleet."
“Are you sure you want to do that, my sister?” Medusa looked down at the damage control windows on her station’s monitor. “We were damaged pretty badly.”
“Don’t worry, Medusa, the Gorgon can still fight,” Euryale smiled.
“Perhaps we should call for a pair of Harpies to act as our guard?” Medusa inquired.
“We can’t.” Euryale checked her controls. “They’re still engaged in intense combat with those variable Automatos.”
Medusa sighed. “I guess we’ll have to make due,” Medusa said as she accelerated the Gorgon towards the Jaguars.
“It’s not a problem, Medusa; those variable machines have been reduced in number by half, and Prince Schneizel’s fleet is still vast compared to the defenders of this place. It won’t be long before we crush it.”
* * *
“Will this spot do, Jeremiah?” C.C. asked as she felled a flight of four Vincent Wards with the Shinkirou’s slash harkens as they tried to outflank her.
“It should do fine,” he said while his Jikisan Akatsuki cut through a Gareth that fired in vain at him with its Hadron Cannons.
“Then might I suggest we hurry,” Tetsuo said blasting another Gloucester with the bazooka mounted on his Gekka’s left forearm. “I’m almost out of ammunition.”
“Me too,” Sayoko added. She cut down another Vincent Ward. “Our energy fillers aren’t going to last forever, and these guys just keep coming.”
“I can take care of that,” Jeremiah snickered. In an instant, the inverted blue sigil of Geass appeared in his left eye, and a blue halo of energy spread out from his KnightMare throughout the fleet.
* * *
“A DISPELLER!!” Medusa yelled. “Euryale, they’re freeing Prince Schneizel’s legions!”
Euryale activated her communicator. “All Harpy units, withdraw at once!”
“What are you doing?” Medusa asked.
Euryale looked down at her sister. “Using the Gorgon’s Gaze.”
Medusa looked at her in shock. “But that will drain the rest of her energy, my sister. We won’t be able to fight after we use it.”
“I know, but we have no choice,” Euryale said with a stern look at her sister as she activated the weapon and fired.
* * *
“They’re retreating!” Mika said triumphantly over the radio.
“I wouldn’t be so sure about that, Mika,” Villetta said as she watched the enemy units flee the battlespace.
“Hey, what’s that custom KnightMare doing?” Gregor asked.
“We need to get out of here now!” Jeremiah blurted out. He didn’t know what kind of weapon the Gorgon was preparing to fire; all he knew was that it was clear whatever kind of weapon it was, it was an area effect type capable of destroying the other Greek mecha that were nearly a quarter of a mile away. “They’re pulling back their forces to use some kind of mass destruction weapon.”
“How can you be sure, Jeremiah?” Sayoko asked.
“The Britannian forces did the same thing when the Lancelot fired the FLEIJA at Tokyo; they pulled back as fast as they could. I suggest we do the same,” he said as he flew his Jikisan as far from the Gorgon as possible.
All the other Jaguars followed his lead, all that is except for C.C. who flew the Shinkirou towards where the Zangetsu and Guren were. Akira and Li Jiang Fong were clearly aware of the danger the Gorgon posed and had begun flying away from the Greek machine as fast as their float units would take them.
“C2, where are you going?” Villetta was frantic.
“Those two aren’t going to make it,” C.C. said as the eyes of the Gorgon glowed green. “I’ve got to try and save them.”
“Good luck,” was all Villetta could get out before a blue-green radiance flooded the area around the Gorgon.
* * *
“What the hell is that thing doing?” Fong asked Akira.
“I don’t know, but the flight of KnightMares which came here with it have stared clearing out of this area quickly. I think we should do the same,” Akira said as he pushed the accelerator to maximum speed.
A green-blue glow began to engulf them.
“We’re not moving fast enough!” Akira called out as Zangetsu kept pace with Guren.
“You two, grab hold of Shinkirou at his waist, NOW!” C.C.’s voice boomed over the radio as she brought her KnightMare Frame up next to them and had Shinkirou make a crucified pose with its arms outstretched and legs together with toes pointed down.
The Guren and Zangetsu grabbed hold of the black KnightMare as C.C. put up the ultimate-defense shield system of Shinkirou just in time for the green-blue light to pass over them.
All around the three of them, the KnightMares of the Australian invasion fleet turned white as stone and fell to the ground like rocks as soon as the green-blue light touched them. An airship above Shinkirou nearly crashed into them as its stone form fell out of the sky and shattered into thousands of pieces on the Earth below.
“Hang on,” C.C. told her companions as the shield around Shinkirou crystallized into a hard red shell around them. The three KnightMare Frames fell together within the ruby-red crystal sphere that surrounded them.
“What do we do now?” Akira asked as he tried to use his Seidotou brake blade to cut through the shell. The mighty sword of Zangetsu bounced off the surface harmlessly.
“I don’t know, but Guren’s radiant-heat wave is no use,” Li Jiang said as he tried to burn through the red wall.
