CODE GEASS: Alpha and Omega (edited version)

[Kodai Okuda]

This is the final story in the trilogy of my Code Geass fanfiction.



The Code Geass fan fiction trilogy:
PART 1: Dirge of Daedalus
PART 2: Chronicles of Tartarus
PART 3: Alpha and Omega

[Kodai Okuda]

Code Geass: Alpha & Omega
Stage One
Alpha

"All things have a beginning, and this strange journey started with a bang. Six years of building an alliance with the Greeks had been no easy task. Their leadership made no excuses for their wanting near total control of our space forces during the initial negotiations. I must say that I was amazed by my sister’s ability to debate and work these gods of Geass into treating us as equals. Her innate Esper powers worked to our advantage throughout the meetings with Athena and Aphrodite. Nevertheless, even with their vastly superior technology and sizeable space fleet, we were hard-pressed against an adversary that was all too familiar.” —Excerpt from the personal journal of Lelouch vi Britannia, dated October 19th, 2034 a.t.b.

February 22nd, 2035 a.t.b.

“I don’t care what Zeus thinks!” Athena barked at Aphrodite within the comfortable lounge of the command tower of Tartarus.

“He wants us to withdraw from here at once, Athena,” Aphrodite said in a cool tone as the blue-white jewel of Earth filled the view through the grand window of the chamber.

“That’s pure madness,” Athena retorted from where she stood by the window. “We can’t just let the Babylonians have Nibiru.”

“I know that, my friend,” Aphrodite picked up a cup of tea from a small end table and sipped it, “but we’ve already lingered here for too long. The other powers are getting suspicious of our intentions here.”

Athena was mortified. “Don’t they understand that if Marduk and his minions obtain Nibiru, he’ll gain the power to crush them all?”

Aphrodite put down the cup and sighed. “The Babylonians are claiming that we instigated their invasion of this system. Hera suspects that when the Galactic Council meets next month, Marduk will push for sanctions against us.”

“And what of the Commonwealth of Earth?” Athena inquired with a scowl. “Will the council deem them worthy of recognition, or will they do something drastic?”

Aphrodite turned away from Athena. “I fear the council will deem these people a threat to galactic security and conduct a purge.”

“A purge!” Athena was horrified. “That’s genocide.”

“I know,” Aphrodite replied with a sad look as she watched the slowly turning sphere of Earth, “but these mortals have the power of the gods, and they have knowledge of Nibiru. The council will not let them harness that power lest they become a threat.”

Athena clenched her fists. “Do you think that these people will just lie down and die?!”

“You and I both know the answer to that, Athena,” Aphrodite said in a soft tone. “Nevertheless, their fleet is too small and their Automatos too primitive to be able to repel what will undoubtedly be a full-scale invasion by the Babylonians with the consent of the council.”

Athena smiled wickedly, “And what if Enoch chooses to interfere? What then?”

Aphrodite contemplated her words for a moment before responding. “If the Enforcer chooses to protect this world and its people in a direct manner, then I would imagine that the council will authorize Marduk to seize Nibiru and use it to try and destroy Enoch.”

“Hah!” Athena cackled. “You know his curse as well as I do, Aphrodite, so how do you destroy something that’s indestructible?”

“I don’t know, Athena,” she stood up from her comfy chair, “but I do know this: the path before us leads to the beginning of something dark and foreboding. Whether we survive this will depend on what we do here and now.”

Athena caught the meaning behind her words. “Then I guess it was wise of you to allow us to refit the Earth fleet with fold drives.”

Aphrodite eyed her mischievously. “I thought it best considering rumor has it that Zeus has a new lover. Taking his long-held affinity for Ishtar into account, a woman he’s never had, I decided to proceed under the assumption his decision making is being conducted in his private bedchambers rather than the halls of the senate.”

Athena rolled her eyes in frustration. “Men. They’re so easily led along by their loins.”

“Indeed,” Aphrodite tittered. “However, they do have their uses. Speaking of which, where is your champion as of late?”

“You mean Jason?” Athena smiled. “He’s at Saturn repelling the latest Babylonian force. He took along a fleet of Earth ships with him.”

“Oh?” The news surprised Aphrodite.

“Apparently, he feels they need actual battlefield practice,” Athena replied with a smirk.

“That was noble of him,” Aphrodite remarked as she watched the shiny, metallic dots in orbit around Earth. “I just hope he can train them fast enough.”

“Fast enough?” Athena walked over by her side. “For what?”

Aphrodite smiled, “I’ll not be led into action on the bedroom whims of Zeus’ Babylonian whore.”

“Then you’re disobeying orders?” Athena gave her a wide smile.

“Don’t look so victorious,” Aphrodite cautioned her. “I’m not doing this haphazardly. I have a plan.”

“Which is?” Athena queried her.

“Lend me an ear and I’ll tell you,” she answered with a sly grin.

* * *

“Akira, keep your wits about you!” Heracles barked over the comm. as he fired the Chaos beam of Helios into a Sargon-IV. The exploding Babylonian Automatos caused a small, bowl-shaped depression in the rings of Saturn that was gone in moments.

Just beyond the ringed world were two lines of space warships. Brilliant discs of explosions littered the space between them as the two fleets clashed with one another.

“There are so many of them,” Akira responded as he used the blade of Susano-O to slice through another of the enemy machines.

“Yes, which makes this combat all the more fun,” Heracles chuckled as he let loose the adamantine shield of his machine. The discus tore through three Sargon-IVs before returning to the forearm of Helios.

“Too bad you don’t have an area-effect weapon, Akira,” Mika taunted him over the radio as she and Lena piloted the Kali. The metallic ring on the back of their KMF glowed with a pinkish-red radiance that erupted into a ball of energy that engulfed several of the Sargon-IVs, disintegrating the Babylonian machines as it did so.

“Yeah, yeah,” Akira scoffed, “but I prefer to get up close and personal.”

“Oh,” Jason laughed as his Talos cut down two enemy mecha. “You don’t seem to be having much luck with that, my friend.”

“That’s because he chose his old machine over the Cosmo-KnightMares,” Gregor scolded Akira as his Type-21Z fired a hail of Kaon blasts into six Sargon-IVs. The beams cut down the enemy mecha in short order. A second Type-21Z flew up from behind Gregor’s and unfolded the Kaon blade of its gunpod.

The Cosmo-KMF zipped down towards the bridge of one of the escort ships that guarded the massive Tiamat class Babylonian battleship at the core of the armada. The machine dodged, swirled, and spun past the volleys of Hades Cannon bolts that spewed out from the cannons of the cylindrical Babylonian warship before the Type-21Z plunged its blade deep down into the top of the bridge tower.

“Now that’s how it’s done,” Heracles laughed heartily over the radio.

“Damn, Tetsuo, that was badass,” Gregor said to his wingman.

“Uh…that wasn’t me, Gregor,” Tetsuo replied as his Type-21Z flew up to the left of Gregor’s machine.

“Well, who was it then?” Gregor asked as the KMF chopped through the hull of the vessel.

“Anya,” he replied sheepishly.

“Oh, yeah!” Mika yelled over the comm. “Go girl! Show these boys how it’s done!”

The Cosmo-KMF unloaded a barrage of Kaon blasts through the hole it had made in the hull, causing the Babylonian escort to erupt in a ball of fire.

“That’s one enemy ship down,” Anya declared over the radio as she dodged a salvo of Hades blasts from an adjacent escort ship.

“Yamato no Orochi,” Orpheus called over the general frequency.

“Yes, Orpheus?” Jason inquired as the new captain of the former Black Knight Special Forces squadron.

“We’re in position,” the Greek officer said with the emotionless discipline of a seasoned warrior.

“Excellent,” Jason smiled. “Alright, people, let’s withdraw and allow the Argos to finish off these dogs.”

“Roger that, Captain,” Akira said as he unleashed a hail of Hadron Cannon blasts into two pursuing Sargon-IVs.

The troop of seven mecha flew through the shower of energy bolts and detonations towards the flotilla of Greek and Commonwealth warships as the Argos moved out to the head of the formation.

From the sides of the mighty Grecian battlecruiser came forth eight torpedoes which flew at mind-numbing speed towards the Babylonian fleet. The eight blue-white stars zipped along to predetermined detonation points within the enemy armada. In the next moment, the eight missiles shone a brilliant pink-white as their FLEIJA warheads annihilated the spacecraft of the Babylonian forces.

“Whew wee,” Tetsuo shouted, “that never gets old.”

“It’s a pity we have to rely on FLEIJA so much,” Anya said solemnly.

“I agree,” Heracles stated flatly. “It’s only a matter of time before the Babylonians develop a countermeasure to your people’s weapon.”

“All right, that’s enough gloom,” Jason warned. “We should be happy that we are victorious,” he said as he lined the Talos up to land on the Argos.

“Jason’s right,” Akira added as he followed in behind Talos. “We won, and we’ve pushed back the Babylonian main force. We should be happy about it.”

Mika snickered, “Uh, Akira, we’ve been pushing back the main force for two years, you knucklehead. How many Tiamat battleships have we destroyed over that time? Fifteen? Twenty? I can’t even keep track anymore.”

“Your point?” Akira inquired sarcastically as the team landed on the interior hangar of the Argos.

“We can’t keep doing this forever, Akira,” Lena barked in defense of Mika as they moved the Kali into its gantry on the side of the hangar. “This is not how any of us envisioned our lives being.”

Akira’s tone became hard as he brought Susano-O to a stop within the scaffolding of its bay. “We don’t determine the destination of our lives, Lena, only the course we take.”

“Oh, spare us the philosophy, Sun Tzu,” Mika guffawed as she helped Lena shut down the main systems of the Kali. “We all know why you can’t stop fighting, Akira. You want revenge.”

“What’s wrong with that, Lady Mika?” Heracles asked as technicians flooded into the hangar and began the post-flight procedures. “A warrior has a right to revenge when someone has wronged them in the way all of you were wronged.”

Mika opened the hatch of Kali and barked over to where Heracles was getting out of Helios, “But that doesn’t mean he has to dedicate the rest of his life to it. We all want revenge on Hel, yah know.”

“Hel is no ordinary opponent…” Akira shouted harshly as the pain of Gino’s death and what Hel had done to them renewed his conviction to kill her. “Her power must be stopped,” he said to Mika as he walked out onto the boarding ramp of his mecha.

“He’s got a point, love,” Gregor called out to Mika.

“Not true,” Anya said as she climbed down onto the deck from her machine. “As far as we know, the Irregulars defeated Hel, or at the very least, destroyed her stolen warship when they hunted her and her minions down. She is effectively powerless and imprisoned on Nibiru.”

“What about the Thought Elevators?” Tetsuo asked innocently. “She might be able to get out through those.”

“Are you still on about that?” Anya asked him in an irritated tone. “Lelouch and the others sealed all of those gateways. There’s no way for Hel to use them to transport herself to Earth. No, she’s trapped on Nibiru.”

“Unless other gateways exist…” Akira started to say before…

“AHEM!” Jason shouted with his hands on his hips amidst the curious looks of the hangar deck personnel. “Perhaps we should continue this conversation over some ale in the lounge?” Jason continued with a forced laugh and a glare at Heracles for encouraging the debate. “We wouldn’t want to burden the flight crew with our troubles.”

Heracles put his hand on the back of his head. “Yes, Captain.”

The Yamato no Orochi disembarked from their mecha and made their way to the private officers’ lounge on the top deck of the Argos.

* * *

“Do you really have to go?” Euphemia asked over the private monitor of her sister Cornelia’s quarters.

“I’m afraid so,” Cornelia said sadly to her younger sibling.

“It’s just…the thought of you, Lelouch, and the others being so far away…” Euphie wrung her hands. “I wish I could come with you.”

“I’m afraid I couldn’t allow that, Mrs. Kururugi,” Cornelia teased her. “My nephew needs his mom and dad right where they are.”

“I know,” Euphie said with a smile. “Young Clovis asks about you and his uncle Lelouch all the time. It makes me wonder sometimes. He is so much like Clovis.”

“How old is he now?” Cornelia was embarrassed to ask.

“Four years,” Euphie glared at her older sister with a smirk. “You’d know that if you weren’t off fighting all the time.”

“We’re at war, Euphie,” Cornelia said in a soft tone, “and I have only one more tour on the Kaminejima before she’s passed on to a new captain.”

“They’ve promoted you?” Euphie asked with excitement.

“Yes, they have,” Cornelia replied with a warm smile. “I’m going to be transferring to the Renya in a few days as commodore.”

“The Renya?” Euphie inquired. “What kind of name is that for a warship?”

“I dunno,” Cornelia shook her head slightly. “Professor Asplund says that C2 christened the ship with the name for good luck.”

“C2, huh?” Euphie giggled. “So how’s our brother handling his harem?”

Cornelia let out a deep sigh. “He’s an idiot when it comes to love, and especially the ways of women.”

“C’mon, Cornelia, tell me all the juice,” Euphie pressed her with keen interest.

“Kallen has had it with him and is moving into her own quarters on the Renya after this mission. For now she’s still bunking with C2 and Shirley.” Cornelia flipped a few stray curls out of her face as she sat back in her chair. “That’s due to C2 and Shirley kicking Lelouch out of their cabin entirely. This has left our poor brother bunking with Enoch and Rai.”

Euphie tried not to laugh. “Oh, my. So, Lulu is in the dog house right now?”

“More or less,” Cornelia snickered. “Shirley and C2 are still seeing him now and then, but Kallen hasn’t had anything to do with him outside of her duties in nearly eight months.”

“Whoa, what’d he do?” Euphie was surprised at the news.

“I don’t think it’s Lelouch as much as it is Kallen.” Cornelia twirled a lock of her hair as she continued, “She’s starting to feel the motherly urge.”

“And Lelouch can’t perform?” Euphie inquired sheepishly.

“C2 says it’s the price of having a Code.” Cornelia frowned, “He has lost the capacity to reproduce.”

“I guess that means the line of Britannia ends with him,” Euphie said with a sad expression.

“It’s probably for the best,” Cornelia said with a forced smile. “Ours isn’t a line suited to the independent individualism of the new world.”

Euphemia didn’t like the direction the conversation was taking and chose to change the subject. “So, why did Kallen get the urge all of a sudden?”

“Oh.” Happy to oblige her sister’s change in direction, Cornelia explained the situation as she saw it. “Colonel Kozuki took three months of leave last year to help Villetta with Ohgi and their children. As you may have heard, Ohgi has some brain damage due to the attempt on his life. The doctors did the best they could, but he is still somewhat slow and has spotted memory loss.”

“Ah, so Kallen spent a lot of time with their five children.”

“Yes,” Cornelia pulled at her lock of hair, “and considering Kallen is nearly thirty-two years old, she’s probably wishing she had a family.”

“Poor thing,” Euphie said with a frown. “I feel for her.”

“I know what you mean,” Cornelia replied in a distant tone.

“Did you want a family?” Euphemia questioned her with a curious smile.

“I thought about it years ago,” Cornelia admitted, “but I highly doubt I would have made a good mother. It’s not who I am.”

“I understand,” Euphie told her in a comforting tone. “Still, I would have liked some nieces and nephews.”

“Hah,” Cornelia laughed, “I’m sure you would have. You may still get them if I read Nunnally’s attraction to Jason right.”

“Isn’t he a bit old for her?” Euphemia asked with a snobbish smirk. “I saw them dancing together at last year’s Christmas gala. He looks young on the outside, but the man is, what…ten thousand years old?”

Both women laughed heartily.

“That’s better than Enoch,” Cornelia giggled.

“Still got the hots for him, huh?” Euphie teased her.

“No, not really, he’s far too old for me.” Cornelia paused for a moment. “Besides, the thought of being with an immortal is somewhat repulsive to me now. I want someone I can grow old with. Guilford is a wonderful man and a great husband.”

“That’s right, you’re on your fifth anniversary this year, aren’t you?”

“Yes,” Cornelia replied with a look of recognition, “five years already.”

“Goes by fast,” Euphie tittered.

“Indeed it does,” Cornelia said. “So how’s my brother-in-law?”

“Suzaku is doing fine. He’s now a general in the planetary guard of Earth and is currently assigned to the 8th Guard Unit out of Okinawa. We’re happy here since I get to see him every day, although recent events have got me working quite a bit.”

“Still working as a combat instructor?” Cornelia asked.

“For now.” Euphie stuck her tongue out at her sister. “You military types aren’t getting me full-time. I’ve got a child to think about.”

Cornelia chortled, “I know. I was just thinking of how accomplished a KnightMare pilot you’ve become and how proud of you I am.”

“Thank you, Cornelia,” Euphie said. “It means a great deal to me to hear you say that.”

A buzzer sounded over the speaker in Cornelia’s room then Guilford’s voice came over the speaker. “Captain Britannia, you are needed on the bridge immediately.”

“Duty calls,” Cornelia said to her sister.

“I’ll talk to you later?” Euphie asked.

“As soon as I get my new command,” Cornelia reassured her.

The sisters said their goodbyes then reluctantly broke communication.

* * *

“Look, Lelouch, this is what happens when you’re an immortal. It’s part of the curse of living forever,” Enoch told him nonchalantly as he lay upon his bunk reading a book.

“I suppose it is a curse to some,” Lelouch lamented whilst sitting at his small reading desk in their cabin.

“To some?” Enoch sat up and closed his book. “My friend, allow me to share what these past 500,000 years of life have taught me.”

Lelouch grimaced, “I doubt we have the time for that, old man.”

“Oh, so now you’re a comedian.” Enoch spun on his hind to sit on the edge of the bed. “In a nutshell, I’ve learned that it never gets easier.”

“What do mean?” Lelouch inquired with genuine interest.

“I mean that even though the world around you changes constantly, you remain the same.” Enoch sighed, “It’s hell to watch all of your friends, loved ones, even the countries you serve from time to time wither and die right before your eyes. Yet you go on.”

“You make it sound like punishment,” Lelouch replied, a bit unnerved by Enoch’s dark look.

“It is,” the amber-eyed man said sadly.

“I guess that’s what drove Kallen away,” Lelouch said in a pitiful tone.

“Better to let her live while she still can,” Enoch smiled at him. “If you really love her, you’ll let her go.”

“Is that why you cater to C2?” Lelouch asked.

“Yeah…I know what the Green Goddess of Gorgeous has gone through,” Enoch told him softly. “I’ve been through it more times than I care to recount. I think she needs you as much as you need her, Lelouch.”

“What about Shirley?” Lelouch wasn’t sure where Enoch was leading the conversation.

“Let her go,” Enoch stated flatly. “She will only get hurt by you in the long run.”

“Now you sound like C2,” Lelouch tittered.

“I suppose I do,” Enoch said in a distant tone, “but where our paths are headed…it will too dangerous for her.”

“What’s with you lately,” Lelouch grumbled. “Ever since the incident with Hel you’ve been so serious and moody.”

“Hel’s power isn’t Geass,” Enoch said in a stern tone. “Her abilities reek of Klipot energy. She’s an enhanced being who’s no longer human, and vastly more dangerous.”

“But we’ve defeated her thrice now,” Lelouch smirked devilishly. “No matter what powers she may have gained from Nibiru, she’s still Nina Einstein in mind. I can outwit her, of that you can be sure.”

“I’ve no doubt of your ability to outmaneuver Nina, Lelouch,” Enoch reassured him, “but Nibiru didn’t just rebuild Nina, and I know Nina didn’t have the skill or knowledge to acquire Klipot-enhanced powers on her own.”

“You think it was the thing Nunnally told us about?” Lelouch already knew the answer to the question, but he felt it polite to ask.

“Yes,” Enoch stated flatly. “That thing in the bowels of Nibiru may be a being I’ve crossed swords with before.”

Lelouch was shocked. “You know this thing?”

Enoch eyed him cautiously. “There’s a distinct possibility. Based on what Nunnally told us, I’d say that this Nemo character is my old nemesis. A being so evil he’d make the devil blush with embarrassment.”

“Sounds like an interesting fellow,” Lelouch said, intrigued. “Care to share the details?”

Enoch smiled wickedly, “Sure, provided you give me your word that this stays between us for now.”

Lelouch nodded, “You have my word of honor, Sensei.”

* * *

Rai stood alone in the main observation lounge of the Kaminejima as the ship cruised along around the slowly greening world of Mars far below.

He looked down at the myriad of dome cities that dotted the planet and breathed in deeply. “Oh, Kallen. If I could only tell you how I feel.”

Rai put his head upon the cool glass of the large window as he activated his Geass. (Music emanated from his body as the air around it vibrated to the necessary tones.)

Saying I love you
Is not the words I want to hear from you
It's not that I want you
Not to say it, but if you only knew
How easy it would be to show me how you feel
More than words is all you have to do to make it real
Then you wouldn't have to say that you love me
'Cause I'd already know

What would you do if my heart was torn in two
More than words to show you feel
That your love for me is real
What would you say if I took those words away
Then you couldn't make things new
Just by saying I love you

More than words

Now I've tried to talk to you and make you understand
All you have to do is close your eyes
And just reach out your hands and touch me
Hold me close don't ever let me go
More than words is all I ever needed you to show
Then you wouldn't have to say that you love me
'Cause I'd already know

What would you do if my heart was torn in two
More than words to show you feel
That your love for me is real
What would you say if I took those words away
Then you couldn't make things new
Just by saying I love you
More than words
More than words
More than words
More than words, ooh
More than words

“Wow, that was beautiful, Rai,” a woman said from behind him.

Rai spun on his heel and jumped a little. “KALLEN…um, Colonel Kozuki.”

“What’s with you?” Kallen put her hand on her hip.

“You just startled me,” Rai recovered. “I didn’t realize anybody was in here.”

“Oh…uh, I just came in for a drink,” Kallen stammered. “So who is she?”

“Who’s who?” Rai asked in a befuddled tone.

“The woman who has your heart,” Kallen said with a sly smile.

Rai turned beet red. “Uh…well, she’s…she’s a friend, but I don’t know how to tell her.”

“That song sounded like a pretty good start to me,” Kallen said with a soft smile. “Maybe you should sing it to her some time.”

“I can’t,” Rai said in a dejected tone.

“Why?” Kallen asked with a curious expression.

“Because she belongs to someone else.” Rai hung his head. “It would be wrong of me to do that to either of them.”

“Oh,” Kallen replied as she walked up to him. She lifted his chin and looked deep into his eyes as she caressed his face softly. “You’re a good friend, Rai. We’ve been through a lot together over these past six years.”

“Yes…we have.” Rai shook slightly under her caress as she leaned in towards him.

“I’ve grown up a great deal during that time, and my tastes have matured.” Kallen closed her eyes as her lips moved towards his.

“I should be getting back,” Rai said as he slipped out from her grasp. “Bye, Colonel, I’ll see you later.”

Kallen didn’t pursue him; she just stood and watched him go. “Bye, Rai,” she said softly. “Maybe you’ll gain the courage next time.” She had lied to him about not being in the room. Kallen heard all that he had said, and her heart hurt because of it.

Next Chapter: Beta Centauri

SONG:
The song “More Than Words” was written by Gary Cherone and Nuno Bettencourt of the band Extreme. Great band BTW, hope some of you check out their music.

[Kodai Okuda]

Code Geass: Alpha & Omega
Stage Two
Beta Centauri

“Foldspace—it’s a place where anything can happen due to the thin veil of ‘normal’ physics which resides there. One false move and ‘POOF’ the laws of our universe break down into chaos. Nevertheless, the Earth needs ships that can travel at faster-than-light speeds if we are going to survive the calamity that is sure to come at the hands of Marduk and his Babylonian hordes.” —Excerpt from an interview with Lloyd Asplund, from the July 2030 a.t.b. issue of KnightMare Mechanics Magazine.

February 25th, 2035 a.t.b.

“All hands, prepare for fold operations!” Cornelia barked over the main intercom of the Kaminejima. “We depart for planet Hadar in T minus five minutes.”

The ship hung high above the ochre-colored atmosphere of the planetoid Ceres just above the asteroid belt that laid between the planetary orbits of Mars and Jupiter.

The space frigate had undergone extensive upgrade over the past year and now sported a large, semi-circular, “half” ring on its ventral side, which connected to the old atmospheric stabilizer wings of the spacecraft. Large, rectangular pods merged the fold-ring with the stabilizer wings and acted as the gravity bubble-generating warp nacelles of the vessel.

Cornelia stood within the bridge of the newly upgraded warship. She was dressed in her white and gold captain uniform with her military cap cocked on the top of her curly mass of mauve hair as a flurry of activity coursed through the bowels of her vessel. “Commander Guilford, give me the countdown.”

Guilford nodded, “Three minutes and counting.”

Captain Britannia turned to her communications officer. “Tell Chief Engineer Asplund that I want the ship speed set to Fold-Factor 7.”

The male officer nodded in response then relayed the message.

A moment later, Lloyd’s smiling face appeared on the main bridge viewscreen. “Hello there, Captain.”

“What is it, Lloyd?” Cornelia asked with an edge of concern in her voice. This was the first test of a hyperspace fold system on the Kaminejima, and although no mishaps had taken place on any Earth vessel of its class, Cornelia didn’t wish her ship to be the first.

“One minute thirty seconds,” Guilford informed them.

“I was just wondering why you don’t want to open this puppy up?” Lloyd inquired with a boyish grin. “Fold-Factor 7 is only seven light years per Earth hour. This ship is capable of a Fold-Factor of 10, why not go for broke and work the cobwebs out?”

Cornelia hoped he was joking. “The Kaminejima has just been refit with the new FTL fold-ring; I’ll not risk this ship and her crew by pushing the system to its limits on its first test.

“Ten seconds to spacefold,” Guilford informed them.

“Have it your way.” Lloyd waved his hand towards someone off the screen behind him. Lloyd sighed, “Just seven, Cecile.”

“I told you,” Cecile Croomy scolded him from outside the view of the monitor.

Guilford sat down in his chair at the left of the captain’s station. “Seven, six, five…”

“Are you finished?” Cornelia snapped at Lloyd.

Guilford continued, “Four, three…”

Lloyd adjusted his glasses. “Oh…yes, Captain.”

“Good,” Cornelia said with a scowl as the stars outside the windows of the bridge began to draw into long lines of light as the ship accelerated to mind-boggling speed.

“One…FOLD!” Guilford announced as the “ring” of the Kaminejima glowed a bright blue, and the vessel broke through the space-time continuum into hyperspace.

* * *

“Uh…I don’t feel so good,” Shirley said as everything blurred around her in the officers’ lounge then snapped back to normal. The rapidly swirling colors of hyperspace outside the four elongated windows of the lounge were making her dizzy.

“You okay?” Kallen asked her from where she sat reading the latest news from her laptop computer screen.

“I think I will be,” Shirley said bleary eyed, “but being in hyperspace for over a day gives me a nauseating feeling.”

“It often does that to people,” Enoch told her as he brought over a few glasses of water for her, Kallen, and Rai.

“When have you done this before…” Rai started to ask but then put up his hand. “You know what, don’t even answer. I’m sorry I asked.”

Enoch laughed, “Suit yourself, Rai.” Enoch looked over at Lelouch sitting next to C.C. at the bar with an untouched glass of orange juice in front of him. He seemed unfazed by the ship entering foldspace.

Even C.C. had to put down the slice of pizza she was nibbling on.

“Well, Big-Z, you don’t look any worse for wear from our trip through hyperspace,” Apsu said with a smile.

“Huh?” Lelouch asked as he left whatever thoughts were occupying his mind at the moment. “Oh, have we arrived yet?”

Kallen rolled her eyes. “No, we haven’t, Lelouch. Where’s your head at?”

He answered her in a smug tone, “Actually, I was considering the implications of our fleet gaining FTL technology from our Olympian allies. Using the information I garnered from the space war tactics books Enoch lent me, I’ve formulated a plan of defense that my sister Nunnally will need to follow if we’re to survive this war.”

Kallen grimaced, “That’s all you think about, isn’t it? How to win the next battle, war, or rebellion. It’d be nice if you’d stop acting like Zero and start living like Lelouch.”

“Hey, Kallen, that’s not fair,” Enoch frowned. “Lelouch’s ability to strategize is far beyond my abilities, and I’ve lived well beyond the lifespan of all of you combined. He’s got a God-given gift for tactics that few are blessed with.”

Rai stood up and faced Enoch. “That’s not her point, Enoch. What Kallen is saying is that Lelouch doesn’t think about anything else.”

Apsu got Rai’s point immediately as he looked from Rai to Kallen. “Oh…so that’s how it is.” Enoch grinned at Kallen, “I’m sorry. I should’ve taken your feelings into account.”

Shirley’s eyes grew wide as she instantly caught on to what Enoch was insinuating. “No way! Kallen and…”

“Shirley,” C.C. cautioned her.

C.C. turned to Lelouch. “You okay with this?”

Lelouch gave Enoch a slight nod as he replied to C.C., “How can I not be? I don’t own her.”

Kallen stood up and chugged her glass of water. “Well, I’m glad that’s settled.” She strode up to the bar next to Lelouch and put her glass down on the counter.

“I’m sorry,” Lelouch said to her softly.

“Don’t be,” Kallen replied in a cold tone. “It was nice while it lasted.”

“Kallen…I never meant,” Lelouch began just as a shudder passed through the hull of the ship.

“What’s that?” Shirley pointed out the window towards a whirlpool of color on the side of the hyperspace corridor their ship was traveling in.

Lelouch and Enoch spoke simultaneously, “A singularity.”

“You mean a black hole?” Rai exclaimed in a panic.

“It’s too stable to be a black hole that small,” C.C. said as she finished off her last slice of pizza. “It looks more like a manmade wormhole.”

Her observation surprised the others.

“What?” C.C. asked. “I’ve always liked astronomy, so I’ve been studying astrophysics.”

“Any ideas what this could be?” Enoch asked her.

“Probably another ship in hyperspace that’s too close, or it could be some kind of—“

“Trap,” Lelouch cut C.C. off as he headed for the exit.

“Where are you going?” Shirley demanded of Lelouch.

“To the bridge,” he said as he ran out the door. “I’ve got to warn Cornelia.”

Kallen put her hands on her hips. “He could have just used the ship’s comm.”

* * *

“I have them, milady,” a redheaded, male officer said from where he sat at a large computer console. His dark-green Babylonian uniform was more space suit than military dress.

“Excellent,” an inhumanly beautiful, platinum-blonde woman said from where she stood upon a large, round dais at the center of an enormous command deck. The spacious, tri-level chamber had three huge viewports, one at its front and one flanking each side of the room. A large, overhead monitor came to life above her, illuminating her sinfully tight, silver uniform.

Upon the screen a 3D digital representation of the Kaminejima could be seen traveling towards a green sphere.

“They are beyond the point of no return now, Lady Ishtar,” the male officer informed her.

“Thank you, Adad,” Ishtar stated in a cool tone as her ice-blue eyes scanned over the telemetry. The data came in waves on a holographic display to the left of the goddess.

“Shall I inform Gilgamesh to prepare for battle?” Adad asked her in a respectful tone.

The woman raised her left eyebrow. “Indeed. I do not wish our prey to fall victim to some overzealous fool within the ranks of the common soldiery. Tell him I want the crew alive.”

“Of course, milady,” Adad bowed.

* * *

“We can’t seem to break free,” Gilbert told Cornelia, holding down the fear that threatened to surface in his voice.

“Pull away at maximum speed—” Cornelia started to say.

“NO! Raise the shields and power up all weapons,” Lelouch barked as he burst onto the bridge.

“You’d better have a good reason for this insubordination, Lelouch!” Cornelia was not pleased with him.

Lelouch caught himself and showed the proper decorum. “I’m sorry, Captain, but the situation is dire. This is a trap.”

Cornelia didn’t bother to ask how he knew, she was aware that Lelouch did not react in such a way without cause. “Very well. Guilford, turn us towards the disturbance and order a red alert, all hands to battlestations!”

“Thank you, Cornelia,” Lelouch said, catching his breath.

She smiled at him, “You’d better be right, or I’ll have you on latrine duty for a month. Now get down to your squadron, Colonel.”

Lelouch snapped to attention and saluted her with a wink, “Yes, Captain.”

“And, Lelouch,” Cornelia gave him a sly smile, “thanks for taking the initiative.”

* * *

“The enemy vessel is coming out of hyperspace now, milady,” Adad informed her.

“Have Gilgamesh launch at once,” Ishtar commanded.

“Yes, milady,” Adad smiled wickedly then turned to the comm. officer and nodded. “Get me Gilgamesh.”

Within the cavernous hangar bay of the mighty Tiamat class warship, eight Babylonian Sargon-V custom mecha moved into position for launch.

Each of the machines was armed with a combat shield and lance-like, handheld gunpod. Blue flames of ion engine thrust spewed from five engine nozzles mounted on the backs of the custom Sargon-Vs as the mecha sped down the length of the flight deck towards an open door on the far side of the deck.

“Her ladyship wants them alive,” Adad said over the video monitor of the lead Sargon-V.

A dark-haired man smiled at Adad from behind the tinted glass of his space helmet. “I understand, but it’s not going to be easy if what our spies have told us is true about these mortals.”

“Don’t tell me that the great Gilgamesh is worried about this assignment,” Adad said with venom.

“Don’t worry, Adad, I’m not concerned about myself,” Gilgamesh snickered. “I’m just not sure I can bring all of them back alive.”

“Just be sure you acquire the officers,” Adad warned him, “especially the ones called Lelouch and C2. Her ladyship demands that these two be captured for Marduk. The others will be useful bargaining chips with the Gaeaen (Terran) populous in our acquisition of Nibiru.”

“I’ll get you your hostages, Adad,” Gilgamesh spat at him. “Don’t you worry about it.”

Adad raised his chin. “I know you will; as champion of Ishtar, I expect you to be victorious.”

* * *

“How many of them are there?” Cornelia demanded as the Kaminejima broke out of hyperspace.

“Twenty-five hundred warships,” Guilford replied in a mechanical tone as the vast fleet of Babylonian spacecraft filled the viewports of the bridge.

“Composition?” Cornelia asked as her ship veered right to avoid coming into firing range of the closest enemy escort force. The Kaminejima was in the midst of the widely dispersed perimeter of Ishtar’s fleet.

“One Tiamat class battleship, six Nebuchadnezzar class cruisers, and many escort ships,” Guilford read over the litany of alien warships.

“Can we contact the Grecian base on Hadar?” Cornelia inquired.

“No, Captain,” Guilford said. “The enemy is jamming all transmissions.”

Cornelia put her hand on her chin and addressed her Tactical officer, “Darlton, can you get a fix on where we are?”

“Looks like we’re in the outskirts of the Beta Centauri star-system.” Darlton tapped a few holographic buttons on his monitor. “We’re about 50 AU from Hadar, give or take a few million miles.”

“I thought as much,” she grimaced, “which means the Greek base there may be unaware of this fleet. The shipyards on Hadar are our best hope of getting out of this. Set course for Hadar, and put some distance between us and the Babylonians.”

“Captain, we have incoming enemy Automatos,” the man stated in a calm tone.

“Thank you, Darlton,” Cornelia said in a calm tone then asked, “Have any of the enemy ships moved in towards us as of yet?”

“No, Captain,” Darlton replied with a befuddled look, “their warships do not appear to be powering up their weapons. They’re just sitting there.”

“Maybe they didn’t expect to pull us out of hyperspace,” Guilford suggested.

Cornelia frowned, “No, they knew they were dragging us out.”

Cornelia turned towards Dalton as she formulated a plan. “Have the enemy mecha entered into firing range yet?”

“Just barely, Captain,” he replied.

“Good, fire aft batteries at them and accelerate to maximum sublight speed,” she huffed. “We need to get beyond whatever weapon they’re using to disrupt our hyperspace drive.”

* * *

Hadron and Kaon bolts zipped past the Sargon-V machines as the Kaminejima began to accelerate away from them.

“They’re getting away from us, Gilgamesh,” a brutish voice bellowed over the comm.

“I can see that, Enkidu,” Gilgamesh said with a sigh. “It looks like we’ll have to take out their engines first.”

“That’s obvious, my friend,” Enkidu laughed. “Shall we do so now?”

“Yes,” Gilgamesh stated as he aimed the lance of his machine towards the rear engine cone of the Kaminejima and pulled the trigger of his left flight stick.

The engines of the eight Babylonian mecha ejected a brilliant spherical mass of ionized particles as they sped after the Earth warship.

“Hit them now,” Gilgamesh said in a monotone.

Each of the Sargon-Vs leveled their lance-shaped gunpods and unloaded a burst of Hades Cannon bolts towards the main engine of the Kaminejima.

The beams dissipated harmlessly off the energy shields of the vessel.

“They’re tougher then we thought,” Enkidu laughed.

“Seems that way,” Gilgamesh stated dryly as he unloaded another salvo.

“We’ll never catch up to them at this rate,” Enkidu said.

“We don’t have to,” Gilgamesh stated as the twin sigils of Geass appeared in his eyes. “Based on the available data, I can see the weakness in their defenses.”

“Cheater,” Enkidu snickered.

“We don’t have time to play fair,” Gilgamesh retorted as he opened up the general radio frequency of his unit. “All warriors of Uruk squadron, aim your weapons at the tip of the cone. Their graviton engine weakens their energy shield there greatly.”

The Hades blasts of the Babylonian machines converged into one beam of concentrated energy as they struck the very tip of the engine nozzle. The energy shield over the tip of the cone flickered red-orange then shattered as the remnant of the Hades bolts slammed into the engine.

Blue electrical bolts shot over the hull of the Kaminejima as the ship slowed down.

“That’s better,” Gilgamesh said with a smile. “Now let’s capture that ship.”

“Whatever you say, old friend,” Enkidu replied with a tinge of apprehension.

* * *

“What the hell is happening?” Cornelia barked at Lloyd’s image on the main viewscreen as the Kaminejima slowed down to a drift.

“Well,” Lloyd began in a matter-of-fact manner, “it would appear there is a deficiency in Rakshata’s graviton engine design.”

Cecile Croomy snickered in the background, “I thought you designed the configuration of the engine, Lloyd.”

“What? Nonsense—” Lloyd began to protest.

“I don’t care who designed it!” Cornelia shouted. “I need to know if you can fix it.”

“Well, there’s no need to get excited, Captain,” the chief engineer said with a wave of his hand. “All we need to do is recalibrate the main coils.”

“How long will that take?” Cornelia inquired.

“Oh…” Lloyd put his finger on his chin. “I’d say about fifteen to twenty minutes.”

“We don’t have that long,” Cornelia informed him. “The enemy is upon us now.”

“Well, I can’t help that, Cornelia,” Lloyd stated with a thin smile. “The engines need that much time to power back up…can’t be helped.”

“Fine, do what you have to, but get the engines back online,” Cornelia said in frustration as Lloyd signed off.

“What now, Captain?” Guilford inquired.

“Damn it,” Cornelia cursed under her breath as she looked to Guilford. “Order the Crimson Cavaliers to launch. We need to buy Lloyd some time.”

“Aye, Captain,” Guilford nodded.

* * *

“Looks like they stopped firing,” Enkidu stated. “Maybe they mean to surrender.”

“Not likely.” Gilgamesh looked over the ship with his Geass. “They’re preparing to launch their Automatos.”

“You sure…” Enkidu began to ask as a slew of red-orange energy discs nearly cut his machine in two. “Guess you’re right!”

“Naturally,” Gilgamesh said as the six mecha of the Crimson Cavaliers flew out from beneath the Kaminejima. “My CHESSMAN power is rarely wrong, old friend.”

“Shall we take them as a whole or individually?” Enkidu asked.

“We’ll pair up two-by-two in the usual manner for now.” Gilgamesh didn’t like the flight pattern before him. “Whoever is commanding them is definitely a skilled tactician. We need to proceed with caution.”

* * *

“You sure about this, Lelouch?” Kallen asked. “A single-line formation seems dangerous considering they’re coming at us in pairs.”

Lelouch retorted in a cold tone, “Yes, I’m quite sure since it’s the only way out of this.”

“Too late to change course now,” Enoch added as he moved his Type-21Z, in fighter mode, into the position in front of Samael as per Lelouch’s plan. “Here they come.”

Lelouch flew Samael dangerously close behind Enoch’s Type-21Z as the four pairs of enemy mecha split up in order to come at them from different directions.

“They’re changing tactics, Lelouch,” Rai said as he flew his Type-21Z in front of the Guren-Pheonix.

“Don’t worry, Rai,” Enoch said with confidence, “he knows what he’s doing.”

“I sure hope so,” Shirley added, “because I don’t like idea of C2 flying up the tail of my Type-21 in her Hakodeshim.”

“Hey, that’s not fair, Lieutenant Finette. I’m an exceptionally good pilot,” C.C. protested.

“Enough,” Lelouch scolded them as the Babylonian machines closed in.

“They’re not using their long-range weapons,” Enoch told Lelouch.

“Yeah, I noticed.” Lelouch watched their movements closely as he twirled his black king chess piece in his right hand.

The Sargon-Vs began to spin counterclockwise in unison.

“Break formation,” Lelouch commanded, “use dispersal pattern Zeta-7.”

“Roger that,” the others stated without hesitation.

The Type-21Zs transformed and boosted in a downward path away from their non-transformable partners.

“Now, let’s see how you deal with this,” Lelouch spoke to himself as he fired a pair of copper-gold beams from the forearms of the Samael at one of the pairs of Sargon-Vs.

His beams struck one of the Babylonian machines dead center, destroying it instantly and causing the second Sargon-V to break formation.

“Now, execute a Scimitar attack!” Lelouch barked over the radio.

Kallen smiled wickedly, “Now that sounds more like it.” She unloaded a hail of energy discs at one of the pair of Sargon-Vs approaching her and Rai until she drove it where she wanted it. “Too bad for you,” she whispered as Kallen fired the Baryon Cannon of the Guren-Phoenix.

The Baryon beam hit the Babylonian mecha as the doomed pilot of the machine tried to parry with the machine’s shield. The Guren’s blast melted through the large, spade-shaped shield into the torso of the Sargon-V and its power plant. In the next second, the mecha erupted in a white disc of molten metal as its reactor blew.

* * *

“My, my, aren’t they a fierce lot,” Enkidu stated bluntly as he fingered the trigger to his lance-mounted Hades Cannon.

“Indeed they are. It’s a pity our attack on their main engine dispersed so many electromagnetic particles in this area, it’s jamming our main sensors,” Gilgamesh told him calmly. “It shouldn’t matter much longer though since they’ve broken their formation and are now revealing the tactics and abilities of their machines to me.”

“Well, I hope they hurry up and reveal what you need because they’re tearing us apart,” Enkidu cautioned his comrade as Enoch’s Type-21Z cut down another of the Sargon-Vs.

“I’m almost done. I believe the red one is the Guren-Phoenix, and the transformable ones are standard Type-21s,” Gilgamesh told him as he watched the battle using his Geass, “but I’m not sure about those other two.”

The Guren charged the second Sargon-V it was fighting as Gilgamesh looked on. In one swift move, Kallen dodged a thrust from the mecha’s Hades lance then grabbed onto the machine with the Guren-Phoenix’s Fukusha Hadou Kikou Supernova weapon arm. The giant claw grasped the Sargon-V by the head as it sent a superheated wave of radiant energy over the machine, melting the mecha instantly.

Gilgamesh made a sinister grin. “I’ve seen all I need to. That red machine is certainly the Guren, and it shall be our first target. Use a standard retreat pattern and prepare to execute the Dragon’s Breath attack formation.”

Enkidu was happy to oblige. “’Bout time.”

* * *

“Hah, teach you to mess with us,” Kallen snickered as she backed the Guren away from the molten slag that had been a Sargon-V moments before.

“Kallen, look out!” Rai bellowed over the radio.

Colonel Kozuki looked up just in time to see a Hades blast headed her way.

Instinctively, Kallen used the wing-generated ultimate-defense barrier shield to block the beam. The green sphere generated by the wings encircled her mecha and caused the Hades bolts to bounce off.

“Lelouch, they changed their attack pattern again,” C.C. said in her monotone. “Looks like they’re retreating.”

“Not likely,” Lelouch replied as he tried to blast one of the four remaining Sargon-Vs. “They’re attempting to lead us away from the Kaminejima. We can’t let them do that. Regroup at point A23 and pair up.”

* * *

“They’re regrouping,” Enkidu informed Gilgamesh.

“Exactly as planned,” he responded as he watched the KMFs move towards the rear of the Kaminejima. “We’ll take down the red one first, as it posses the greatest threat.”

“I don’t like the looks of those two unidentified types. There’s nothing in the data on the Gaeaen machines that indicate anything like that in their inventory,” Enkidu told Gilgamesh as their machines regrouped with the other two remaining Sargon-Vs.

“The dual beam blasts that were fired earlier are akin to their Kaon beam weapons. It may be a pair of new-model KMFs we’ve not seen before,” Gilgamesh told him.

“I dunno,” Enkidu said, “the general shape of those two look familiar.”

“Many mecha look similar to others we’ve come across over the years,” Gilgamesh reassured him as they their four-man team swirled high above the six members of the Crimson Cavaliers.

“I suppose you’re right,” Enkidu stated as they moved into position.

“Now,” Gilgamesh commanded, “DIVE!”

* * *

“Damn it!” Lelouch yelled. “They saw through my plan again.”

“They’re coming in fast!” Enoch yelled as he fired a hail of Kaon beams towards the lead Sargon-V.

The insane speed of the Babylonian machine made it almost impossible to hit as it and its three companions spiraled down in a twisting pattern with their lances and shields forward.

“They’re heading for the fold-ring,” Shirley shouted as the machines screamed past them.