“Watch out!” C.C. said as she fired the Zero Beam while simultaneously flipping Shinkirou in a full 360-degree summersault. The two halves of the shell fell away from each other freeing the three KnightMares only a few yards from the ground below them.
“They’re getting away!” Li Jiang exclaimed as he began to give chase to the remnants of the Harpy legion that were speeding away with two of them carrying the Gorgon in their arms.
“Let them go, Li Jiang Fong; this battle is over,” Villetta said as the Jaguars and eight of the Type-21O Outbackers eased down to their position over the Port Moresby UFN base.
* * *
“What do you mean you have to return to the Kraken for repairs?” Sthenno asked Euryale over the communicator of the Gorgon.
Euryale hung her head. “I’m sorry, Sthenno…I took it upon myself to act on my own and attack the rogue fleet at Port Moresby with Schneizel’s forces.”
“You dared to disobey my orders!” Sthenno hissed.
“Wait,” Euryale pleaded. “Hear me out before you let your anger cloud your mind. I acquired valuable information during the battle.”
“Did you conquer Papua New Guinea?” Sthenno glared at her.
“We were not able to…” Euryale stared to say.
“YOU FAILED?!” Sthenno’s expression twisted as a fury rose within her.
“They would have failed anyway, Sthenno. Your prince’s charm was DISPELLED!” Medusa yelled in defense of Euryale.
“Dispelled?” Sthenno asked rhetorically as her ire waned. “How?”
“We don’t know exactly.” Medusa treaded carefully. “But we do know that it was one of the warriors that Jason allowed to escape that possesses this power.”
“Jason.” Sthenno spit out his name with hatred. “Once again his foolish sense of honor has robbed us of victory.” Her expression changed back to its calm form. “You did well, my sisters, even if you did disobey me. This new information makes up for your insubordination.”
“What are your orders now, Sthenno,” Euryale asked.
“Proceed to Japan.” Sthenno’s eyes showed that she was taking in the implications of the events at Port Moresby very seriously. “Conduct a raid on the city of Kyoto when Jason’s forces attack, and capture the Empress Nunnally unharmed.”
“The Empress Nunnally?” Medusa was perplexed. “May I ask why?”
Euryale spoke before Sthenno could respond to Medusa. “You do not trust Schneizel anymore, that’s it, isn’t it?”
Sthenno gave her a cold look in reply.
* * *
The light of the setting sun over Kyoto drenched Suzaku in hues of gold as he sat at the desk in his room reading Sun Tzu’s The Art of War. A knock on his door interrupted him.
“Who is it?” he asked.
“It’s me,” Nunnally said from the other side.
“Oh, please come in,” he said closing the book.
The door opened up to reveal Nunnally vi Britannia standing on her cybernetic-enhanced legs. She walked in slowly with measured steps. “I need to talk to you, Suzaku.”
“What about?” he asked her with a curious look.
She walked over to where he sat and bent down close to him. “We need to leave Japan.” Nunnally looked into his eyes. “And I’ve found a way, but it involves stealing the Lancelot of the Lake.”
Suzaku shook his head. “No, Nunnally, we can’t do that. You know as well as I do what Kyoshiro Tohdoh would do if we stole a KnightMare armed with a pair of FLEIJA warheads.”
"Do you trust the General with those weapons?" She looked at Suzaku sternly.
"No." He averted his eyes from hers. "Given the right set of circumstances he would use them against Britannia."
"Then we have to go, Suzaku," she pleaded with him.
"How?" he asked her with a somber look. "Why do you think there are no guards outside my door? It's because I can go anywhere in Japan and still not be able to leave. There's no way the Lancelot of the Lake can fly all the way back to North America, so we have to face the fact that we're stuck here."
"There's another way," Nunnally said.
"What other way?" Suzaku inquired with a befuddled look.
"The thought elevator." Nunnally gave him a mischievous grin. "Lelouch wrote in his diary that our father, Charles, used it to travel around the world like a sort of interdimensional public transit system. It's how Charles escaped C's World when Lelouch tried to trap him there in the lair of the Geass Cult."
Suzaku frowned at the idea of going back to where he had first unmasked Zero. "But that's on Kaminejima, Nunnally...that place has a lot of…" He looked out at the setting sun. "...bad memories."
"But it's our best chance of escaping back to Britannia." Nunnally was adamant.
"It's also where Lelouch's mausoleum is located." His eyes grew sad. "The whole inside of that cave was remodeled to cover the ancient ruins there and conceal where Lelouch is really buried."
"I've not been there in a long time, Suzaku," Nunnally said with a teary expression. "But the thought elevator is still there, behind Lelouch's sealed, glass, coffin. We can still access the gate."
Suzaku turned to face her. "But we don't even know how to activate it, Nunnally. C2 could be anywhere in the world right now, and everyone else who knows anything about the thought elevator is dead."
"That's where I come in." An old man walked into the room.
Suzaku was surprised by the intrusion. "You're the gentlemen from the UFN council meeting...you were a part of the Russian delegation, right?"
The man held out his hand in a handshake gesture. "Allow me to introduce myself...I am Enoch."