“We’ve got to stop them!” Rai said.

“I can’t hit them,” C.C. griped as she blasted away with both of the spherical forearm weapons of her Ariel. The green blobs of deadly energy impacted the hull of the Kaminejima.

“Stop firing!” Lelouch ordered. “You’ll do more damage than the enemy, and that is precisely what they want.”

“Then let’s get up close and personal.” Kallen boosted the Guren after them at full throttle.

“Kallen, no, wait!” Enoch yelled as he chased after her in his Type-21.

* * *

“The Guren has taken the bait,” Gilgamesh stated with a wide smile. “Execute the Dragon’s Breath now!”

The four Sargon-Vs reversed their engines and whipped around.

The Guren came up on them at full speed as the four Babylonian mecha unloaded a full barrage of Hades Cannon bolts at point-blank range.

The cannon blasts blew off the wings, left leg, and right arm of Kallen’s machine, sending the mecha headfirst into the portside fold engine warp nacelle where the Guren-Phoenix exploded.

Next chapter: Escape or Die

[Kodai Okuda]

Code Geass: Alpha & Omega
Stage Three
Escape or Die

“Geass can do wonderful things. It can also do horrible things. For me it was a curse, for Lelouch it was the key to his rebellion, and for Kallen it was the key to her survival.” —Excerpt from the personal diary of C.C., dated March 2nd, 2035 a.t.b.

February 27th, 2035 a.t.b.

“Kallen, eject!” Enoch shouted over the comm. of his helmet as his Type-21Z flew into the midst of the Sargon-Vs.

Colonel Kozuki tried to maneuver her KnightMare Frame to no avail and then pulled the ejection lever.

“There’s no response from the controls!” Kallen yelled in a panic. She donned her space suit helmet as the Guren flew out of control towards the portside fold engine nacelle.

“KALLEN!” Enoch bellowed over the radio as he cut down two of the Sargon-Vs with the beam-sabers of his Zebulun. “Get out of there!”

Kallen stared at the rapidly approaching fold engine nacelle as adrenaline coursed through her body. “I can’t die like this!” she yelled aloud as the power of Geass burned in her eye. The image of the bridge of the Kaminejima became crystal clear in her mind as she felt her body become weightless. The orange-red glow of Geass surrounded her form, and instantly, she was gone from the Guren as the machine smashed into the engine pod.

“BASTARDS!” Enoch cursed over the general radio frequency as his Type-21Z raced towards the two remaining Sargon-Vs.

* * *

“That voice!” Enkidu gasped as Enoch’s transmission reverberated through his helmet radio.

“Could it be?” Gilgamesh blurted out as the Type-21Z came at them in a fury.

“Gilgamesh…look out!” Enkidu warned him as he activated his own Geass. His Sargon-V flew at blinding speed to intercept Enoch.

Enkidu parried Enoch’s beam-saber attack with his machine’s combat shield. “You’ll have to get through me first if you wish to challenge master Gilgamesh,” Enkidu told Enoch over the comm.

“Enkidu,” Enoch said with venom. “So, it’s Ishtar’s pair of lackeys that are responsible for this, eh?”

“It is you,” Gilgamesh said in awe. “Enkidu, retreat. We’re no match for this devil. Besides, we’ve done what we came to do. Their engine is badly damaged, they’re not going anywhere.”

“But we can’t just let this dog live,” Enkidu replied as he dodged another of Enoch’s beam-saber attacks.

“We’ll get another chance, my friend,” Gilgamesh told him as he fired a hail of Hades Cannon blasts at Enoch to drive him back.

“Aw, leaving so soon?” Enoch fired a volley of Hadron blasts from the forearm cannons of his machine at Enkidu.

“This will keep you busy,” Enkidu said as he drove the lance of his machine into the side of the bridge of the Kaminejima. The weapon pod began to glow red as Enkidu’s Sargon-V sped off to join Gilgamesh’s machine.

Enoch started after them but Lelouch called to him over the comm. “Enoch, that lance is overloading. If it goes off, it will rupture the hull and destroy the bridge.”

Apsu gnashed his teeth. “Understood. I’m on it.” Enoch flew his Type-21Z at the lance and grabbed the pod at full throttle. The lance broke free easily, allowing Enoch to fly a safe distance from the ship where he let go of the gunpod just as it exploded.

* * *

“Status report,” Cornelia asked Guilford as the ship shuddered.

“The Guren has crashed into our portside fold engine nacelle,” he replied while holding onto the side of his control station to keep his footing.

“How badly are we—” Cornelia started to inquire as a figure in a red space suit dropped from an orange-red flash on the ceiling to the floor of the bridge.

“What the hell?” Claudio Darlton exclaimed as the intruder landed next to his station with a thud. He sprang from his console, went to the side of the newcomer, and wiped the thin film of frost from the visor of her flight helmet.

Claudio looked up at Cornelia. “Captain, it’s Colonel Kozuki.”

“Is she…?” Guilford hesitated to ask.

“I dunno,” Claudio said as he unfastened her helmet. Her long, red hair flowed out as Darlton took it off. “Colonel Kozuki, can you hear me?” Claudio queried her softly. Kallen’s eyes were shut and her body was limp.

Guilford looked towards Cornelia and shook his head slightly.

“Get a medical team up here now,” Cornelia ordered her communications officer. “The Colonel is clearly injured.”

* * *

“We’ve lost all contact with them, Ambassador.” Kannon Maldini stood behind Nunnally vi Britannia as she gazed out at the city of Tartarus floating motionlessly above Earth’s moon Luna.

“I see,” Nunnally replied softly as she turned towards the dark-haired woman sitting in a large, comfy chair to her right. “Are they…can you sense anything, Lysandra?”

The girl shifted slightly in the chair. “Yes…I sensed Kallen’s power. She’s used it recently, which means that they are still alive.”

Kannon looked towards the young woman. “That is fine news, milady, but we need to know where they are.”

“I am unable to tell you in actual distance,” Lysandra said. “What I see is a large fleet chasing them and a ringed gas giant with many moons ahead of them. Cornelia sees refuge near that planet…” Lysandra closed her eyes in concentration. “She seeks to hide among the debris and moons that surround the ringed world. They are in a desperate situation.”

“That’s enough, Lysandra,” Nunnally said to her. “We know the flight path of the Kaminejima, and so I’ve requested the rescue teams scour the star-systems within their path. We know based on their routine communiqués that they were almost to Beta Centauri.”

“Madame Ambassador,” Kannon addressed Nunnally with a slight bow, “with all due respect, can we afford to spread our forces so thinly? If what Lysandra sees is accurate, then the Kaminejima is in fact facing the main Babylonian fleet. Our meager forces are no match for them without the aid of the Olympians.”

“I understand your concern, Kannon.” Nunnally faced him. “However, it is imperative that they not fall into the hands of the Babylonians. The consequences could be dire.”

Kannon glanced at Lysandra. “It’s that thing Nemo, isn’t it?”

Lysandra nodded at him. “More accurately, it’s my inability to make contact with it anymore. He’s sealed his mind off from me.”

“First he lied to you, then he tried to intimidate you, now he’s shut you out.” Nunnally contemplated the course of events since their first contact with the entity known as Nemo. “Even Hel has been scarce since the Irregulars shot her down over Nibiru. I can’t see them just giving up and being content to live on the mobile planet.”

“What else can they possibly do?” Kannon asked as if the subject were a closed matter. “They’re stranded on the artificial planet. The Thought Elevators are sealed, and any craft which would attempt to leave the surface will be shot down by our fleet that guards the planet.”

“If that is the case, then why did Nemo give up on Lysandra and me?” Nunnally inquired. “Why expend so much effort just to surrender to fate? That thing Nemo isn’t that kind of being. No, it’s biding its time, waiting.”

“For what?” Her line of thinking confused Kannon.

Nunnally frowned, “I don’t know, Kannon, but whatever it is up to, I doubt we’ll have to wait long to find out. I can feel it. Events are moving towards a singular point. A direction that I fear will take us to a dark place.”

Lysandra nodded in agreement, “I concur. We must proceed with great care if we are to avoid whatever abyss this thing is trying to lead us into.”

Kannon regarded both women, “Are you going to bring this before the Galactic Council?”

Nunnally raised her chin. “I have to. They need to know the danger we all face from the thing that lies within Nibiru.”

“So you’re going no matter what?” Kannon didn’t hide his uneasiness.

“Of course I am, Kannon,” Nunnally said firmly. “I am the ambassador of the Commonwealth of Earth. It is my duty to represent our people to the other races and plead our case to them.”

“I know, milady, but it’s so far away,” Kannon said.

“Twelve thousand light years is a long way,” Nunnally giggled, “but I’m told by Rakshata that our ships can make the round trip in about one hundred days.”

“Almost four months,” Kannon sighed. “I hope you know what you’re doing.”

“Don’t worry, Kannon,” Nunnally assured him. “Jason’s squadron will be accompanying our task force of ships. We’ll be well guarded and protected during our journey.”

“Do you think Kaguya and Lihua will be okay without you?” Kannon inquired in a lighter tone.

Nunnally snickered, “Of course they will be. Zero and the Red Dragon are here to protect them should the need arise. Besides, by the time I get back, the strength of our space fleet will be nearly that of the Babylonian main armada. Should the worst happen, they’ll be able to hold them back until a diplomatic solution can be reached.”

“You hope to parley the Galactic Council in order to stop the Babylonian invasion?” Kannon was amazed at her boldness.

Nunnally smiled, “Of course.”

* * *

“I don’t like this, Jason,” Akira said over his helmet radio as their fleet patrolled the outskirts of the Jupiter sphere. The large, red planet spun slowly in the distance, but its surface swarmed with turbulence and activity of an odd nature.

“Your scientists have predicted for decades that the red spot would dissipate eventually,” Jason replied. “It’s not that unusual.”

“These things happen, lad,” Heracles piped in.

“I realize this may be nothing more than a natural event,” Akira said as he flew his Susano-O next to the Talos, “but it happened so suddenly.”

“Stop being so skittish, Akira,” Mika scolded him from the Kali. “We haven’t a clue why Jupiter’s surface is so tumultuous right now.”

“Still, the entire surface of such a large planet being disturbed can’t be good,” Lena added.

“I’ve been monitoring the data coming in from Count Amontillado’s fleet since the disturbance began twenty-six hours ago,” Anya said in her monotone. “If this data is correct, then the size of Jupiter has shrunk by 1.3% during that time.”

“Shrunk?” Tetsuo blurted out.

“Actually, it may be more accurate to say it’s collapsed by 1.3%,” Anya corrected herself.

“Are you sure it’s collapsing?” Gregor asked in a skeptical tone. “That would require a significant stellar event for that, wouldn’t it?”

“I suppose it would,” Anya admitted, “but it’s the only logical explanation. Otherwise, something would have to be siphoning off the surface at an incredible rate. It would take a machine of enormous size.”

“Like the size of a planet?” Akira asked.

“Yeah…” Anya realized the implications of her own words.

“We’d better hurry up and meet the count as quickly as possible,” Jason said with concern. “I think this whole situation just got a lot more complicated.”

* * *

“You failed!” Adad addressed Gilgamesh with scorn as the Babylonian warrior stood upon the command deck of the Tiamat class warship Hammurabi before his mistress, Ishtar.

“Don’t be too hard on him, Adad,” Ishtar cooed. “He did disable their fold drive without destroying the vessel. That’s a feat worthy of him.”

“But he was charged with capturing the Gaeaen warship,” Adad protested, “and he failed miserably. He should be put to death.”

Gilgamesh stood stoic before his mistress as Ishtar inquired, “Is this true? Have you failed me to such a degree that you deserve death?”

Gilgamesh was emotionless as he responded, “If it pleases you, my mistress, then I will submit to such a penalty, but first allow me to inform you of the dangers of this ship’s crew.”

“Dangers?” Adad tittered. “What danger could mere mortals pose to us? The only danger here is your pathetic incompetence—”

“Enough!” Ishtar scowled at Adad before turning back to Gilgamesh. “Tell me, my champion, what dangers lay within that ship.”

Gilgamesh looked directly into Ishtar’s eyes as he spoke, “Enoch.”

Her expression flashed with fury. “What? Impossible.”

“You dare to lie!” Adad yelled at him.

“It is no lie,” Gilgamesh stated sternly. “I fought him myself.”

“Then how is it you still live?” Adad interrogated him.

“Enkidu forced Enoch to choose between us and his vessel,” Gilgamesh replied, never taking his eyes off Ishtar.

“A wise move,” Ishtar stated in a low tone as her ice-blue eyes probed Gilgamesh. “I believe you, my champion.”

“If what he says is true, then we must destroy that ship now,” Adad demanded. “Enoch Apsu is too dangerous an adversary to allow free movement. We may not be able to kill him, but we can strand him here in space.”

“Under normal circumstances, I would concur with you, Adad, but our orders are from Marduk himself.” Ishtar eyed him. “You will not harm that vessel unless Marduk gives his blessing to do so. For now, you will tail that ship and send out interception squadrons all around her, but make sure our craft keep their distance.”

“Even with the full force of our armada they still might slip through our net,” Adad grumbled.

“Then be sure they don’t,” Ishtar glared at him. “Herd them towards the twelfth planet in this system. It contains numerous moons and a large debris ring in which they will find irresistible hiding places.”

Adad was confounded. “Hiding places? Why would you wish to give them a place to hide?”

Ishtar regarded him like she would a child, “Because, my dear Adad, their ship is damaged, and they’ll need someplace to hide to repair her.”

“I see,” Adad feigned to understand. “What shall I do when they set down to repair their warship?”

“Leave that to Gilgamesh,” Ishtar said as she offered her champion her hand. “Come, Gilgamesh, let us retire to my bedchamber to discuss what it is you shall do when these mortals find a suitable nook for us to corner them in.”

Gilgamesh took her hand. “Of course, my mistress.”

The pair left Adad standing on the bridge brooding over the fact that Gilgamesh had bested him yet again.

* * *

“Are they still following us?” Cornelia asked Darlton form where she stood at the center of the bridge.

“Yes, Captain, but at a considerable distance from us,” Claudio stated as he watched the mass of blips on his tactical screen. “It would seem we’re surrounded on all sides by their forces, yet they don’t attack.”

“We need to shake them,” Guilford said as he brought up a map of the Beta Centauri star-system on the overhead monitor. “The twelfth planet is the closest to us. It’s a gas giant with thirty-five moons and six dense debris rings in differing orbits around the main planet.”

“Sounds like a good place to shake them.” Cornelia put her hand to her chin. “Still, it would also make for a good place to ambush us if they choose to.”

“Something on your mind, Captain?” Guilford asked.

Cornelia smiled, “Yes. They have the upper hand in this, yet they don’t attack us with anything except eight Sargon-Vs. Then they back off and keep their distance.”

“You think they mean to capture us rather than destroy us?” Guilford inquired.

“That would be my guess.” Cornelia looked up at the map of the star-system. “Darlton, give me a close-up of the twelfth planet’s sphere.”

“Yes, Captain.” Claudio tapped away at a few digital icons on the screen of his station. A moment later, the overhead monitor displayed a map of the gas giant and its orbiting bodies.

“Are any of these moons habitable?” Cornelia asked Darlton.

“Yes, ma’am.” He brought up the images of three of the moons. “The twenty-third through twenty-fifth have atmospheres that are capable of supporting life. However, only the twenty-fourth is Earth-like; the other two are closer to a Mars/Earth hybrid.”

“Well then, looks like we know where we have to land for repairs,” Cornelia scowled. “Which means our enemy knows as well.”

“We could attempt to break through their blockade,” Guilford suggested.

“No.” Cornelia studied the map. “We’re like rats in a cage and they know it, but that doesn’t mean we can’t bite when they reach in to grab us. Get me Lloyd.”

The communications officer called down to engineering, and Chief Engineer Asplund’s image replaced the map of the twelfth planet.

“Yes, Cornelia?” he asked in a bored tone. “Let me guess, you want to know how long the fold drive needs for repair?”

Cornelia’s brow raised. “Yes, Lloyd.”

“In space…about a week,” he said nonchalantly. “If I had a decent planet to work on…with raw materials, about three days.”

“I’ve found a suitable planet, but I’ll need to know what materials you require so we can set down near them.” Cornelia was impressed with his timetable. It was better than she had hoped.

“Oh, one step ahead of me, eh?” Lloyd adjusted his glasses. “I’ll send you up my wish list pronto. In the meantime, I’ll see what I can do while we make our way to this planet of yours.”

“Actually, it’s a moon,” she grinned, “but it should suffice.”

* * *

“Will she be alright?” Rai asked a nurse as Kallen slept peacefully in a medical bed with sensor pads on her arms and head.

“Yes,” the woman reassured him. “She just overexerted herself and needs to rest. Other than that, she’s in tip-top condition.”

Rai was relieved. “Thank you.” He took Kallen’s hand in his as he watched her sleeping. “Don’t worry, Colonel, we’re headed for a habitable moon where we can fix the ship. If all goes well, we should arrive at Hadar in a few days.”

Kallen’s eyes fluttered open. “Hey.”

“Colonel,” Rai blurted out ecstatically as he let go of her hand. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you.”

“That’s okay,” she replied as her eyes widened. “Where is everybody?”

Rai hung his head. “They’re helping with the repairs of the fold-ring.”

“And you’re not with them?” Kallen smiled.

“No,” he said sheepishly, “I couldn’t concentrate not knowing how you were doing.”

“So Enoch sent you here?”

Rai wore a confused expression. “Actually, it was Lelouch that relieved me so I could see how you were doing.”

“Lelouch?” she asked with a weak smile. “I see.”

Rai put on a grin and changed the subject. “Hey, Major Croomy says that she and Lloyd were able to recover some of Guren. She says they should be able to fashion a custom Type-21Z for you in the next few days.”

“Tell them I don’t need a new model,” Kallen said somberly. “The standard Type-21Z is good enough. Besides, it isn’t the machine that makes the pilot, it’s the pilot that makes the machine.”

“Don’t be too hard on yourself, Colonel.” Rai gave her a sympathetic look. “We had to stop the Babylonians from destroying the ship. You just reacted faster than we did, that’s all.”

Kallen scowled, “No, Rai…I acted on impulse. I should’ve waited when Enoch asked me to. I was reckless because we were cutting the Sargon-Vs down so easily. It hadn’t occurred to me that these Babylonians would throw their soldiers’ lives away without a care.”

“I guess the old imperial Britannian sentiment is alive and well in these Babylonians,” Rai lamented.

“Or something like it,” she replied with a dark expression. “They obviously want us alive for some reason, and I doubt it can be for anything good.”

“I suppose you’re right,” Rai agreed, “but what could they be after?”

“That’s a good question,” Kallen replied as she started to get up.

Rai tried to gently push her back down. “Oh, no, Colonel. You need to stay in bed. Doctor’s orders.”

“Don’t give me that crap, Rai.” Kallen brushed his arms aside. Rai fell forward onto Kallen’s face and their lips met.

Kallen blushed and smiled at him.

Rai jumped back. “Uh, sorry, Colonel…I didn’t mean—”

Kozuki grabbed him by the shoulders. “Rai,” she cooed, “shut up.” Kallen kissed him passionately.

* * *

“I’m not sure I completely understand what it is you’re saying, Count Amontillado,” Jason said as he and the Yamato no Orochi walked alongside the masked man on the bridge of the Arcadia where the vessel and its large fleet of Earth warships hung above the metallic surface of Nibiru.

“What I’m saying is that Nibiru is now active.” The count gestured towards the overhead monitor of the Kaminejima class warship.

On the screen above was a digital 3D image of the planet Nibiru.

“From what we can gather, only certain sections of the mobile planet have become active,” the count informed them as various small sections of the digital image were colored yellow.

“The massive hole at the base of the planet is active?” Akira inquired. “Why?”

“We don’t know exactly,” a pale-haired woman said as she came up to join them.

“Ah, allow me to introduce to you Lucretia, our primary terrain analyst,” the count informed them while the other members of the Irregulars walked up.

“Sancia, kindly give our friends what little data we have,” the count said to the dark-haired woman at the front of the troop.

Sancia nodded. “The systems became active only a few days ago.” The digital display above them changed to a bottom view of the Dyson Sphere. “The exact purpose of this large orifice is unknown, but what we do know is that it is stripping Jupiter of its atmospheric hydrogen at an alarming rate. It is sucking in hundreds of billions of tons of gas every hour, and if it continues at this rate, it will have consumed Jupiter’s atmosphere in a little over four months.”

“That still doesn’t explain how or why Nibiru has started doing this all of a sudden,” Mika griped.

“She has a point,” Heracles said with his hand on his hip. “Planets, even artificial ones, don’t just start sucking down the atmospheres of other planets for no reason.”

“I agree,” Count Amontillado confessed, “but unless we break quarantine and go down to the surface to investigate, there is no way for us to know who or what is causing this phenomenon.”

“I think the who of this situation is pretty obvious,” Anya said in her monotone, “the real question is why.”

The others slowly nodded in agreement.

“It would seem Hel is up to her old tricks again,” Alice said as she folded her arms. “I can’t say I’m surprised. It was only a matter of time before she tried something.”

Jason put his hand on his chin. “How much of the planet is active?”

“Only basic functions as far as my Geass can tell,” Sancia told him.

“I haven’t detected any significant movement on Nibiru except for the large orifice at the bottom of the sphere,” Lucretia added.

“Well then,” Gregor blurted out, “we know where to find out what’s going on, so let’s get our butts down there since just standing around here speculating isn’t going to answer our questions.”

“We can’t just fly down there without authorization, there, Gregor,” Mika scolded him. “We need permission.”

“Actually,” Count Amontillado paused, “I have the power to authorize an expedition to the surface should the situation require it.”

“You do?” Akira asked. “On who’s authority.”

Jason snickered, “The Three Sisters I would imagine.”

Count Amontillado laughed, “Yes…they insisted on me having emergency powers for just this kind of event.”

“The who?” Lena asked in a confused tone.

“Nunnally, Kaguya, and the Tianzi,” Heracles chortled. “We call them the Three Sisters after Atropos, Lachesis, and Clotho.”

“More commonly known as the Morae, or Fates,” Jason informed them.

“Ah…I see,” Lena giggled, “those three do seem to mold the world into their way, so I suppose it is appropriate.”

“Still, the simple draining of a gas giant doesn’t merit the risk of being exposed to Hel’s power,” Jason said. “There must be another way of dealing with this.”

“No,” Count Amontillado said pleasantly, “there isn’t.”

“How can you be so sure?” Akira pressed him.

“Perhaps you should see for yourself.” The count nodded towards Colonel Madd who in turn instructed the helmsman to move the ship towards the bottom of Nibiru.

The Arcadia made her way swiftly towards the underside of the mobile planet. As the craft came towards the southern pole, a large, spiraling mass of gas was swirling into the massive maw of the orifice at the bottom of the Dyson Sphere. The visage of the cosmic tornado filled the main viewports of the ship as it slowed to a stop hundreds of miles from the circular hole in Nibiru.

“It’s horribly awesome,” Tetsuo said in awe of the spectacle.

“There’s more to this than just the funnel of gas,” Amontillado informed them, “but this information must remain between us for now. Understood?”

Jason and his companions nodded in silence as the magnitude of Nibiru’s power sunk into their psyches.

The count nodded to Madd who tapped a holographic key on his control station. Instantly, a digital window appeared on the glass of the central window of the bridge, magnifying a portion of the spout of the stellar vortex.

“Oh, my GOD!” Anya shouted as the magnified image became clearer.

“What are they?” Akira asked as he saw the faintly humanoid forms within the gas as they plummeted towards the gapping mouth of Nibiru.

The count addressed them in a cold tone, “Souls.”

Next chapter: Cave of Wonder

[Kodai Okuda]

Code Geass: Alpha & Omega
Stage Four
Cave of Wonder

“The moon of the twelfth planet in the Beta Centauri system that we took refuge on seemed like an ordinary Earth-class moon when we first landed on it. We had no idea at the time what it was we were setting foot on when the Kaminejima set down on that accursed rock where a cave of wonder waited for us.” —Excerpt from the personal diary of Cecile Croomy, dated March 15th, 2035 a.t.b.

February 29th 2035 a.t.b.

“How soon can we attack?” Enkidu asked from within the cockpit of his Sargon-V.

“Patience, my friend. Lady Ishtar will give us the order when it is time,” Gilgamesh informed him. “For now, we’re to sit here and observe them from a distance.”

The pair of Sargon-Vs sat at the bottom of a clear-blue lagoon looking up at the hovering form of the Kaminejima some twenty miles distant from them.

“I’m surprised Marduk ordered their deaths,” Enkidu remarked to help pass the boredom of waiting.

“All but the ones called C2 and Lelouch,” Gilgamesh told him. “We’re to capture them at all costs.”

“All costs, eh?” Enkidu didn’t like the sound of their orders.

“That’s what she said,” Gilgamesh snickered, “so we’d better succeed in our mission this time. Otherwise, Adad will demand my head and yours.”

“Understood,” Enkidu said with a titter. “I wouldn’t want that worm to get the satisfaction. Which reminds me, is there any chance of the enemy detecting us?”

“There’s always a chance,” Gilgamesh checked his control panels, “but the waters here are rich in iron, zinc, and copper, and the underwater volcanic plumes that surround this atoll produce considerable heat. As long as we keep our units on low power, we should just look like a series of hot springs dotting the bottom of the sea.”

“I hope you’re right.” Enkidu scanned the top of the plateau that the Earth ship was over. “Because if that devil Enoch finds us down here before we strike, then we’ll be finished.”

“Lady Ishtar was curious about him,” Gilgamesh said.

“Oh…in what way?” Enkidu was aware of the goddess’ past relationship with the amber-eyed man. “She’s not holding onto old feelings for him, I hope.”

Gilgamesh chuckled, “No, it’s not that. She was curious as to why he would let one of these mortals pilot his machine.”

“You mean the Samael?” Enkidu asked with a tinge of disdain.

“Yes,” Gilgamesh answered as he watched a patrol of Type-21Z KMFs fly out from the Kaminejima. “That Hakodeshim is a custom model with enormous firepower. Thus our mistress was perplexed as to why he would not pilot the machine himself.”

“Perhaps he gave it as a gift,” Enkidu suggested. “Maybe he has a new lover?”

“Or pupil.” Gilgamesh monitored the patrol via his instruments. “Which is what has Ishtar concerned. If Enoch does indeed have a new pupil, it could mean he intends on making this person his champion.”

“You mean recruit him into the Enforcers?” Enkidu didn’t like where Gilgamesh’s line of thinking led.

“It is possible,” Gilgamesh told him. “And if that is indeed his intention, then we will face an even greater difficulty in securing Nibiru.”

“Is her ladyship intent on finding this favorite of Enoch?” Enkidu asked.

“Yes,” Gilgamesh replied in a stern tone, “but we are to keep this between us. When the time comes, we’re to capture the Samael and the other Hakodeshim.”

“I take it you have a plan?” Enkidu inquired.

Gilgamesh grinned, “Indeed I do.”

* * *

“We’re nearly there, Captain,” Lloyd informed Cornelia as they walked along the outside of the Kaminejima. A cool breeze came off the ocean coastline at the base of the large, rocky plateau that their ship floated a few feet above.

Cornelia looked out at the gas giant and various moons that were just barely visible through the cobalt blue atmosphere of the moon. “This sure is a nice place. I wonder how many people it could support.”

“Hmmm? Well, it is nearly the size of Mars.” Lloyd cupped his chin. “I imagine it could support a few billion people. Thinking of setting up a summer home?”

“No…not exactly.” Cornelia looked back up into the deep-blue sky. “I don’t think they’re going to let us get out of here, and even with the debris field as cover, our chances of breaking through the Babylonian blockade are slim.”

“I see,” Professor Asplund said while his repair teams continued to work on the damaged fold engine nacelle, “so you’re thinking of staying here?”

“Not entirely,” Cornelia replied in a low tone. “I want to make sure that my crew lives through this, but we need to try and break through to Hadar and warn the Olympian forces there.”

“Oh, I see,” Lloyd stated flatly. “So I take it you intend on breaking the blockade alone?”

“Not entirely,” she told him with a smirk. “Enoch and my brother have volunteered to protect the ship during our escape.” Cornelia looked directly at Lloyd. “I need you to take charge in my absence, Lloyd.”

“ME?” Lloyd was mortified. “I’m flattered by your confidence in me, Cornelia, but I don’t have the ability to lead.”

Cornelia put her hand on his shoulder. “I know I’m asking a great deal of you, Lloyd, but I need your brilliance to help my crew to survive on this planet. It’s going to take someone of your intellect and engineering expertise to build a colony here, should the need arise.”

“Well, that sounds grim,” Lloyd replied. “I’m not sure I’m cut out to be a John Smith.”

“I’m sorry, Lloyd,” Cornelia looked out at the blue waters of the lagoon, “but I’m ordering you to take command. You’ve no choice in this matter. Once the Kaminejima is ready, you and nearly the entire crew will flee to the caves we detected to the north of here.”

Lloyd was aware that when Cornelia’s mind was made up, there was no arguing with her. “I’ll have to automate most of the systems on the ship for you to be able to pull off this little scheme of yours.”

“How soon can you have that done?” Cornelia asked as a feeling of dread welled up inside her. She thought she could see the glint of steel under the waters of the atoll.

“It’ll take about a day to fully automate the ship,” he said with a wave of his hand, “but I can’t make any promises as to how well it’ll work under combat conditions.”

“It’ll have to do,” she said with a frown.

* * *

“See anything, Major Croomy?” Kallen asked as she led the three-Type-21Z fighter escort that surrounded the Type-21E electronic warfare KMF. The large dish on the back of the EWAC (electronic warfare and countermeasures) model turned slowly as the four fighters flew around the perimeter of the large island that laid just to the north of the atoll over which the Kaminejima was moored.

“No, nothing on my scope,” Cecile responded as she kept her fighter in formation with the others.

Kallen looked out over the waters of the ocean and the numerous islands within it. “There’re too many places for the enemy to hide here.”

“I agree,” Rai piped up. “What do you think Cornelia is thinking with all the movement of supplies off the Kaminejima?”

“She’s going to try to run the blockade,” Kallen said flatly.

“Are we going with them?” Shirley asked.

“No,” Kallen grumbled. Colonel Kozuki had argued briefly with Lelouch when he told her that Rai, Shirley, and she would be staying behind to protect Lloyd and most of the crew.

“Lulu’s going, isn’t he?” Shirley picked up on Kallen’s irritation immediately.

“Yep,” Kallen replied in a cold tone. “He said that since we’re still mortal we had to stay behind.”

Rai knew she was being overly harsh. “He’s just concerned for our safety, Kallen. Besides, Captain Britannia and a selected group of crew have to be going, right?”

“Yeah, Cornelia handpicked forty-five crewmen to go with her. Lelouch didn’t even try to change her mind. I was standing in the room when he told her that we needed to stay behind. I don’t care if he’s concerned about us. He doesn’t have to be such an asshole about it,” Kallen complained.

Shirley sighed, “He’s not very good at expressing his feelings, Kallen. You know that.”

“That doesn’t give him the right to act like an elitist pig just because he, Enoch, and pizza girl are all immortal.” Kallen hated the fact Lelouch had a Code, and she wasn’t going to hide it.

“I know how you feel about him, Kallen, but—” Shirley started to say.

“No, you don’t know how I feel,” Kallen snapped at her as they flew over a small range of ancient mountains on the large island. “I’ve moved on, Shirley, and maybe you should do the same before you get hurt. Pizza girl once told me that the price of Geass is solitude, and maybe that’s her way of telling me to shove off, but it doesn’t change the fact that while they’ve stayed young, we’ve been getting older.”

“I hate to interrupt,” Cecile said apologetically, “but I thought you might like to know I’m picking up numerous large caverns beneath that grass-covered peak on the northwest side of this island.”

“Sorry, Major Croomy,” Kallen blurted out, “I guess I’m just a little stressed right now.”

“There’s no need to apologize, Colonel, I understand,” Cecile replied softly. “Should we fly down and check out the cavern? It appears large enough to act as shelter for the crew, and the rock it’s in is quite dense.”

“Yes, we should go down and see if it’s suitable to act as a temporary base of operations,” Kallen told her while she turned her fighter towards the large, grass-covered peak.

* * *

Enoch stood upon the top deck of the Kaminejima, looking out over the deep-blue waters of the lagoon as C.C. walked up from behind him.

“What’s got you so entranced?” C.C. asked him in a stale tone.

“Can you feel them?” Enoch asked her as his amber eyes focused on one point of the water.

“Yes,” she answered as she came to stand next to him. “But I’m not sure what they are.”

“It’s Gilgamesh and a legion of Sargons,” Enoch told her while his eyes scanned the deep-blue sea.

“How can you be sure?” she inquired, a bit surprised by his confidence.

He gave her a grin. “Did you forget I’m a cyborg? I’m picking up their radio transmissions. They’re scrambled so I can’t understand what they’re saying, but my cybernetic brain knows the encryption they’re using is Babylonian, and the wavelength of their voices clearly indicates Gilgamesh is with them.”

“Oh.” She looked out towards the spot that captured his attention. “Do you think they intend on attacking soon?”

“It’s hard to tell,” Enoch told her. “However, if I had to guess, I’d say they’ll attack as soon as we’ve finished repairs.”

C.C. put her hands on her hips. “Shouldn’t you inform Cornelia?”

“I don’t think that’d help her right now,” he said in a smug tone. “It’s better if you and Lelouch know where our enemy is so that your honeybuns can determine a proper strategy to deal with these interlopers before we go to the captain.”

“Honeybuns!” C.C. scowled. “Ooh, you could at least try to hide your jealously.”

Enoch laughed, “Jealously? Oh, my, am I jealous? I’m not so sure.”

“Don’t play dumb with me, Enoch,” C.C. sneered at him. “I know how you feel about me.”

Enoch guffawed, “What? You mean felt about you. Don’t mistake my feelings of friendship towards you as some kind of erotic desire.” He snickered, “You had your chance, love, and you blew it.”

She snapped at him, “Uh, you arrogant…egotistical…what makes you think I have any desire to have you ogling over me?”

“Ogling?” Enoch gave her a puzzled look. “If you mean me complimenting you on your beauty, then I’ll stop.” He smiled at her mischievously, “I could just call you pizza girl like Kallen.”

“No thanks.” C.C. folded her arms and humphed. “You can be a real jerk, you know that?”

“Is that why you fell in love with Lelouch?” Enoch teased.

C.C. flipped her head and put her hand on her hip. “No. I fell in love with him because he actually loved me for real.”

Enoch scratched his head in a befuddled manner. “How’d you figure that out? The guy didn’t seem interested in girls back at Ashford.”

“I asked him the question,” C.C. giggled.

“You mean the whole Do you know why snow is white? thing?” Enoch inquired in disbelief.

“Yeah,” C.C. eyed him. “He was the only person to ever answer it correctly.”

“Maybe he just got lucky,” Enoch taunted her.

“No, Enoch.” C.C. blushed as the memory of her time with Lelouch in the cave near Narita came back to her. “He answered that he knew snow was white because it was beautiful, and he didn’t hate it.”

“Okay, so maybe he was telling you he loved you without saying it directly.” Enoch put up his hands defensively. “Pardon me if I’m not a master of metaphor.”

C.C. shook her head and tittered, “No, you’re a punk with the romantic tact of a caveman.”

“Well, none of us are perfect,” he winked at her. “Besides, some women like being taken caveman style.”

C.C. chuckled as she put her arms around his waist, “You’re a good friend, Enoch, but you’re not the kind of man I need.”

He caressed her face gently. “Well, I’m glad I could still be of service.”

She smiled at him, “Thank you for helping with Lelouch. He’s become the kind of man I’ve always wished for.”

“Don’t thank me, love.” Enoch looked deep into her eyes. “The man that Lelouch is now was always under the skin of the scorned boy that you blessed with Geass all those years ago.”

“Blessed?” C.C. asked in surprise. “What makes you call it a blessing?”

“Because without it, Charles would have destroyed the Earth and all of mankind with it…” Enoch’s expression changed to a look of recognition.

“What is it?” C.C. inquired.

“That’s it, beautiful!” He gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. “You’re a genius!”

C.C. was dumbfounded. “What?”

“That’s why the Babylonians are trying to capture Nibiru.” Enoch let go of her softly. “We’ve got to let Lelouch know and formulate a plan of action.”

“What are we letting Lelouch know?” C.C. demanded.

“That Ishtar and Maruk are after the Sword of Akasha,” Enoch stated gravely.

“But why?” C.C. asked in confusion. “Lelouch damaged it beyond repair. Besides, what good would it be to the Babylonians?”

“What’s the surest way to destroy the Earth?” Enoch asked.

C.C.’s expression became stone. “Ragnarok.”

* * *

“This is real strange,” Alice told Count Amontillado as their KMFs flew over the surface of Nibiru.

“There’s no activity on the surface at all,” Sancia informed them.

“I concur, other than the massive vortex funneling into the mouth of the mobile planet, there is no activity present,” Lucretia stated as the Irregulars flew along the equator of the massive astral body in their Vincent-Advanced Knightmare Frames.

“There’s got to be something,” the count said over their radios. He flew his custom KMF, the Uther, at the head of the Irregulars.

“I’m still not comfortable with you being here, Count,” Alice informed him for the third time since they had left the Arcadia.

“Let’s not get into that tiff again, Major.” Amontillado maneuvered his mecha towards a series of darkened skyscrapers that lined the huge, metallic canyon. The crevice ran the circumference of Nibiru with tributaries covering the whole of the world in a vast complex of trenches. “We’ve more important matters to attend to right now, and my expertise in the Thought Elevators may prove useful here.”

“You think that all this activity is related to the ruins on Earth?” Alice inquired.

“I do,” the count replied as they zigzagged through the metal towers looking for any signs of movement. “Clearly the internal mechanisms of Nibiru have become active, yet the surface of the Dyson Sphere is completely devoid of activity. This can only mean that whatever energy was used to start the internal machinery may be coming from Earth via the Thought Elevators. During my time with the Code R project, I was privy to some of the more intricate data recovered from the Geass Ruins. The Thought Elevators may be more than just gateways to Nibiru, they might also act as ley line conductors.”

“Ley lines?” Dalque asked. She was unfamiliar with the term.

“They’re a concept of invisible lines of power first proposed by a man named Alfred Watkins,” the count informed them. “He believed that these unseen lines of energy covered the surface of the Earth, and his successors speculated that these energy lines extended out into space, onto other planets, and even stars. The properties of these lines are unknown, but many of Watkins’ adherents believed they were spiritual lines of power.”

“And the Code R group believed the Thought Elevators were linked to these lines?” Sancia inquired.

“That was part of the theory they were formulating,” Count Amontillado added. “The project ended abruptly with the death of Prince Clovis before they could test the theory.”

“What does it matter whether these lines of power are connected to the Thought Elevators or not?” Dalque scoffed.

The count continued in his monotone while their flight of KMFs changed course towards the southern pole of the mobile planet, “It matters because these lines of power may be the glue that holds this entire universe together. If someone could gain control of these lines of power, they could in effect control the laws of physics and in turn the power of creation itself.”

“I can see why it’s so imperative that we find the source of this vortex,” Alice said as they headed for a large, open area between the city clusters.

* * *

“I don’t like leaving Count Amontillado behind like this, Lady Nunnally,” Jason said softly to her on the bridge of the Glorious. The orange-red light from Jupiter reflected off the deep-blue hull of the Commonwealth of Earth’s third heavy cruiser of the newly commissioned Lord Nelson class.

“We’ve no choice, Jason,” Nunnally said to him with a weak smile. “We must depart for the Galactic Council now, or else we will not arrive in time.”

“Madame Ambassador, I must concur with Jason,” Kaguya’s image said over the main viewscreen above them. “I’m not comfortable with you leaving. Perhaps you should send someone else in your stead to represent…”

“My dear, Kaguya,” Nunnally interrupted her gently, “you of all people should know why I must be the one to go.”

“I understand that your latent psychic ability gives you an edge,” Kaguya admitted, “but that’s not my point. We still haven’t been able to contact your brother or locate the Kaminejima. If the Babylonians were able to take down Cornelia, then it’s possible you may suffer the same fate.”

“Madame President,” Jason lifted his chin, “the Kaminejima was but one vessel. The ambassador will be protected by a flotilla of warships, including my own Grecian battlegroup. Lady Nunnally will have adequate protection.”

“I suppose,” Kaguya conceded. “Nunnally, promise me you’ll come back safe.”

Nunnally smiled at her friend, “I promise, Kaguya, I will return to you.”

* * *

“Are you sure they’re out there, Enoch?” Cornelia asked him as she used a pair of long-range binoculars to scan over the area of ocean he indicated to her.

“They’re out there,” he replied as he, Lelouch, Guilford, and C.C. stood at the lip of the plateau over which the Kaminejima hovered.

“And they’re not going to strike until we’re ready to depart,” Lelouch added as he used a pair of binoculars to monitor the sea water. “That’s why they haven’t attacked yet.”

Cornelia didn’t argue. “Well, if you’re right, then we better accelerate our plans.”

“Actually,” Lelouch grinned, “we can buy ourselves some time by creating a diversion.”

“How so?” Cornelia queried him.

“By taking off in desperation,” Lelouch told her flatly.

“But that’s what the enemy wants,” Guilford blurted out. “If we take off in a charge, then they’ll attack before we’ve secured a base here.”

“Not necessarily,” Enoch reassured him.

“Indeed,” Lelouch agreed, “we need only have the crew and supplies moved to a safe location before we take off.”

“We already know that, Lelouch,” Cornelia said gruffly. “What I need to know is how we break through their defenses and escape without jeopardizing my crew.”

“Have no fear, my sister,” Lelouch stated with a wicked smile, “here’s my plan.”

* * *

“Wow, this mountain is rather geometric for a natural rock formation,” Rai stated as they disembarked from their KnightMare Frames.

“I’m not so sure it is natural,” Cecile Croomy told him as they came together in a clearing near the entrance to a large cave.

“What do you mean, Major?” Kallen asked her with a puzzled look.

“I mean this mountain has an almost pyramidal shape to it.” Cecile used a small, box-shaped device the size of a tablet-computer to scan the mountain.

“If it’s a pyramid, then it’s the biggest one I’ve ever seen.” Rai looked at the mountain in awe. “It must be at least ten kilometers wide.”

“Ten point three actually,” Cecile tittered while they made their way to the mouth of the cave.

“This cave entrance is big.” Kallen looked over the large, natural-looking archway while she adjusted the length of rope over her shoulder. “Our KMFs could fit through it easily.”

“I expected as much,” Major Croomy said.

“Expected?” Shirley asked. “Have you seen this kind of thing before, Major?”

Cecile grinned, “Well not exactly, but it does have similar properties to a few places on Earth I visited years ago.”

“We don’t have time to dillydally here,” Kallen told them. “Let’s get this survey over with.”

“Yeah.” Shirley took out a flashlight from her utility belt. “Let’s, since this place is already creepy from the outside. I hate to think what’s inside.”

“You mean like bats?” Rai teased Shirley.

“Ewww,” Shirley cringed. “Don’t say that, Rai.”

Kallen rolled her eyes. “We don’t know if this moon even has bats, Shirley.”

Shirley perked up. “Oh, yeah.”

Cecile laughed, “Okay, let’s start the survey.”

The four of them walked into the darkness of the cave with their flashlights illuminating the path before them. The team traveled at a slow pace into the cave for nearly an hour until Cecile stopped in her tracks.

“What is it?” Kallen asked.

“I’m not sure.” Major Croomy seemed puzzled. “There’s a cavern ahead of us, but my instruments indicate that it’s huge with numerous large structures within it. I can only surmise that they’re stalagmites or some other rock formation. However, their layout is very uniform.”

“Why is that unusual?” Shirley asked.

“Because they appear to be laid out in a grid pattern,” Cecile told her.

“We’re not going to find out what they are just standing here.” Rai moved forward.

“Wait, Rai!” Cecile warned him, but it was too late.

“Ahhhh!” Rai cried out as his flashlight went out.

“RAI!” Kallen yelled as she rushed forward only to have her front foot land on open air.

Cecile and Shirley grabbed Kallen as her feet hung out over a cliff.

Kallen looked down to see Rai’s flashlight on a flat, rectangular structure a few meters below her.

“Rai!” Kallen called down towards the light.

“I’m alive,” he yelled back.

“Is there anything you can secure a rope to down there?” Cecile asked him as she and Shirley hauled Kallen back up onto the ledge.

“No, not really,” he told them as he panned his flashlight around the top of the flat structure he stood upon. “Though this structure doesn’t look like a stalagmite to me. I think it’s some kind of rooftop.”

“Rooftop?” Shirley blurted aloud.

“Yeah, there’s a rectangular opening in the middle of this thing,” Rai informed them as he walked to the center of the square landing. “It’s got a staircase running downward. Should I check it out?”

“NO!” Kallen yelled at him as she hammered an anchor into the rock floor and tied her rope around it. “We’re getting you up out of there.”

“Don’t you want to check this out first?” Cecile asked.

“We don’t know what could be down in that building,” Kallen told her, “and I don’t want to go down there with just a pistol.”

“Maybe we should go back for our KnightMares,” Shirley added as she panned her flashlight into the darkness. A faint glow in the distance caught her attention.

“Now that we know they’ll fit all the way through here…we’re going back for them,” Colonel Kozuki stated as she held the rope for Rai. “Okay, Rai, you start climbing up here.”

It took only a few minutes for Rai to scale the rope back up to the edge of the cliff. As soon as they were ready, the group briskly made their way back out of the cave and acquired their KnightMares.

“I think this is overkill,” Cecile told them as their machines flew down the cave mouth. “What could possibly be in here that requires this kind of firepower?” she asked as their machines came to rest on the edge of the cliff in KnightMare mode.

“If this place is what I think it is,” Kallen remarked with a tinge of anxiety, “then we may need all the firepower we can muster.”

“What do you mean?” Rai asked her.

“I think she means this place is a city,” Cecile said as she used the sensors of her Type-21E to scan over the vast chamber.

“Not just any kind of city.” Kallen hit the floodlights of her machine. The light from her Type-21Z illuminated the structures beyond.

“Wow,” Shirley said, “this place is huge.”

“Yes, it is,” Kallen stated with a scowl, “and it’s nearly identical to the city of the Geass Cult in China that the Black Knights destroyed in 2018. The only thing missing is…”

Colonel Kozuki boosted her machine into the air and headed for the faint glow in the distance.

“Wait, Kallen!” Shirley started after her.

“Shouldn’t we take this slowly?” Cecile demanded as Rai took off after Kallen and Shirley.

“There’s no time, Major,” Rai answered her. “Kallen’s onto something.”

“This is crazy,” Cecile blurted aloud as she chased after them in her KMF.

The four KnightMares flew for a few minutes over the vast city complex below them until they came to the far wall beyond.

A curtain of vine covered the wall the four Type-21s stood before. An orange-red glow emanated from it. Kallen opened her cockpit hatch and disembarked.

“Colonel!” Rai yelled as he opened his own hatch.

“Stay where you are, Rai!” Kallen ordered him as she approached the vines. She walked up to the wall and pushed back the long, creeper-like strands.

Kallen stepped backwards. “Oh, my God.”

“Are you alright, Kallen?” Shirley asked, seeing Colonel Kozuki stagger backwards.

Cecile noticed a small, stone, pyramid “stalagmite” jutting up from the smooth, flat, stone floor. She magnified the pyramid on her KMF’s video monitors and saw hieroglyphs that covered its surface all over. “Oh, no!” Major Croomy blurted out as she had her KMF pull back the vines.

The orange-red glow filled the chamber with copper-colored light as the face of the stone wall became clear.

“Whoa!” Rai said in awe. “Who would have guessed this would be here?”

“What is it?” Shirley demanded impatiently.

Cecile answered her as recognition of the gate-like structure made her nauseous, “It’s a Thought Elevator.”

[Kodai Okuda]

Code Geass: Alpha & Omega
Stage Five
Blockade Runner

“I hated putting my oldest sister in danger almost as much as I despised myself for having to leave Kallen and Shirley behind. Nevertheless, I had no choice in the matter since Cornelia was adamant about rushing the Babylonian blockade, and I knew that Kallen would certainly get herself killed during such an operation. You and C2 were right, if truly you love someone you have to set them free.” —Excerpt of an incomplete letter written to Enoch Apsu taken from the diary of Lelouch vi Britannia, dated March 17th, 2035 a.t.b.

March 4th, 2035 a.t.b.

“I lose again,” Clovis laughed as V2 moved his king into check.

“Shall we play another?” V.V. asked his nephew. The pair of them sat upon the back porch of the Aries Villa. A cold breeze whisked off the lake nearby, disturbing the normally warm, sunny morning.

“That’s odd,” Marianne said as she brought a tray of lemonade and sandwiches to Clovis and V.V.

“Huh? What’s odd, Lady Marianne?” Clovis asked.

She set the tray down in front of them. “The change in weather. I’ve never felt it like this before. It’s so…cold.”

V.V. looked out towards a dark line on the horizon beyond the lake. “Now that you mention it, I must admit that I’ve not seen that line of darkness since first coming here.”

Clovis followed V.V.’s gaze to the growing wall of black that was still some distance away but clearly getting closer. “It’s like a storm front of some kind.”

“I don’t recall there ever being a storm in the world of C,” Marianne remarked with a quiver in her voice. “Any idea what it could be?”

“None,” V.V. replied as the approaching gloom grew nearer.

“I wish Schneizel were here,” Clovis added, “he’s got a head for these things.”

“Perhaps we should go find Charles?” V.V. suggested. “He may know what this is.”

“I believe he’s with Nonette hobnobbing over KnightMare developments and speculating on what the future of them in the world of the living might be,” Marianne informed them.

“So then, let us depart for Brunswick Castle at once,” V.V. told them as the waters of the lake became turbulent with the rising speed of the wind.

“Agreed,” Clovis nodded.

The three of them whisked away from Aries Villa in a flash as their souls journeyed to find Charles zi Britannia.

* * *

“Well, there’s what’s left of the Intrepid,” Alice said, flying her KnightMare over the wreckage of the Kaminejima class frigate.

“At least we know the ship is still nothing more that a torn mass of metal,” Dalque remarked.

“Indeed.” Count Amontillado flew his mecha close to the ruined vessel. “But the question is, did Hel survive?”

“I think it’s possible that such a creature as Hel could live through the pounding we gave her warship,” Lucretia speculated. “Hel exhibited considerable regenerative powers. Who knows what extent of damage she can suffer and still heal.”

“I don’t like this.” Sancia used her Geass to scan the area. “There’s a lot of metal missing from this wreck.”

“How do you mean?” Count Amontillado asked.

“There is insufficient mass to account for what should be here.” Sancia confirmed her suspicions with the sensors of her Vincent-Advanced. “The main engine, FORGE, and graviton-impellers are gone.”

“Why would someone take those components?” Alice wondered aloud.

“That’s a good question,” Amontillado said, “and there’s only one way to find out.”

“We head for the vortex?” Lucretia asked, even though she knew the answer.

“Precisely,” Amontillado replied in a calm tone.

* * *

“Captain, our fleet has cleared the hyperspace marker buoy of The Seven Sisters,” Orpheus informed Jason over a laptop monitor. The portable computer laid on a small table within the observational lounge of the Glorious.

“Very good, Orpheus,” Jason replied. “Keep me informed of our progress.”

“Aye, sir; Orpheus out.” The man’s image vanished from the screen.

“The Seven Sisters?” Nunnally inquired from her comfy chair across from Jason.

Jason smiled at her, “I believe your people call them the Pleiades.”

Nunnally’s eyes grew wide. “Are we so far from Earth already? It feels like we just left.”

“We’re nearly 450 light-years from home,” Jason informed her. “Our force has been traveling at top speed for forty-five hours.”

“No wonder I’m so hungry,” she giggled. “I’ve barely eaten anything since we jumped into hyperspace.”

Jason gave her a concerned look. “You’d best keep track of the ship’s internal time and eat meals accordingly. Otherwise, you could starve yourself to death without realizing it until it’s too late. Hyperspace has strange effects on the human mind. While our bodies are relatively unaffected, the passage of time goes almost unnoticed by our psyche.”

The swirling colors of hyperspace filled the space outside the large, curved viewports of the lounge. “Oh, I didn’t know that,” she remarked as she reached over to a bowl of fruit on the coffee table and grabbed an apple.

“In forty-two days Earth time, the Galactic Council will receive us.” Jason changed the subject leaning back in his own chair.

Nunnally took a bite of the apple and ate a piece before speaking. “Does that trouble you?”

“Yes,” he stated flatly, “they’ll have been in session for nearly a week before we arrive. Our task force will only get there on the last day of the summit, which will give the Babylonians a full seven days to poison the ears of the other delegates.”

“It can’t be helped, Jason.” Nunnally tried to comfort him before biting off another piece of apple.

“I know,” he said in a somber tone, “we need to show them that the Earth forces are formidable, thus we had to wait until the Glorious was complete before our departure. However, even if this ship impresses them, it may not be enough to convince the council that war with the Commonwealth will be more costly than it is worth.”

“We’ve no choice but to convince them,” she said with a weak grin. “If the council chooses to eradicate my people, then nothing will stop the Babylonians from doing so and in the process gain control of Nibiru.”

“Where Hel will no doubt be waiting for them,” Jason added.

“Maybe,” Nunnally said softly, “but I’m more concerned about Nemo.”

“Has Lysandra learned anything new about that thing?” Jason inquired.

“No,” Nunnally replied with a frown, “whatever it is, Nemo has the ability to block its consciousness from her. Therefore, she can no longer make contact with it.”

“I suppose that’s better for the girl,” Jason said thoughtfully. “It’s my understanding that she goes through quite an ordeal when she does delve into the thing’s mind.”

“Indeed she does.” Nunnally finished off the apple and placed the core in a waste bin next to her. “The strange thing is, even when she wasn’t in contact with Nemo’s mind, she was still able to feel its presence until recently.”

“What is Nemo?” Jason inquired matter-of-factly.

Nunnally’s expression became distant with thought. “An ancient being from a forgotten civilization that possesses unimaginable power and equally unspeakable evil coupled with the insatiable desire to become a god.”

“Did Lysandra learn exactly how this evil thing intends to carry out its plans?” Jason asked.

Nunnally gave him a black look. “Lysandra didn’t divine that knowledge about Nemo.”

Jason was shocked. “Then how do you know so much about this thing?”

“Enoch told me,” she answered softly.

“Enoch?” Jason spat the name, showing his displeasure at the mere mention of the man. “What is Nemo to him?”

Nunnally grinned wickedly, “His nemesis.”

* * *

“Another Thought Elevator?” Cornelia couldn’t believe her ears.

“Yes, Captain,” Kallen confirmed the news over the main monitor on the bridge of the Kaminejima. “We found the second Thought Elevator on the side of a large rock face in a cove eight hundred kilometers north of the first one. It’s located on a small continent with sakuradite deposits that should meet our needs.”

“Were you able to open it?” Lloyd inquired from where he stood next to Cornelia, Enoch, and Lelouch.

Cecile’s image folded onto the screen next to Kallen’s. “No, Lloyd, we could not activate the second gate either. Kallen and Rai both tried but were unable to get any result.”

“It might require a Code-wielder to activate these gates,” Lelouch said as he contemplated the repercussions of there being multiple Thought Elevators on different planets.

“Is it possible that Nibiru is not the only mobile planet?” Kallen asked, looking at Enoch.

“Anything is possible,” the amber-eyed man answered her, “but it’s highly unlikely. It’s far more probable that there are numerous Thought Elevators throughout the galaxy that lead to Nibiru.”

Lelouch cupped his chin absentmindedly. “If that’s the case, then we’ve got a real problem.”

“No kidding,” Kallen interjected. “If there are multiple doorways to Nibiru, there’s no telling where they all are or how many are still active.”

“Which is why we must get to Hadar and warn the Commonwealth,” Guilford said as he walked onto the bridge.

“Have you finished moving the crew to the city?” Cornelia queried.

“Yes, Captain,” he replied with a nod, “we’ve moved all nonessential personnel, supplies, and nearly all of the Knightmare Frames there.”

“Very good,” Cornelia smiled at him before turning to Lloyd. “Professor Asplund, you should get going and take charge of the settlement.”

Lloyd put his hands on his hips. “Really, Cornelia, I still don’t think this is a good…” Cornelia’s glare caused him to pause.

“I’m through with this discussion, Lloyd. I’m not asking you, I’m telling you, get off my ship and proceed to the settlement at the city.”

Lloyd sighed, “Yes, Captain.” Lloyd left the bridge.

Cornelia turned to Lelouch. “Get your team ready.”

Lelouch nodded at her before he and Enoch left the bridge.

Captain Britannia turned back to Kallen. “Colonel Kozuki, get to the settlement as quickly as you can. It’s a given that the Babylonians will try and capture our people there to use them as hostages.”

Kallen scowled, “Aye, Captain, we’ll get to the settlement as the situation permits.”

* * *

“Hmmm, there certainly is quite a bit of movement.” Enkidu drew a sip of water out of a straw attached to a small bottle as he slouched in the cockpit seat of his Sargon-V.

“Indeed there is.” Gilgamesh sat up in his seat. “It would seem they’ve finished repairs and are preparing to leave.”

“Should we attack?” Enkidu was sick of waiting. He’d eaten, slept, and watched the repair of the Kaminejima patiently for days.

“I think now is the time,” Gilgamesh answered as the Earth warship began to lift off from the plateau it had hovered over. Gilgamesh touched an icon on his heads-up display. “All warriors, launch!”

The force of nearly two hundred Sargon-IVs moved in unison on the floor of the sea. The mass of machines caused silt to rise as their ion engines boosted them towards the surface, led by Gilgamesh and Enkidu in their Sargon-Vs.

* * *

“Kallen, I’ve got enemy units on my long-range RADAR!” Cecile blurted out as the mass of Sargon-Vs sprang from the ocean’s surface. “They’re heading for the Kaminejima.”

“Has the Kaminejima launched her KMFs yet?” Kallen demanded.

“No.” Cecile typed away on the touch screen of her Type-21E. “The Kaminejima has just begun accelerating away from the island and is now headed out over the ocean.”

“Major Croomy, I’m picking up over two hundred enemy units on my RADAR,” Rai stated in a concerned tone. “Is that correct?”

“Yes,” Cecile confirmed the number, “there are 202 enemy mecha.”

“TWO HUNDRED!” Kallen blurted out. “Those idiots!”

“Does this mean we’re defying orders?” Shirley asked Kallen mischievously.

“You bet your sweet ass we are,” Colonel Kozuki replied. “Major Croomy, you’re welcome to return to the settlement if you want. I can’t force you to disobey orders with us.”

“Are you kidding?” Cecile tittered. “I wouldn’t miss this for the world.”

“Alright then,” Kallen smiled wickedly, “let’s get over there and kick some ass.”

* * *

“Incoming!” Guilford exclaimed.

“Fire all anti-KMF batteries!” Cornelia commanded.

Instantly, the six twin-barrel, anti-Knightmare Frame Hadron Cannons came to life on both sides of the space frigate.

The six cannons unloaded a hail of deadly beams at the swarm of Sargons, destroying dozens of the Babylonian machines in the volley.

“The enemy units are breaking up into smaller groups,” Gilbert announced. He watched the movements of the Sargons on his computer monitor. The various blips burst about like fireworks then regrouped into smaller formations.

Cornelia studied the tactical information on her own console. “Helm, accelerate float generators to 36,000 kilometers per hour and keep us steady. Tactical, fire aft heavy Hadron Cannon batteries; keep those enemy mecha at bay.”

The pair of twin-barrel, heavy Hadron Cannon turrets on top of the Kaminejima turned and adjusted their nozzles toward the rapidly approaching Babylonian machines. The large-bore beam turrets erupted with the red and black streams of Hadron particles. The deadly streaks of energy tore through four of the numerous clusters of Sargon-IVs, reducing the groups to molten slag.

* * *

“They’ve increased their velocity, and our long-range Hades Cannons aren’t enough to knock down their shields,” Enkidu told Gilgamesh as the Hadron beams wiped out another dozen Sargons. “If we don’t close into melee attack range soon, they’ll tear us apart.”

“Patience, old friend,” Gilgamesh said. “We need to lead them to where we want them first.”

“Which is?” Enkidu asked while dodging a burst of Hadron blasts from one of the anti-KMF turrets.

Gilgamesh transmitted a map of one of the islands that the Kaminejima headed for. “When they pass over this volcano, we’ll hit the mountain with everything we’ve got. That should cause it to erupt.”

“So,” Enkidu scoffed, “such an eruption will only buffet their deflector screens. It won’t damage their vessel.”

“No, but the debris thrown up by the eruption will weaken their deflectors enough for our long-range weapons to penetrate.” Gilgamesh smiled, “Then we can bring her down and capture her.”

“I’m not so sure about this, Gilgamesh.” Enkidu rolled out of the way of yet another salvo from the Earth ship. “Enoch is on that ship; no doubt that devil has something up his sleeve.”

“I’m hoping he does,” Gilgamesh replied with a snicker. “His tactics are simpleminded and easy to guess. I assume he’s advised these mortals to run at full speed along a low altitude course to take advantage of this moon’s weather patterns and terrain. As you can see, their ship is headed for a large storm to the east. Such a low-pressure system provides a nice bit of camouflage when combined with ECM. Normally, this would allow such a vessel to skim along the surface nearly undetected.”

“I see.” Enkidu fired at the aft Meson shield of the Earth warship. His Hades beams bounced off the powerful energy screen. “I hope this plan of yours works. Otherwise, we’ll have to use the Esagila to bring her down.”

“I’ve already informed Captain Kassite of that possibility,” Gilgamesh said. “He’s waiting within the hurricane system to the east just in case we need him.”

“Guess you did think of everything on this one,” Enkidu laughed as the Kaminejima started over the volcano.

* * *

“Enemy units are still gaining on us,” Guilford recited off the telemetry from his tactical console. “Captain, we should launch KMFs to intercept—“

“No,” Cornelia cut him off, “they’ll be needed once we get into space. For now, we have to rely on the weapons of the Kaminejima.”

“Captain,” Darlton blurted out, “I’ve got four Type-21s inbound at 2-o’clock and closing fast.”

“Type-21s?” Cornelia growled. “Guilford, tell Captain Kozuki to veer off and get to the settlement at once. Inform her that she’s in danger here and this is a direct order to leave.”

“I’d like to, Captain,” Gilbert said sheepishly, “but I’ve already tried to contact them. They’ve obviously decided to run silent.”

“Damn it!” Cornelia cursed aloud.

“Captain!” Darlton shouted. “The enemy has fired on the volcano below us!”

“WHAT?!” Cornelia blurted out.

* * *

“All Sargons, concentrate fire at the base of the mountain!” Gilgamesh commanded over his helmet communicator.

His army of mecha responded with a converging salvo of Hades Cannon fire that turned the base of the mountain a cherry red as the stone turned molten hot. The expanding earth caused massive pressure to exert itself on the volcano as liquid water within the rock became steam.

Hot, molten rock spewed out the top of the volcanic cone as the pressure caused it to shoot up towards the Kaminejima. The superheated liquid crashed into the ventral deflector screen of the ship and poured over it like hot fudge over glass.

“NOW! FIRE ON THE LOWER SHEILDS!” Gilgamesh bellowed to his comrades.

The force of Babylonian machines aimed their lance-like gunpods at the bottom of the Kaminejima and unloaded a full barrage of cannon fire towards it.

The hail of beams passed through the badly weakened, ventral Meson screen and into the lower rear hull of the ship.

* * *

“Ahhhhh!” Cornelia and her bridge crew held onto their computer consoles for dear life as the ship was rocked by the impacts of the Hades bolts.

“Damage report!” Cornelia demanded.

“Severe damage to the bottom aft main Hadron turret,” Gilbert informed her as another salvo rocked the ship. “Main engine has taken minor damage…”

The ship began to list to port.

“What’s happening?” Cornelia yelled as the ship turned hard to port and started dropping.

“Their weapons must have damaged the ship’s gyroscopic system,” Darlton reported while his fingertips scrambled over his keypad. “I’ll have to reset the system.”

“You’d better hurry or this is going to be a short trip,” Cornelia barked.

The ocean was coming up fast through the viewports of the bridge.

* * *

“Looks like your plan worked,” Enkidu chuckled, bringing his Sargon-V up next to Gilgamesh’s machine. “They’re going down.”

“We need to finish them off to be sure,” Gilgamesh said in a cold tone, “and for that, we’ll need the Esagila.”

“But I thought we needed to capture them?” Enkidu asked in a befuddled tone.

“The ones we want are immortals,” Gilgamesh informed him, “they’ll survive.”

“Shouldn’t we at least do the honorable thing and give them a chance to surrender first?” Enkidu didn’t like the idea of wholesale slaughter of fellow warriors.

Gilgamesh sighed, “You’re of course correct, old friend.” He switched to a general radio frequency. “Attention, Earth vessel…”

* * *

“Captain, the enemy commander is hailing us.” Gilbert clutched the side of his chair as the Kaminejima righted itself just before skimming the ocean’s surface. The bulk of the enemy Sargon-IVs flew alongside the Earth ship, constantly firing on it with their Hades Cannons and pinpricking the warship with numerous holes in the armored skin of the craft.

“Let’s hear it.” Cornelia had an idea what the enemy wanted, and she needed to buy some time. Captain Britannia turned to her tactical officer. “Darlton, how close is Colonel Kozuki’s group?”

The anti-KMF beam turrets of the Kaminejima blazed with Hadron bolts that scored numerous deadly hits which brought down tens of Sargon-IVs with each volley as the battle ensued.

Claudio lurched forward as the ship shook violently from another score of Hades beams hitting the hull. “They’re nearly here.”

“Good,” Cornelia smiled, “send her a coded message to attack the enemy command group from above.”

Darlton was confused. “But, Captain, there’s no way they can take on that many—”

Cornelia eyed him. “NOW!”

“Aye, Captain,” Claudio responded stoically.

Gilgamesh’s helmeted visage appeared on the main viewscreen of the bridge. “…attention, Earth vessel, know that I am Gilgamesh, the commander of the Imperial Babylonian force which has you at its mercy. I offer you and your crew your lives in exchange for your unconditional surrender. You have one chance to answer, so choose wisely.”

Cornelia glanced at Darlton quickly. Claudio nodded slightly, indicating that he had sent Kallen the message.

“I am Captain Cornelia li Britannia of the Commonwealth frigate Kaminejima. What guarantee do I have that you’ll keep your word?”

“Guarantee?” Gilgamesh laughed. “My dear Captain Britannia, I offered no guarantee.”

Cornelia scoffed, “Then how can you expect me to surrender? Obviously, if we’re going to die, we’ll die fighting.”

“Very well,” Gilgamesh saluted her with a motion of his left hand, “may whatever gods you serve whisk you on your way into the afterlife.”

“Don’t be so sure of victory, Gilgamesh,” Cornelia warned him with a cold smile. She motioned Gilbert to cut the signal.

* * *

“Well, that’s that,” Gilgamesh said as he switched radio frequencies. “Captain Kassite.”

The image of a man in his middle forties appeared on Gilgamesh’s cockpit monitor. “Yes, Commander?”

“You are clear to attack the Earth vessel,” Gilgamesh told him flatly. “Try to minimize the amount of damage; we want as many of them taken alive as possible, but be sure to completely disable their vessel.”

“Of course, Commander,” Captain Kassite smiled, “I will do my utmost to comply with your wishes.” The man’s image vanished off the screen only to be replaced by Enkidu.

“Can the Esagila hit the enemy vessel accurately from her position?” Enkidu asked. “There’s still a great deal of electromagnetic interference due to the volcanic eruption and ash. Even our sensors are a bit fuzzy from all the debris.”

“I wouldn’t worry too much about Captain Kassite,” Gilgamesh reassured him, “he’ll do his duty.”

“I hope you’re right,” Enkidu replied, watching the Kaminejima limp over the surface of the ocean just to the east of the island they were above. “I’d hate to get blasted by friendly fire during the attack.”

“Don’t worry,” Gilgamesh told him with a titter as he flew his machine up over the large ash cloud from the erupting volcano below, “we’ll be out of the way when they—”

A Kaon beam tore through the left leg of Gilgamesh’s Sargon-V, causing severe damage to the limb.

“What the?” Enkidu blurted out as four shadows dove down with the sun behind them.

* * *

“Thought you’d take down our friends, did you?” Kallen yelled over the radio at the Babylonians. Her Type-21Z transformed into Knightmare mode and simultaneously unfolded the Kaon blade of its gunsword.

Kallen’s machine thrust the blade at the chest of Gilgamech’s Sargon.

A flash of metal intercepted her Kaon blade and parried the thrust.

“You’ll have to get through me first!” Enkidu said as the sigils of Geass burned in his eyes.

“No problem!” Kallen’s Zebulun cut the shield of Enkidu’s Sargon-V in half with its Kaon blade. She followed up with a barrage of Hadron blasts from one of her forearm cannons.

Enkidu’s Sargon flashed again, this time appearing just behind Kallen’s Type-21. “You’re mine!” he exclaimed as he thrust the lance of his machine at the back of the Zebulun.

“Not if I have anything to say about it!” Rai bellowed with a hail of Kaon beams that rained down on Enkidu’s Sargon.

Enkidu sped his machine out of the shower of energy bolts as fast as his Geass allowed him to. His Sargon-V did not escape unscathed. His machine’s beam-lance was riddled with holes that rendered it useless. Enkidu discarded the weapon and drew a beam-sword from a concealed storage bin at the waist of his Sargon.

“A noble effort,” Gilgamesh said as he parried another assault by Kallen with the shield of his Sargon-V. Colonel Kozuki’s Kaon blade tore through the adamantine shield, wrecking it. “However, you’re too late to save your vessel.”

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” Kallen spat.

“Watch,” Gilgamesh tittered.

A volley of pinkish white energy beams tore through the dark clouds of the approaching hurricane and slammed into the forward shields of the Kaminejima. The impact forced the already badly riddled frigate to dive nose-first into the sea.

Another barrage of beams streaked from the clouds into the ocean where the Earth ship has disappeared below the surface.

A moment later, the sea erupted in a titanic explosion that engulfed the swarm of remaining Sargon-IVs.

“NO!” Kallen yelled in anger while the vaporized sea water created a brief fog bank over the ocean surface. It cleared quickly, leaving only the silt-filled churning waters of the sea.

Nearly all of the Sargon-IVs and the Kaminejima were gone.

[Kodai Okuda]

Code Geass: Alpha & Omega
Stage Six
Hide and Seek

“To hide from one’s enemy is certainly easier than attempting to escape. Space may be vast, but sometimes it isn’t quite vast enough.” —Remark by Enoch Apsu to Kaguya Sumeragi with regard to the Hadar incident, dated June 7th, 2035 a.t.b.

March 4th, 2035 a.t.b.

A flight of KnightMare Frames left the mangled hull of the Intrepid behind them at speed. Their accelerated velocity brought them into the southern hemisphere of Nibiru quickly and eventually to the lip of the great orifice at the bottom of the mobile planet.

“There it is,” Count Amontillado spoke in a cautious tone. The gargantuan vortex filled their viewscreens.

“The cyclone appears to get considerably smaller at the orifice,” Lucretia informed them as their KnightMares came up on lip of the large, circular opening.

“Then we’ll dive into the mobile planet here,” Count Amontillado told them. He maneuvered the Uther over the edge of the hole.

“I advise against just rushing in there, Count,” Alice protested. “We don’t know what’s inside this thing.”

The count tittered, “And we won’t find out until we investigate.” He drove the Uther down along the side of the vortex.

“Damn him,” Alice cursed aloud. “Let’s go.”

The Irregulars followed the count’s lead into the huge, cavernous shaft.

* * *

“You BASTARDS!” Kallen yelled in anger as her Type-21Z slashed at Gilgamesh’s Sargon-V.

In the distance, the Esagila launched her compliment of Sargon-IVs: two hundred machines.

“There’s no need for you to die with them,” Gilgamesh said softly as his Sargon barely dodged the Kaon blade. The green edge of the weapon cut off portions of the hip armor of the Babylonian machine. “If you surrender now, I’ll spare your life.”

“Don’t patronize me!” Kallen’s Zebulun swiped at the shield arm of the Sargon in a twisting motion with its blade before swinging upwards into the waist of the machine.

Gilgamesh anticipated the move, but Kallen was too fast and nearly cut his Sargon-V in half. It was all Gilgamesh could do to keep the blade from cutting his machine in two by parrying her attack with the Sargon’s lance. “I see there’s no reasoning with you.”

“You kill my friends then expect me to be reasonable?” Kozuki scoffed as she drove the blade deeper through the lance.

“I had hoped so.” Gilgamesh’s Sargon let go of the lance and kicked itself free of Kallen’s Zebulun. In the next instant, the lance exploded.

“DAMN YOU!” Kallen yelled as her Zebulun let loose of the Kaon gunsword weapon pod just in time to save her machine’s arm. “You’ll pay for that.” Kallen unsheathed the beam-sabers of her mecha and dove at Gilgamesh.

The Sargon-V drew its own beam-sword from its concealed hip pouch. “Your tactics are so predictable,” he said as he let her lunge towards him.

Kallen’s Type-21Z slashed at the Sargon-V with precise attacks that Gilgamesh dodged and parried with equal skill. The pair of machines was locked in a dance of death.

“Your ability is impressive,” Gilgamesh said with a wicked smile as Kallen made calculated thrusts and slashes.

“Glad you think so,” Kallen spat back.

“But it will not avail you against me.” The sigil of Geass appeared in his eyes just as Kallen’s machine twisted in close for another thrust. Gilgamesh reversed his parry and drove the tip of his beam-saber home towards the torso of the Zebulun just to the side of the cockpit.

“Don’t be so sure about that!” The sigil of Geass burned in Kallen’s eye while bolts of energy arced around her in the cockpit. Kallen unloaded a hail of Hadron bolts from the pair of torso-mounted cannons into the Sargon-V. The beams blasted off the head and chest armor of Gilgamesh’s machine and pushed his mecha back away from the Zebulun.

“How…” Gilgamesh was awestruck upon seeing that his beam-saber blade had only grazed the torso armor of her machine.

“You’re not the only one with Geass, Gilgamesh.” Kallen sounded winded. “I jaunted my mecha a meter away from your thrust.” Her Zebulun slashed with both of its beam-swords. “It happened so fast, you didn’t even notice in your zeal to defeat me, and that was your mistake.” Her blades cut Gilgamesh’s machine into quarters, sending the smoldering wreckage of the main body crashing to the island below.

Kallen slumped down in her cockpit. Colonel Kozuki was exhausted from jaunting her entire KnightMare Frame. “If only I were stronger,” she whispered to herself.

* * *

“GILGAMESH!” Enkidu roared over the radio. Geass burned in his eyes as his machine blinked out from in front of Rai’s KMF at incredible speed and soared towards Kallen’s Zebulun.

Rai flew his Type-21Z to intercept as fast as he could but a Sargon-IV—from the Esagila—attacked him from behind. “Damn you! Get out of my way!” Rai yelled at the Babylonian machine, which parried a hail of Kaon beams from the gunsword of the Zebulun.

Rai activated his Kaon blade, causing the weapon to unfold over the beam gun. “Move!” he yelled as his Zebulun swung at the enemy mecha.

The Sargon-IV rolled past the sword and fired a burst of Hades blasts from its lance-cannon.

Rai used the Blaze Luminous shields of his mecha’s forearms to block the assault. “This is taking too long,” he grumbled through gnashed teeth.

Behind the Sargon-IV, Rai saw Enkidu’s machine bring its beam-saber down towards the cockpit of Kallen’s Zebulun.

“KALLEN, MOVE!” Rai screamed over the radio while his Kaon blade cut through the large combat shield of the Sargon-IV.

Enkidu’s saber nearly reached the cockpit when a Hadron beam blew the sword hilt to bits.

“What the?” Enkidu blurted out over the radio. A Type-21Z swooped down at his Sargon-V.

“Kallen, get out of there!” Shirley yelled while simultaneously unloading another salvo of Hadron blasts at Enkidu’s mecha.

“Shirley…,” Kallen said in a weak tone. She could barely fly her Type-21Z. “Look out behind you.”

“Wha?” Shirley spun her Zebulun around just as Enkidu’s machine rammed into hers. “Ahhhh!”

“YOU DARE INTERFERE!” Enkidu roared over the radio as Shirley’s machine was thrown back. His mecha removed a second beam-saber from the opposite hip plate of the first beam-sword. Enkidu thrust the saber at Shirley’s cockpit. “NOW YOU…”

“DIE!!!” Shirley finished his sentence as the sigil of Geass burned in her forehead.

The beam-sword was extinguished as Enkidu wrenched at the controls of his mecha. “Huh?” Enkidu blurted out, as his machine lost all power and fell towards the island below. He laughed aloud to himself, “Hahahaha…impressive, most impressive.” His Sargon-V slammed into the lagoon below.

“Kallen,” Shirley called out to her over the comm, “you gonna be okay?”

“Yeah,” Kallen replied, feeling her strength return, “I was just winded, that’s all.”

“That’s good,” Cecile cut in as she felled a Sargon-IV, “because we’ve got company.”

The swarm of hundreds of Sargon-IVs from the Esagila was rapidly approaching with the Babylonian warship not too far behind.

“There’s no way we can take them all on. Our energy fillers are nearly depleted,” Rai said as he finished off the Sargon-IV he’d been fighting with his Kaon blade.

“We don’t have much choice,” Kallen told them. “If we don’t stop them here and now, they’ll find Lloyd and the others, and I think we all know what will happen.”

“Right,” Shirley said confidently, “let’s take ’em.”

A wide Hadron beam erupted from below the ocean surface and cut a swath through the mass of Sargon-IVs, destroying nearly all of them.

“That beam…” Kallen knew only one machine could generate that level of destructive force through seawater.

As if to confirm her suspicion, the Kaminejima burst through the surface of the ocean and unloaded a full broadside of Hadron bolts into the side of the Esagila with her main turrets.

The Babylonian ship listed to its port for a moment then exploded.

“The Kaminejima!” Shirley exclaimed in awe.

“But that explosion,” Rai protested in disbelief.

“A FLEIJA,” Cecile answered his obvious question. “They must have detonated one underwater to make it look like their FORGE had gone critical.”

“Lelouch,” Kallen tittered.

“How do you know it was his plan?” Rai asked as the anti-mecha batteries finished off the remaining Sargon-IVs.

“Gee, uh, I dunno,” Shirley said sarcastically, “it’s reckless, over the top, flamboyant, and totally brilliant…it has Lelouch written all over it.”

“She has a point,” Cecile laughed.

“Well, Kallen,” Shirley asked as the Kaminejima flew away from them towards the heavens, “what now?”

Kallen sighed, “We did what we needed to here; now we return to our new home.”

* * *

“We’ve cleared the atmosphere,” Guilford informed Cornelia.

“Thank you, Gilbert. Claudio, any sign of the enemy?” she inquired, knowing full well that the Babylonians wouldn’t just let them leave without a fight.

“I’ve got eight enemy warships heading towards us at high speed from around the dark side of the moon,” Darlton informed her. He watched his scope intently as he read off the data.

“Helm, make for the closest cluster of asteroids as fast as you can,” Captain Britannia gave the order while watching the overhead viewscreen. The monitor displayed a digital map of the space surrounding the gas giant.

“I think this area will suit our purposes best, Captain,” Guilford informed her. He used his own control station to highlight a dense cluster of space rocks that spanned over a large portion of the space around the moon.

“The Babylonians no doubt realize we’ll have to weave through the asteroids to escape them. That cluster will likely be filled with enemy units, but we don’t have a choice,” Cornelia scowled. “We can’t risk trying to run their blockade in open space, or else they’ll just drag us back out of hyperspace again. We need to scatter their fleet enough to slip through their net.”

“So we’re flying into a trap,” Gilbert said nonchalantly.

Cornelia smiled at him, “It’s not the first time.” She highlighted a section in the core of the asteroid cluster. “This area is the best place for an enemy to set up an ambush. It’s not so dense as to prevent combat but also just narrow enough to box us in.”

“And you plan on obliging them?” Guilford tittered.

“Yes.” Her left eyebrow raised. “We’ll use the same tactic Lelouch used against us at Narita.”

Gilbert looked confused for a moment and then realized her meaning. “Ah, good idea, Captain.”

She snickered, “I thought you’d like it.”

* * *

“Using a FLEIJA underwater to simulate the destruction of the ship, who would have thought that would work?” Enoch asked from the cockpit of his Type-21Z as he, Lelouch, and C2 waited in their mecha on the flight deck of the Kaminejima.

“It was the plan with the best possible chance of success,” Lelouch told him matter-of-factly.

“And the most dangerous,” C.C. scolded him.

“To succeed in this level of conflict, one has to take risks,” Lelouch retorted.

“Oh? Still aspiring to going back to being a Zero, huh?” C.C. snickered.

“Ha, ha,” Lelouch grumbled, “and I see you’re still being a witch.”

“Well, doesn’t every demon need his witch?” C.C. teased.

“Indeed he does,” Lelouch said softly.

“Okay, you two,” Enoch spoke in a parental tone, “stay focused on the task at hand. I realize waiting to get the mission underway is boring, but you two should be used to it by now.”

“Jealous much?” C.C. taunted Enoch.

“What?” Apsu blurted out. “Why? Are you having second thoughts about us, gorgeous?”

“Not even,” C.C. scoffed with a snigger.

Lelouch laughed, “Careful, old man. That’s my woman you’re talking to.”

“Not yet, I’m not,” C.C. reminded him. “I don’t see a ring on my finger.”

Lelouch’s tone became serious. “Well then, I better correct that once this conflict is over.”

Enoch was taken aback. “Uh…would you two like me to switch off my radio so you can talk alone?”

“No,” Lelouch stated, “I don’t care who knows how I feel.”

“Lelouch,” C.C. said with surprise, “I…I don’t know what to say.”

“You don’t have to say anything right now,” he told her. “Wait until I ask you properly and this war is behind us.”

“Ah, immortal love,” Enoch sighed, thinking of his relationship with Delphi and where the platinum-haired woman probably was at the moment.

“Lelouch,” Cornelia’s voice came in over the comm, dispelling the air of the moment.

“Yes, Captain.” Lelouch snapped back to the business ahead of them.

“We’ve reached the core of the asteroid field,” Cornelia informed him. “I need you and your team to launch before we pass through it.”

“You expect an ambush?” Lelouch asked.

“Indeed I do,” Cornelia answered him with a thin smile, “but I have a plan that I’m sure you’ll find familiar.”

* * *

“The enemy vessel has left the surface of the moon, milady, and entered into the asteroid field,” Adad informed Ishtar on the bridge of the Hammurabi. The Tiamat class warship loomed just outside the large debris field that surrounded the gas giant and its moons.

“Any word from Gilgamesh or Uruk squadron?” Ishtar inquired smoothly.

“No, milady,” Adad reported with a crooked smirk. “It would seem the Earth forces have defeated him and destroyed the Esagila in the process.”

“I see,” she replied in a cold tone. “Tell our forces to close in around the enemy vessel and cripple it.”

“But didn’t Marduk, himself, relay that our orders are to destroy the craft?” Adad hissed.

“I want these troublesome mortals to pay for the death of my champion in person,” Ishtar eyed Adad venomously, “and I reserve the right to have my revenge.”

Adad knew better than to cross his goddess. He bowed low before her, “As you wish, milady.”

* * *

“How far down does this whirlwind go?” Dalque asked aloud as the Irregulars made their way along the spiraling vortex within the vast space of the interior of the Dyson Sphere.

“About twenty-five hundred miles…give or take a few,” Sancia answered her.

“Then we’re nearing the artificial sun at the core of the mobile planet,” Amontillado said in a concerned tone. The large, yellow-white artificial star loomed in the distance, but how far the raw fusion reactor was from their position was difficult to gauge.

“Lucretia, can you get a bearing on how close we are to the core?” Alice asked nervously.

“There’s too much interference in here,” Lucretia said. “Even my Geass is incapable of determining our range from Nibiru’s internal sun.”

“Hey, what the heck is that?” Lucretia inquired to no one in particular while the Irregulars continued their descent.

“I don’t know,” Amontillado replied in a thoughtful tone. “It appears to be something around the equator of the artificial sun.”

There in front of the flight of Vincent-Advanced KMFs was a large, ring-shaped structure. The ring measured nearly one hundred miles wide and ran the circumference of Nibiru’s internal star at some distance from the coronal region of the giant fusion reactor. Four enormous tubes, miles in diameter, extended from the sun side of the ring down into the artificial sun at equidistant points.

“The vortex appears to end on that ring,” Sancia informed them, using both her Geass and her machine’s enhanced sensor suite. “I think there’s some kind of urban complex down there, but it’s too difficult to tell with all this damn interference.”

“I guess this means we’re going to have a closer look,” Alice grumbled.

“We have no choice, Major,” Amontillado told her. “We need to know what is causing this vortex and why.”

“Sancia is right,” Lucretia said. “There’s a building complex where the vortex narrows considerably.”

“Let’s check it out,” Dalque added in an impatient tone. “All this flying is getting boring.”

The count let out a laugh. “Very well, Dalque, you can take point as we make our descent towards the complex.”

“Thank you, sir,” Dalque exclaimed in excitement. “Maybe we’ll finally get some action.”

The Irregulars accelerated towards the point where the maelstrom met the ring.

* * *

“Two Nebuchadnezzar cruisers and twenty Tammuz class escorts dead ahead!” Claudio stated in a controlled voice.

“Their formation is extremely tight,” Gilbert added.

“Excellent,” Cornelia smiled. “No doubt there are additional escorts surrounding us on all sides in equally tight formations.”

“Enemy mecha approaching!” Claudio exclaimed.

“Fire a spread of high-explosive torpedoes aft and to our flanks. Have their warheads set to maximum area of effect.” Cornelia relayed her orders in a cool, calm manner. “Fire forward Hadron batteries at the port Nebuchadnezzar, and tell our anti-KMF gunners to take down only the enemy mecha that get within range to fire their weapons.”

“Aye, Captain,” Guilford responded with a nod.

The Kaminejima shook as the first energy blasts from the Babylonian escorts hit their Meson shields. The three forward-firing dual Hadron Cannon turrets of the Kaminejima unloaded a full salvo at the lead Nebuchadnezzar. The shields of the enemy ship shimmered in a kaleidoscope of color—like the surface of a soap bubble in the sun—before dissipating the Hadron beams.

“Their forward screens are down fifteen percent,” Claudio reported as the torpedo salvo felled hundreds of Sargon-IVs that flew in dangerously tight formation while they weaved their way through the asteroids at thousands of miles per hour.

The bridge crew of the Kaminejima lunged forward from the impact of another volley of Hades Cannon blasts.

“Our ventral shields are down twenty percent,” Darlton rattled off.

“Guilford, how close are they?” Cornelia demanded. She held on to the armrests of her captain’s chair as the ship shook from another hit to her Meson screens.

“Nine hundred miles and closing,” Gilbert replied in his monotone.

“Damn, they’re moving faster than I anticipated.” Cornelia considered the situation for a moment. “Guilford, fire a salvo of torpedoes at the Nebuchadnezzar, and then follow up with a volley of Hadron beams from the main turrets,”

“Won’t that allow their mecha to reach us?” Gilbert asked with concern. “There’re still a considerable number of them.”

“I know that,” she sighed, “but it can’t be helped; we’ve got to break through their cruiser blockade for this plan to work.”

“Aye, Captain.” He knew better than to second-guess the Goddess of Victory and press the issue.

The small Earth frigate unleashed a full barrage of torpedoes at the Babylonian cruiser. The mighty warship fired its Hades Cannons at the approaching missiles in a vain attempt to shoot them down, but the warheads hit their mark and impacted on the shields of the vessel. The defense screens of the Nebuchadnezzar flickered brilliantly then evaporated.

“Their shields are down!” Claudio announced.

“Aim for their engines and fire all Hadrons!” Cornelia commanded.

The three forward-firing Hadron turrets rained a shower of deadly beam energy at the large, conical engines of the Babylonian warship. The bolts pierced the sides of the engine cones, and in the next instant, the engines erupted in a titanic explosion.

“Captain, the second cruiser is bringing its weapons to bear on us,” Claudio blurted out while keeping the rising panic in his voice under control.

The Kaminejima shook violently from a barrage of Hades Cannon blasts that showered the dorsal and starboard Meson screens of the Earth vessel.

“Dorsal shield down sixty-five percent!” Darlton yelled.

“Full power to shields,” Cornelia ordered. “Guilford, give them a volley of torpedoes.”

Gilbert only nodded in response as he gave the fire control room the order to fire another salvo of space torpedoes.

“We’re passing through the point of Critical Mass,” Claudio said while the flight of torpedoes decimated the ventral shields of the Nebuchadnezzar class cruiser.

“Helm, hard to port, pass through as close to the asteroids as you can!” Cornelia demanded.

The main engine of the Kaminejima took the vessel to within yards of a two-mile-diameter asteroid surrounded by hundreds of smaller rocks, some of which were nearly as large.

“Our Meson screens are taking a pounding from all this debris,” Darlton warned. “I don’t know how long they’ll hold out.”

The Nebuchadnezzar unleashed a hail of Hades Cannon blasts at the aft end of the Earth frigate. The bulk of its deadly beams impacted the asteroids that drifted aimlessly through the vacuum of space.

“Captain, the enemy fleet has our aft, dorsal, ventral, port, and starboard flanks cut off.” Claudio monitored his viewscreen intently.

“Don’t worry, Claudio, we’re nearly clear.” Cornelia gave him an empty smile. This had better work.

* * *

“They’re in position, Big-Z,” Enoch informed Lelouch over the radio.

“Hit them NOW,” Lelouch said in a commanding tone.

A pair of golden beams of energy screamed across space from the top of the large, two-mile-wide asteroid towards the port side of the Nebuchadnezzar class cruiser. The beams hit the soap bubble-colored energy screen of the Babylonian ship, causing it to shimmer then flash out.

“You’re clear, old man,” Lelouch boomed over the radio.

“Roger that,” Enoch said as his Type-21Z flew up in fighter mode from the bottom of the two-mile-wide asteroid towards the unprotected side of the Babylonian warship. He weaved his way through the hail of anti-mecha battery fire and Sargon-IVs that attempted to intercept him. He aimed his forward-facing beam cannons carefully towards the armored cooling fins that covered the main power conduit of the vessel and fired. The full barrage of Hadron and Kaon beams ripped the metallic skin off the side of the warship and exposed a large, cylindrical power artery.

“Okay, gorgeous, it’s your turn,” Enoch told C.C. as he pulled his fighter clear.

“This is almost too easy,” C.C. snickered as she fired the main chest-mounted beam weapon of her Hakodeshim. A brilliant beam of gold spewed forth from the Ariel at the exposed side of the Nebuchadnezzar class cruiser. The beam impacted the power conduit, sending an enormous jolt of energy through the large cruiser. Electrical bolts arced all over the surface of the warship as it listed towards the two-mile-wide asteroid.

“Time to go!” Lelouch said while flying the Samael away from the doomed asteroid.

The Ariel and Enoch’s Type-21Z joined his machine in formation as the Nebuchadnezzar crashed into the surface of the asteroid and exploded. The force of ship’s fusion reactor detonating caused the two-mile-wide space rock to shatter into thousands of pieces. The shock wave of the explosion combined with the shrapnel of the asteroid caused a shotgun effect that sent the high-speed rocks in every direction.

Babylonian ships scrambled to try and escape the deadly shower to no avail. They were too closely packed to evade the rain of rocky debris, which tore through the fleet of escorts like shotgun pellets through fruit. In seconds, the whole Babylonian task force had been reduced to scrap metal.

“Wow, Cornelia was right,” C.C. said. “This was just like Narita.”

“Well, she was on the receiving end of this strategy,” Lelouch tittered.

“Using the Nebuchadnezzar like the radiant wave surger was a brilliant idea on her part,” Enoch added as they flew towards the ventral KMF hangar of the Kaminejima.

“It certainly was—” Lelouch started to say but cut himself short. “I’m picking up a flight of KMFs inbound…and fast.”

“Roger that,” C.C. said. “It looks like twenty Sargon-Vs and a Gilgamesh Mark-III custom unit.”

“The custom unit is the Anunit…,” Enoch told them while maneuvering his Type-21Z to intercept the new arrivals, “…it’s Ishar’s mecha.”

* * *

“Our foe has made a critical error,” Ishtar told Adad over the video monitor of the Anunit. They’ve fallen for my trap completely and brought themselves out of that infernal vessel where we can collect them more easily.”

“I still protest your ladyship partaking of this mundane task,” Adad scolded her.

Ishtar giggled, “Really, Adad, even I need to flex my might every now and then. You wouldn’t want me to lose my talent for armored combat, would you?”

Adad bowed, “Of course not, your Ladyship.”

“Good, now have the Hammurabi drive that cursed ship of theirs off so that there’s no one to interfere.”

“Shouldn’t we destroy the Earth vessel?” Adad had hoped to be able to finish off the troublesome craft.

“No, they’ve earned their escape by defeating both my champion and the battlegroup we sent against them.” Ishtar smiled wickedly, “Besides, taking away their champion and his consort will be a far better punishment for them.”

Adad bowed again, “By your command, milady.”

The pale white and gray, female-looking Babylonian mecha sped towards the Samael and Ariel.

* * *

“That’s a Tiamat class warship,” Gilbert bellowed. “They’re firing a full barrage at us!”

“Evade!” Cornelia ordered as a shower of energy beams rained down towards their starboard side.

“Enemy mecha,” Claudio reported, “they’re heading for the Crimson Cavaliers.”

“Lelouch.” The realization of what the enemy was after suddenly hit Cornelia. “We’ve got to get Lelouch and the others back onboard immediately.”

“We can’t,” Guilford protested as a barrage of heavy Hades beams shook the Kaminejima. “If we attempt to move closer to the Crimson Cavaliers, that Tiamat will surely destroy us.”

“Claudio, inform Lelouch of the situation and order him back here at once.” Cornelia hoped Lelouch and the others could get to them through the force of enemy battlerobots.

“Aye, Captain,” Darlton responded obediently.

* * *

“Here they come!” Enoch warned as the first ten Sargon-Vs closed in on them. Apsu transformed his KMF into KnightMare mode and unloaded a salvo of Kaon beams at the lead Sargon-V. His barrage hammered the combat shield of the enemy unit into molten slag before the pilot discarded the ruined thing.

“Well, this doesn’t look very fun,” C.C. griped as she unsheathed the twin beam-sabers of the Ariel and cut through one of the Sargon-V’s quickly at full speed. A second machine took its place almost immediately.

“Don’t worry,” Lelouch snickered, “it would seem they don’t intend to kill us.” His Samael fired its forearm-mounted beam cannons in a wide pattern, incinerating six of the Sargon-Vs.

“So, Enoch gives his prize machine to the infamous Zero, does he?” Ishtar’s voice came in over the general radio frequency. “How noble of him.” Her Anunit flew up in front of Lelouch. The massive, adamantine wings of the mecha looked like a pair of curved, elongated snail shells that hung off the backpack of the mecha on either side of the machine, giving it a “big-shoulder” look. The conical head, slender arms and legs, and feminine-shaped torso showed a level of craftsmanship above and beyond the normal Babylonian Sargon unit. Oddly, her mecha did not carry a weapon.

Ishtar unsheathed a beam-saber from a concealed compartment under the left hip armor. “Let’s see if you truly deserve that machine.”

“Lelouch, get out of there!” Enoch warned him over the radio while his Type-21Z tore through two Sargon-Vs.

“Don’t worry, Enoch,” Lelouch said, “I’ll be careful.”

Ishtar let out a laugh, “Why don’t you just surrender and come with me? If you do, I’ll let your friends go.”

“I don’t think so.” Lelouch shot a rapid succession of gold energy bolts from the forearms of Samael. The blasts impacted harmlessly onto a pale blue sphere that surrounded the Anunit.

“You’ll have to do better than that,” Ishtar tittered as her mecha lunged at the Samael.

“How about this?” Lelouch fired a full-powered shot that penetrated the shield, but Ishtar twisted her machine slightly at the last moment and evaded the bolts.

“Too slow,” she cooed while thrusting her beam-saber at the head of the Samael.

Lelouch boosted to the opposite side of her attack and unsheathed one of his own beam-swords. “You were saying?” The Samael cut at one of the snail-like structures.

“You’re a fool,” Ishtar sniggered viciously as her mecha spun around and kicked the Samael away from her machine. Ishtar flew a measured distance from the Samael. “Now learn the power of my Anunit.” The snail structures opened up like wings to each side of the Babylonian mobile armor and began to shimmer. “Feel the Love of the Moon.” Blue-white energy coursed through the snail-like structures as the Anunit rose its free hand towards the Samael. A sphere of blue surrounded Lelouch’s machine. The sphere of energy paralyzed the movements of his mecha.

“A zero gravity well…but how?” Lelouch knew her machine was customized, but he hadn’t anticipated such a small machine having the ability to manipulate gravity due to the massive amount of power required.

“Oh,” Ishtar smiled, “it’s a little more than that.” The open hand of the Anunit clenched into a fist, and the sphere collapsed around the Samael. The blue-white energy crushed the mecha, causing the head, arms, wings, and legs to crumple up towards the torso like a fetus.

“Ahhhhh!” Lelouch screamed in agony as his cockpit collapsed all around him.

Ishtar touched a green icon on her display screen to contact one of her fellow Sargon pilots. “Take this one back to the Hammurabi while I retrieve the other one, and be careful not to cross paths with Enoch Apsu. I’m sure he’ll try to rescue his pupil and—”

“You’re going to pay for that, you bitch!” C.C. yelled over the comm as she broke through another Sargon-V towards the Anunit. She attacked in a blind fury that threw Ishtar off balance.

“So, my prize comes to me willingly, eh, woman?” Ishtar taunted C.C. but had to fall back to evade the green-haired witch’s onslaught.

“I couldn’t help but notice that little trick of yours required some distance to pull off,” C.C. replied. The Ariel thrust at the center of the left snail-like structure and hit its mark. The yellow beam blade sunk deep into the circular structure.

“Arrogant wench!” Ishtar cursed then brought her own machine’s beam-saber up into the torso of the Ariel. The beam tore through the armored skin of the Hakodeshim deep into the cockpit. The Ariel went limp. “There, it will take some time for you to regenerate from that.” The Anunit took hold of the Ariel under its arm and started back towards the Hammurabi at maximum speed.

“Adad, prepare to depart this area immediately,” Ishtar informed him as her machine came close to the Tiamat class warship. “I have the second prize with me now. We need to get out of here before—“

“Leaving so soon?” Enoch teased Ishtar over the radio.

“What? Where are you…you amber-eyed devil.” Ishtar used her sensors to scan the area quickly but the Hammurabi obscured most of her view. She knew she had to find him fast or else face defeat.

“Don’t you want to see me again?” Enoch asked in a hurt tone. “For old times sake.”

Ishtar caught sight of his machine in fighter mode heading towards her at full speed from the rear of the Tiamat class warship where he had obviously used the electromagnetic field of the ion engines for cover.

His Zebulun slammed into the Anunit from below, freeing the Ariel and sending Ishtar’s mecha reeling backwards in space. “You know, of all the women I’ve had the pleasure to love, you were definitely the biggest disappointment.”

“You dare to insult me at a time like this?” Ishtar couldn’t believe he’d bring up such a painful memory in battle.

Enoch transformed his mecha into KnightMare mode and unfolded the Kaon blade of his machine. “To think of how I left Athena for your sorry ass.” He cut the beam-saber from the hand of the Anunit. “I don’t know what I was thinking.”

The mention of Athena caused Ishtar to burn with rage. “You whore! You dare to speak of this in the open?!” Ishtar boosted away from his machine and activated the zero gravity wings of the Anunit. “Now you shall pay for that insult!” She moved the weapon’s setting to maximum and pulled the trigger on her control stick. Nothing happened.

“Aw, did C2 break your toy?” Enoch laughed manically as he cut off the left arm of the Anunit with the Kaon blade. “That’s too bad.” The Zebulun thrust towards the cockpit of her mecha.

The Anunit dodged the attack. “I’m not that easily defeated, Enoch.” Ishtar unsheathed her machine’s second beam-saber and sliced off the shoulder armor of the Type-21Z.

“Maybe not in battle, but in bed you’re about as exciting as grass growing,” Enoch taunted her.

“Rrrrrraaah!!” Ishtar rammed her mecha into his and sliced at it in an insane fury. She cut off the Blaze Luminous generator of the right arm, sliced part of the right wing, and damaged the right torso armor of his machine. A battery of anti-mecha cannons on the surface of the Hammurabi caught her eye, and she forced his machine towards them. She switched her radio to a coded frequency.

“Now that’s better,” Enoch teased. “I like you when you’re all fired up.” He fired a salvo of Kaon blasts at her mecha, which blew the shoulder armor and portions of the two snail-like structures off.

Ishtar pulled her machine back. “Your ego is your worst enemy, Apsu…NOW, ADAD!”

“What?” Enoch caught sight of the anti-mecha batteries, but it was too late. “Cheater!” he called out to Ishtar as a hail of Hades beams cut through his Zebulun. He used the Blaze Luminous shield of his left arm to parry as many of the blasts as possible, but it was no use. His mecha’s energy fillers were running out, and he had to act swiftly.

“We’ll leave you here to rot in space,” Ishtar spat at him then switched off her comm as she headed towards the hangar bay of the Hammurabi.

Enoch cursed softly to himself, “Not if I have anything to say about it.” He transformed his badly damaged machine back into fighter mode and rammed it into the side of the warship.

[Kodai Okuda]

Code Geass: Alpha & Omega
Stage Seven
Code

“I knew it was dangerous from the start, but still, we had to know who was pulling the strings of the Babylonians. There was a chess master behind their actions, and I was determined to find out who they were, even if it cost me my life…” —Excerpt from an email sent by Colonel Lelouch vi Britannia to Ambassador Nunnally vi Britannia, dated June 21st, 2035 a.t.b.

March 12th, 2035 a.t.b.

“Eight days of searching around this place and we’ve seen nothing but the vortex and deserted buildings,” Dalque lamented. The Irregulars moved their mecha around a large plaza surrounded by step pyramid structures made of a metallic substance. Various green foliage of clearly alien origin covered the landscape around the buildings. They flourished in the dense humidity of the foggy atmosphere that hung over this section of the large ring that surrounded Nibiru’s artificial sun.

“It is certainly very unusual,” Count Amontillado commented. His Uther led the way as they continued their detailed survey of the city complex in the dim sunlight, which reflected off the inner surface of the Dyson Sphere hundreds of miles above their heads.

“Definitely is creepy.” Sancia rotated her Vincent-Advanced sensor head to the right and scanned another of the large pyramid-shaped buildings. The sigil of Geass burned a bright pink on the forehead of the pale-haired woman. She used her the ORDER power to scan for life-forms. “This place is completely devoid of anything save the vegetation.”

Alice moved her Vincent-Advanced along the surface of the metallic roadways towards the large, coliseum-shaped building that the vortex swirled down into. “Something’s not right here. This place ought to be crawling with Knights of Nibiru if Hel was behind this…don’t you think, sir?”

“I don’t really know, Alice.” Count Amontillado took in the whole situation. His masked face studied the large, metallic coliseum for a few moments. “Lucretia, what is the exact position of this bowl-shaped building in relation to the tubular structures below this ring around Nibiru’s sun?”

Lucretia used her the LAND Geass power to get an instant mental image of the underside of the ring structure. “The coliseum-shaped building is directly above the center of the cylindrical tubes that penetrate deep into the core of the sun.”

The count cupped his chin. “I thought as much.”

“What does it mean, Count?” Alice inquired.

He sighed, “It means that whatever is happening here is at the core of the artificial sun. If I had to venture a guess, I’d say that whoever is behind this is attempting to restore this mobile planet to its full power. That’s assuming it wasn’t at full power already.”

“Does that mean we have to go into the sun?” Dalque asked.

“What’s the matter, Dalque? I thought you wanted some action?” Sancia ribbed her.

“That was before we spent a few days camping here,” Dalque replied. “Sancia, don’t tell me you can’t feel the strange, almost suffocating force here.”

“I feel it, Dalque,” Sancia admitted.

“I know what you mean,” Alice added. “This whole place feels alive with an unseen power.”

“I don’t think penetrating deeper into this structure is wise,” the count stated in a serious tone. He adjusted his KnightMare Frame’s sensors and scanned the vortex in its concentrated state. “We don’t have enough data yet.” He flew the Uther closer to the large, coliseum-shaped building until his machine stopped just at the lip of the immense, oval orifice. “Fascinating, my sensors are picking up a large energy signature that is nearly identical to that of—” A smoky bulb of cloud brushed the tip of the torso of his KnightMare Frame. The Uther went limp and fell from the sky towards the vortex.

“Count Amontillado!” Alice called over the radio. Her Geass was active instantly. Alice’s mecha zoomed in to catch the Uther before it was lost in the whirlwind. The Vincent-Advanced KnightMare moved in a blur, grabbing onto the count’s machine and moving to a safe distance in a matter of seconds.

Alice called out to him over her comm, “Count, are you alright…Answer me!”

“We need to get his hatch open.” Lucretia moved her KMF into position in order to unlock the cockpit manually via the utility arms of her Vincent-Advanced.

“Roger that,” Alice replied, signaling her approval of Lucretia’s action.

The hatch was open in moments, revealing the count’s limp form inside. Lucretia moved her KnightMare up next to his and opened her own cockpit. She jumped over to him and checked his vitals. “He’s alive and has a pulse. I don’t see any injuries, but I can’t tell if he’s breathing or not with this mask on. I think it best if we remove it to make sure.”

Alice moved her machine to the opposite side of the Uther and jumped over next to Lucretia. “We can’t remove his mask,” she said in a low tone. “No one must know his identity.”

“But Alice, he could die,” Lucretia told her with a grave look.

Alice put her hand just above the mouthpiece of the mask. She couldn’t feel any breath. “He’s not breathing.”

“Then we need to give him CPR,” Lucretia demanded.

Alice knew that the count wouldn’t make it back up to the Arcadia without first aid. She made her decision. “You’re right, Lucretia, but his identity stays between us, understood?”

Lucretia nodded silently. Alice unbuckled the straps on the back of the mask and opened it up.

Lucretia gasped in shock as Alice removed the faceplate. “But he’s…he’s…”

“Never mind who he is.” Alice took a deep breath and opened his mouth with her hands. She blew the air into his mouth until his lungs filled.

Lucretia overcame her initial shock and pressed down on his chest once it rose.

The two women continued to resuscitate him for over a minute before he finally began breathing on his own.

“I think he’ll be alright now,” Alice said, watching him breath freely.

Lucretia turned to her. “I agree, but we shouldn’t stay here any longer. He needs actual medical attention.”

“Agreed. Let’s get him secured in his KnightMare.” Alice put his mask back on and then secured the count in his seat. The two women returned to their respective KMFs and closed the hatch of the Uther.

“Hey, you two…what happened?” Dalque scanned the area visually for enemy units out of nervous habit. “Is he okay?”

“I don’t know,” Alice replied, “but we’re getting him back to the ship. Dalque, you and Sancia will fly escort while Lucretia and I carry the Uther.” The Vincent-Advanced units of the two women grabbed hold of the motionless mecha by its shoulders.

Alice gave the vortex a penetrating stare. “Irregulars, let’s get the hell out of this accursed place.”

* * *

The Glorious cruised with her flight of warships through the colorful swirl of hyperspace towards its destination at ten light-years per Earth hour. Nunnally vi Britannia looked out the main observation windows of the Glorious at the kaleidoscope of colors. She was lost in contemplation about where her brother and older sister might be, as they were still unaccounted for somewhere near Hadar.

“I wouldn’t worry too much about them,” Jason guessed at where her thoughts were. He walked up behind Nunnally and placed his hands softly on her shoulders to comfort her.

Nunnally took hold of his left hand in hers and turned towards him. “I know I shouldn’t fret, Jason. Lelouch and Cornelia are both very capable military leaders, but I just can’t shake this awful feeling.”

“I shan’t second-guess the intuition of an Oracle.” Jason gently pulled her in close to him. He caressed her cheek and ran his hands through the long locks of her dirty blonde hair in one fluid motion. “However, you must realize that not only is your brother the great, immortal Zero, but he has with him a guardian of unspeakable power and ability.”

She let out a small laugh. “I’m glad you think so highly of C2.” Nunnally saw into Jason’s thoughts. “Although, without my innate ability to read your thoughts, I would have assumed you meant Enoch.” Nunnally stared into his eyes. “Why do you Greeks hate Enoch so much?”

“Because his agenda is not that of mankind,” Jason said harshly. “He serves extra-dimensional powers whose purposes are unclear and oftentimes contrary to the benefit of humans. He betrayed all of us to fulfill the will of whatever masters he serves, and that left my companions and I trapped under the ice of Antarctica for millennia. You would do well to be wary of that creature. He is not now nor was he ever of the children of men.”

“I know that.” Nunnally lay her head on Jason’s chest. “But I fear he has a great part to play in all of this, and that we cannot hope to prevail alone.”

“Perhaps.” Jason kissed her softly on the head. “Nevertheless, we must endeavor to strive without the help of demons or angels…even ones who seek to aid us.”

Nunnally closed her eyes. “But Nemo is a devil. Lysandra has seen into his mind, and she knows what that thing wants. It hates on a level that you and I cannot comprehend. It had the power to transform Nina into that…” She paused, thinking of the Nina she had befriended at Ashford so many years ago. “…that monster. We can only guess at what schemes it plans for the rest of us.”

Jason held her closer. “Nemo is not our concern at present. No matter how evil or wicked its intent is towards us, the fact is that it’s imprisoned on Nibiru. If it weren’t, it would have no doubt left that world a long time ago. Marduk and his legions are our major concern at the moment since they’re moving against us as we speak. We must convince the Galactic Council to condemn his aggressive moves towards the Earth and get them to recognize the Commonwealth as a mutual nation. Once that is done, then we can concern ourselves with Nemo.”

Nunnally opened her eyes and hugged him tightly. “I hope you’re right.”

* * *

Two men in Babylonian flight suits made their way slowly through the thick growth of a tropical island. One of the pair carried a large, metal sphere on his back in a web backpack while his suit clung to his body from the sweat that drenched it due to the high humidity. In front of him, the leader of the two cut through the thicket with his Khopesh sword, causing the acrid smell of freshly cut plants to assault his olfactory senses.

“Seven days of lugging this power cell around is getting old,” Enkidu grumbled.

“We’re lucky to be alive,” Gilgamesh reminded him.

“I know,” Enkidu huffed, brushing the sweat from his brow. “You’ve told me so every day since I found your wrecked Sargon eight nights ago.”

Gilgamesh cut through a large mass of plants that resembled ferns. “Indeed I have, my old friend, in order to remind you that the true God Anu has smiled upon us.”

“Spare me the sermon,” Enkidu griped.

The two men made their way out of the brush onto a cliff overlooking a large lagoon.

“There she is,” Enkidu said to Gilgamesh. Down at the edge of the water, lying both half in and half out of the sea on its side, was Enkidu’s Sargon-V. It rested exactly where it had landed.

“It’s in better shape than I would have thought,” Gilgamesh smiled.

Enkidu looked down the long path that wound down along the edge of the rocky cliff they stood on. “We’d better get moving,” he told Gilgamesh. “It won’t be long before nightfall.”

“I agree,” Gilgamesh replied, moving towards the path that led down to the beach. “We need to get your Automatos powered up.”

The two men moved briskly down the side of the cliff face to the mecha lying in the lagoon beneath them.

Gilgamesh climbed up onto the top of the Sargon-V and opened up a hatch on the back of the torso of the machine just under its backpack on the right side.

“Hand me the power cell,” Gilgamesh said, reaching out towards his friend.

Enkidu pulled his backpack off and handed it up to his friend. “I already removed the old energy supply.”

“Good thinking,” Gilgamesh smiled down at him. He hefted up the pack and laid it next to the open hatchway. Inside was an empty, spherical socket with tubes and wiring connected to its edge all around. Gilgamesh took the metallic sphere from the backpack and pushed it into the round orifice.

Instantly, the myriad of clear tubes running from the edges of the socket radiated a brilliant, yellow-white light due to the power surging through the machine.

“That ought to do it.” Gilgamesh shut the hatch and secured it.

“Good,” Enkidu sighed. “I was worried we’d have to swim to the enemy settlement.”

“Hah!” Gilgamesh blurted out. “No, my friend, we can fly there.”

The two men moved to the open cockpit hatch of the Sargon-V. They climbed inside with Gilgamesh in the pilot seat and Enkidu positioned just behind the seat in the small space of the cockpit.

“This thing was clearly not meant for two,” Enkidu griped while Gilgamesh activated the graviton-lift engines of the machine.

“Don’t worry, old friend,” he flew the machine up over the surface of the lagoon, “you won’t have to sit back there long.” The Sargon-V skimmed the blazing gold surface of the sunset-lit ocean waters before them on its way towards the series of large islands in the distance. “We’ll be to the encampment of the enemy soon enough.”

* * *

“What the hell did she say to you, Akira?!” Lena barked at him as they sat within the lounge of the Glorious.

“Will you please let this go, Lena,” Akira pleaded with her. “General Athena simply wanted to honor a personal request by Jason.”

“And what request was that?” Mika piped up.

“Nothing that matters,” Akira dodged the question.

“Don’t give me that bullcrap, Akira,” Mika glared. “Whatever this request was has had you in a state of perpetual contemplation since we left Tartarus.”

Lena gave Akira a hurt look. “Akira, if we’re gonna act as a team, we can’t keep secrets from each other. Especially if they involve our safety or the mission.”

Akira sighed. “I was given a Geass power,” he stated flatly.

The group gasped in unison.

“What!” Mika shouted at him. “And you accepted?”

Lena was too shocked to speak.

“Of course,” Akira said matter-of-factly. “How could I refuse?”

“Easy,” Mika growled, “you say, thanks…but no thanks.”

“Having a member of the Yamato no Orochi with Geass does actually make sense, considering the situation,” Anya stated flatly. “I would imagine that General Athena doesn’t wish for the Earth to look weak in the face of all the other powers at the conference. Since we are acting as Ambassador Britannia’s personal guard, it may make us look inferior if our team leader isn’t what they call a champion.”

“Maybe so, but isn’t Athena overreacting just a bit?” Gregor asked, looking at his longtime friend and teammate.

“No,” Akira said. “Anya’s correct. If we don’t show the other powers that we possess Geass, then they will view us as unworthy of continued existence and will either enslave us or obliterate us.”

“Well, if that’s the case, then why didn’t Athena give us all Geass?” Tetsuo inquired.

Anya eyed her boyfriend. “Tetsuo, you can barely handle a KnightMare Frame. No offense, love, but I can’t imagine you with Geass.”

Tetsuo looked hurt. “What? Why not?”

Anya’s joke broke the tension, but no one laughed.

Lena saw an opportunity in the uncomfortable silence between them and forced a change in subject. “Hey, you guys, how about we all go down to the chow hall for some food? I’m famished.”

The other Yamato no Orochi put the revelation of Akira’s newfound power aside for the moment as they nodded in agreement at Lena’s suggestion.

Lena walked over to Akira and took his hand. She had pressed him hard for days to learn what was captivating his thoughts, and now she wasn’t so sure that knowing was a good thing. Akira gave her a weak smile that Lena returned in kind. She didn’t want to think about why Akira really accepted a Geass from Athena. Lena knew the Greek goddess must have had a deeper reason for Nobunaga to accept it, and that “something” must have been dire indeed.

* * *

“Captain Britannia, it is good to finally meet you,” a tall, Grecian officer said with a low bow. Cornelia, Guilford, and the man stood within the primary tower of the spaceport on the planet Hadar, which rested along the coastline of a large continent of the lush, blue-green world.

“Thank you, Commander Orson, and you also.” The sunlight off Beta Centauri illuminated Cornelia’s mauve hair through the large windows of the control center, giving it an attractive pink hue. She gave the Grecian man a courteous smile. “However, I must cut the pleasantries short in order to ask you how the repairs to the Kaminejima are coming?”

Commander Orson nodded his head slightly in a knowing gesture as his tone became serious. “We should have your ship ready in a few days. However, the Renya will be complete within the week. Would you not care to wait until your new warship is finished?”

Her brow furrowed. “No, I cannot wait for the completion of the battlecruiser while I still have not rescued my crew, Commander. I cannot justify leaving them on that moon longer than is necessary with the enemy in orbit above them.”

“I understand, Captain Britannia.” Orson motioned for them to look at the large viewscreen on the far wall behind him. “However, we have already amassed an armada to deal with Ishtar’s fleet.” An image of a massive force of Grecian warships—which numbered in the thousands—flew in formation in high orbit over Hadar. “This fleet will be leaving shortly to engage the Babylonians.”

“I see,” Cornelia grimaced. “I’m surprised Zeus has called for such action, considering what Aphrodite has told us about his position with regard to this conflict between the Commonwealth and Babylonia.”

Orson’s left eyebrow raised slightly. “Actually, it was Hera who ordered the fleet here. She sees the encroachment by Marduk’s imperial fleet as a precursor to total invasion of our cosmic territories. The brazen attack on your small vessel, and the careless abandon that Ishtar has pursued you with, has convinced Hera that Marduk intends on capturing Nibiru for his own rather than securing it from you Terrans as he has claimed.”

Cornelia cupped her chin softly. “So the mobile planet is his objective.” She thought back to the horrid visage of Hel and her minions interrupting Euphie’s wedding in the chapel on Luna. “I doubt the Babylonians have any idea what lies within the bowels of that monstrous, metallic world.”

A Grecian officer entered the tower from the elevator at the far end of the room and walked up to them. He gave them a Greco-Roman-style salute with his right arm. “My apologies for the interruption, Taxiarchos (Brigadier).”

Orson returned his salute. “What is it Lokhagos (Captain)?”

The lokhagos stood at attention. “The Babylonian armada has left the system, Taxiarchos Orson.”

Cornelia was shocked. “What?”

Orson wore a blank expression. “Interesting.”

* * *

“Lelouch!” C.C. called out to him.

Lelouch’s head hurt as he opened his eyes. They were blurry for a moment then focused on the barren room that he and C.C. were in. A metallic smell filled his nostrils while his eyes scanned the chamber. Both of them were hanging from chains secured in the metallic walls of the cell that was illuminated by a dim, blue light from a dome-shaped fixture above them. “Where are we?” Lelouch asked.

“Right where you wanted us to be, remember?” C.C. scowled at him. “Captured and within the prison block of the Hammurabi.”

Lelouch immediately noticed C.C.’s lack of clothing. “Did I miss something while I was out?”

Her cheeks burned rouge with embarrassment. “I regenerated back to life, but my clothes weren’t so fortunate.”

The memory of being crushed within the cockpit of Samael suddenly filled his head. He looked down at his own tattered rags that hung from his partially naked form. “Guess they didn’t think we needed to be clothed?”

“Obviously not,” C.C. stated smugly. “They probably don’t think we’ll need them for what they plan on doing to us. Still think this was a good idea?”

He ignored her. “The first task at hand has been cleared. Now, we need to clear the next task before Enoch rescues us.”

“Next task?” C.C. asked. “And what the hell is that—”

The door to the cell opened, allowing Ishtar and a troop of guards to enter.

“Well now,” Ishtar cooed, “I see the two of you are awake.” She smiled, “Good.”

Lelouch activated his Geass and glared at Ishtar, “I, Lelouch vi Britannia, command you…”

“Hahahaha!” Ishtar laughed at him. “You’ve no power here, boy.” She pointed the long, delicate index finger of her right hand towards the light in the ceiling. “That’s a Geass dampening generator. It cuts the range of your power to less than half a meter. Therefore, my men and I are quite safe from your influence.”

Lelouch hadn’t anticipated this exact scenario; although, he did foresee Ishtar coming to interrogate them, and the fact that she didn’t use her own power meant the eerie, blue field of light must also cancel out her abilities. The Babylonian woman had gone to great lengths to capture them, and he had an idea as to why. “What do you want with us?”

Ishtar snickered, “It isn’t what I want, dear boy. It is what my lord Marduk has commanded me to do with you that matters.”

“And what would that be?” C.C. demanded.

Ishtar snapped her fingers. From behind her, a young, teenage boy walked through the troop of guards, holding what appeared to be a large, red ruby surrounded by a ring of gold. The gold band had arcane symbols on its technological controls and a myriad of electrical wiring to and from the surface of the ruby where it met the metallic device.

The boy handed the contraption to Ishtar. “This,” she held out the device in the palm of her hand, “is a gatherer.” She walked up C.C.’s naked form.

“Leave her alone!” Lelouch commanded, though he was certain he knew what the device was for.

Ishtar tittered, “Don’t worry, boy. Marduk gave explicit instructions that you two were not to be harmed physically. I dare not disobey his order. However…” Ishtar eyed Lelouch with venom, “that doesn’t mean I can’t cause you discomfort or pain.”

Lelouch glared at her. “Then do what you will to me, but leave her alone.”

“Oh, how cavalier of you,” Ishtar smirked at him viciously and walked up to C.C. She placed the ruby device upon C.C.’s chest, directly over the center, “but I’m afraid I can’t honor that request.” A radiant glow emanated from C.C.’s bosom as Ishtar tapped lightly on the arcane keys. C.C.’s eyes grew wide while the glow intensified and paralyzed her.

Lelouch had seen this light before, when Charles tried to take C.C.’s Code in C’s World so many years ago. “Stop it! You’ll kill her!”

“No,” Ishtar said sweetly. “Under normal circumstances, the wounds one has upon activating their Code return and kill the wielder. However, this device repairs the damage to the body, using the Code, while it extracts it into the gathering chamber. Your woman will be quite fine once the process is complete.”

The lime green color of C.C.’s hair turned dirty blonde as her Code was stripped from her body. Lelouch could only stare in wonder as Ishtar removed the device from her chest. “There now, she is as she was before she gained her immortality.”

C.C. looked up towards Ishtar with the twin sigils of Geass in her eyes.

Ishtar moved back away from her quickly. “It is unfortunate, however, that this device is unable to strip her of her Geass power.”

“So that’s what you want,” Lelouch spat the words at her.

“Indeed,” Ishtar said with wicked glee. She held up the glowing jewel and put it on Lelouch’s bare bosom. “I want your Codes.”

Lelouch froze as he felt Euryale’s Code torn from deep within his being. The weight of mortality fell upon his flesh once more as the “gatherer” finished its work.

C.C. watched, speechless, while Lelouch’s hair turned from white back to black, and the light of his Code flowed into the ruby device.

“There now,” Ishtar caressed his face briefly while she backed away from him, “that wasn’t so bad, was it?”

Lelouch caught a glimpse of the thought foremost in Ishtar’s mind when she touched him. He now knew why Ishtar needed their Codes, and that why had a name—Nemo.

[Kodai Okuda]

Code Geass: Alpha & Omega
Stage Eight
Conundrum

“Everything was going as planned, until an unexpected turn of events caused me to rethink the whole of the situation up to that point.” —Excerpt from the diary of Lelouch vi Britannia to Ambassador Nunnally vi Britannia, dated June 21st, 2035 a.t.b.

March 14th, 2035 a.t.b.

“How the hell do I get myself into these situations?” Enoch mumbled to himself as he crept along the darkened and badly damaged anti-mecha gun battery section of the interior of the Hammurabi. The dim, blue-white emergency lights of the Babylonian warship made the amber eyes of the cyborg a deep red while he searched for an undamaged interior access door.

The corpses of Babylonian crewmen were strewn around in the ruined area. Enoch found a dead Babylonian technician about his size and build and stripped off the man’s intact uniform. “Sorry, buddy, but you don’t need these clothes anymore.” He looked down at his shredded KMF flight suit and chortled as he removed the rags and donned the dead man’s suit, “Besides, I can’t go walking around this ship with my dork hanging out.”

“Guess I slammed my Zebulun into this section a little too hard,” he said aloud. Enoch mused over his situation, giving the entire corridor of sparking electrical wire, crushed metal beams, and twisted conduit a good once over with his enhanced, cybernetic, ocular sensors before he formulated a plan.

His eyes came to rest on an undamaged ventilation duct cover. He snickered to himself, “It’s cliché, but it’s big enough for me to slip into the ship through.”

Apsu took hold of the right side of the metallic grate with his left hand and folded the grill back, with no effort, into the left side of the wall like an accordion.

The corridor beyond the grille was well lit with small, blue-white, rectangular LEDs all along its sides. “At least I can see where I’m going,” he joked to himself, knowing the light was not needed for him to see in total darkness. He had delayed going in search of his friends for as long as Lelouch had planned for him to—perhaps a little too long—and now it was imperative that he find C.C. and Lelouch as fast as he could.

Apsu lunged down into the five-foot-by-five-foot tunnel and raced along on all fours like a cheetah, at speeds that no human could match, until he came upon a grate to his left.

Enoch scanned the large, well-lit hallway outside the lattice metal cover and hesitated to break through it. “I hate to wreck such fine metalwork, but—”

He slipped his fingers through the holes nearest the edges of the grille and carefully tore through the metal like the perforated paper edge of a spiral notepad. After freeing three sides of the grille, he gently folded it outward and moved into the hall. Apsu bent the metallic cover back into place the best he was able and started down the corridor.

I hope the ship’s security cameras didn’t see me, he thought to himself while walking at a brisk pace. He spied the walls of the desolate hallway for computer terminals, passing several closed doors as he did so.

Enoch stopped at a “T” in the passageway, where a small computer terminal rested directly in front of him. “This’ll do.” He put his naked hand over the keypad and watched for anyone that might come into the hall. Instantly, the computer terminal came to life as he accessed the ship’s internal network.

He smiled, “Found them, but first I need to make a pit stop.” Enoch searched for a supply room and armory through the vessel’s digital schemata. Apsu heard a door open behind him down the hall. He just barely finished his task before having to leave the terminal due to a pair of crewmen coming out of one of the rooms nearby.

Enoch started in the direction of the supply room. “Sit tight, Lelouch, I’m on my way.”

* * *

“Do you think the Sargon will be safe here?” Enkidu asked in the fading darkness of the alien moon. The two men opened the hatch of the Babylonian machine, allowing the darkened cockpit to be flooded with the reflected light of the ringed gas giant that filled the night sky as it rose over the horizon. The radiance from the massive world illuminated the lagoon which lay some distance below them. Many of the gaseous planet’s moons could be seen in the bright light of the astral body while it ascended.

Gilgamesh popped his head out of the cockpit hatch and looked over the cliff face towards the lagoon below. “The Sargon will be fine for now. I doubt any of them suspect we’re here.” Gilgamesh motioned to a small compartment at the back of the cockpit. “Hand me the three thermite charges from the survival pack, would you?”

“I suppose you’re right,” Enkidu nodded while handing the three grenades to his superior. He was apprehensive at the thought of them trying to infiltrate the enemy encampment, since the two of them were badly outnumbered. “How do you intend to get in there?” he asked.

Gilgamesh put the three spherical devices into pouches designed specifically for them in his utility belt and started towards the top of the cliff. “Follow me, and I’ll show you.”

The two men moved quickly through the fern-like foliage along an animal path that led them into an open field. Enkidu saw Gilgamesh stop a few times while they traveled through the brush towards the dim glow of orange-yellow light on the side of a large mountain in the distance.

“We must move swiftly yet quietly,” Gilgamesh told his friend with the sigils of Geass burning in his eyes.

“Understood,” Enkidu nodded. He knew his friend had used his power to analyze the situation and formulate a plan of action.

A pair of Type-21B Bushido KMFs flanked a Type-21J Samurai at the well-lit mouth of the cave. The three units guarded the entrance with several armed crewman at their feet.

“We’ll go in through that side outcropping of rocks.” Gilgamesh pointed in the direction of a small cluster of boulders on one side of the cave just behind the large, yellow flood lamps. The power of Geass left his eyes.

“Won’t the sensors of their Automatos detect us?” Enkidu inquired with apprehension in his voice.

“In a moment, it won’t matter if they can,” Gilgamesh smiled.

Three large explosions detonated in the direction of the path they had taken.

Immediately, the three KMFs zoomed into action towards the detonations, their sensor heads panning the darkness of the now burning inferno of ferns and dried underbrush.

“Now,” Gilgamesh whispered to Enkidu in the commotion of the guards moving towards the fire in an orderly but cautious manner.

The two Babylonians slipped past the guards during the confusion without incident and made their way into the interior of the cavern.

They rushed through the dimly lit corridor of stone towards the brightly illuminated chamber some distance ahead.

“It’s a city,” Enkidu whispered in awe as they reached the other end of the cave entrance.

“I see that,” Gilgamesh said to his companion in a low tone. There beyond them, under the great stone ceiling of the artificial mountain, was an ancient city of megalithic rock ablaze with light and the flurry of the Kaminejima’s crew.

“It must be a sacred citadel of the Old Ones,” Enkidu said to his companion.

“I agree,” Gilgamesh replied. He looked over the large metropolis. “It would seem our quarry is making camp on the other side of the city.”

Enkidu pointed at the long line of KnightMare Frames to the left of the encampment. “Looks like they still have about a dozen Automatos.”

“Indeed.” Gilgamesh looked at the towering figures, whose upper halves cast long shadows on the stone wall behind them. “Pity that their machines aren’t similar to our own. I wouldn’t mind taking home a trophy.”

“Meh,” Enkidu scoffed, “our Sargons are far superior to their mecha.”

Gilgamesh laughed, “Prejudiced, are you?”

Enkidu snickered, “I suppose I am.” His attention turned to a well-lit staircase several yards from where they crouched within a nook of the cave wall. “How do you plan on getting down into the city with the only apparent way showered in light and no doubt being watched?”

Gilgamesh’s gaze followed along the rim of the depression that the metropolis rested in. His eyes just barely caught the flat top of a roof only a few yards above the lip some distance away. He nodded towards the rooftop. “We’ll jump down onto that building there and make our way to its ground level, and then we’ll move into the interior of the city.”

Enkidu sighed, “I thought you might say something like that.”

* * *

“We have finished our sweep of the damaged section, milady.” Adad raised his chin in the air. “There is no sign of Enoch Apsu.”

Ishtar scowled at him, “Then it is possible he is on this ship.”

Adad smiled at her sarcastically, “I highly doubt it, milady. His mecha was totally destroyed when it impacted the hull. If he did survive the impact, he was almost certainly thrown into space.”

Her glare was cold and hard while she replied, “I hope so, Adad, for your sake. We cannot allow that interloper to meddle in this plan. This operation is the culmination of centuries of inquiry and research by our lord Marduk. We must take every precaution to ensure the success of this mission. Therefore, I want those two Hakodeshim loaded onto a fold-shuttle and prepared for immediate departure just in case.”

A befuddled expression crossed Adad’s face. “Of course, milady. Forgive me for asking, but has our lord Marduk really been conducting centuries of research for this mission?”

Ishtar was not entirely comfortable with discussing the details of their operation on the bridge in front of the common crewmen, but she reasoned that anyone hearing it would keep silent, knowing full well that if they didn’t, they would be dealt with severely. “Yes, our king has been searching for a way to reactivate Nibiru for some time now. Ever since he sensed the activation of the Altar of Nibiru (Sword of Akasha/Ragnarok), he has focused his will to gaining control of the power of the Old Ones. Even now, he has ordered us to head for the planet Ba’al (Jupiter) and activate the ancient relic-world.”

Adad was aghast. “But what of the Grecian base here, and what of the Galactic Council? Surely our king realizes that a full-scale invasion of the Helios star-system (Sol) will bring down their wrath.”

Ishtar eyed him with venom. “He knows, Adad, but he also knows that the council is filled with withered old fools who will fail to act soon enough to stop us. Already they’ve called for a hearing on this matter.”

“I see.” Adad was uncomfortable with bringing the whole of civilized space down on their heads. “So we must move swiftly then.”

“Indeed,” Ishtar replied upon seeing his understanding of the situation, “which is why we had to acquire these.” She held out the gatherer that contained the codes of C.C. and Lelouch.

“Shall I order the fleet to prepare to leave for the Helios system?” Adad asked in a respectful tone.

“Yes, Commander,” Ishtar smiled, “prepare the fleet for fold operations at once, and set course for Nibiru.”

* * *

“What do you make of it, Charles?” Marianne inquired from where she and the others stood on the back porch of Brunswick Castle. The whole of the Britannian capitol stood out around them identical to what it had been in the world of the living before the FLEIJA blast from Damocles had transported it to C’s World.

Nonette Enneagram brought over a silver serving tray of tea and cookies. “It certainly is rather odd,” she said while putting the tray down on a nearby table.

Charles looked over to his older brother V.V. “It’s the Tempest of Tammuz.”

“The what?” Marianne asked.

“The destruction of C’s World,” Charles answered her gravely without taking his eyes off his brother. “It is an all-consuming abyss that will swallow everything within this dimension.”

Clovis was shocked. “Does this mean we’ll all…die…here in C’s World?”

Marianne and Nonette were too stunned to speak.

V.V. contemplated what his brother put forward and answered before Charles, “No, not exactly. It was known to us within the upper echelon of the Geass Order that C’s World was a falsification. A sub-dimensional realm generated by the Dyson Sphere that orbits Jupiter. It uses the gas giant as a sort of hard drive that stores information it gathers within the electromagnetically charged gases of Jupiter through an interdimensional medium. The information is stored within the gases of Jupiter on a sub-quantum level and is thus both inside the real world and inside C’s World at the same time. The sheer magnitude of the planet allows near unlimited storage of information, which the Dyson Sphere uses to keep an almost exact record of everything within its sphere of influence.”

“Almost?” Clovis queried.

V.V. tittered, “Yes, even a machine as advanced as this one makes the occasional mistake. However, the primary information is kept intact. Our personalities, for example, and who we were in real life is stored here in an almost exact copy of what it really was.”

Nonette looked out across the distance to where the storm approached. “But how does this machine know the difference between what is real and what is here in C’s World?”

Charles answered her, “It doesn’t, so far as we of the Geass Order could tell. For example, when it absorbed Marianne and me into it, the mechanism simply transferred our data into storage here in this false world instead of erasing us completely.”

“Assuming it can erase us,” V.V. added. “We of the Geass Order surmised that this world is false because we came from what we assume to be a natural and thus real world. What manner of energy transfers actually take place after death, where our informational data goes, and what natural mechanisms are responsible were never known to us.”

“If this Tempest of Tammuz won’t kill us, what will it do?” Clovis desperately wanted to know.

Charles addressed him calmly, “Think of it as a computer program designed to compress our data back into the Dyson Sphere. As it absorbs all of the information it has stored over its long history within Jupiter, the machine will sort through what it considers necessary and omit what it considers redundancies.”

V.V. gave Clovis a sad look. “Though I doubt we will realize where we are once we’ve been absorbed back into the sphere. In all likelihood, we’ll be stored in the quantum computer banks of the Dyson Sphere. I imagine the sensation will resemble being asleep.”

Clovis and the others hung their heads despondently, resolved to their fate, and then sat down at the small table for tea as the storm clouds began to loom overhead.

* * *

“They’re gone!” Nunnally sat up in her bed naked and drenched in sweat from the intensity of the dream that roused her. “I can’t hear them anymore!”

Her outburst brought Jason rushing to her room from his own next door. “What is it, Lady Nunnally?” He flipped on the light switch as he burst in. The soft, yellow, overhead lamps illuminated the room and Nunnally’s exposed breasts.

“Jason!” Nunnally pulled her covers over her bare bosom.

He turned beet red with embarrassment as he averted his gaze from her fine form. “A thousand pardons, milady. I’m sorry…I just thought…”

Seeing this hardened warrior blush made her laugh. “Thank you for your swift response, Jason.” She giggled while her cheeks burned red, “And your sense of modesty…though next time you may want to put some pants on first.”

“Eh?” Jason looked down to see that he was wearing only his undergarments. He put his hand on the back of his head. “Oh, ha…uh, I’ll go fetch some right away and be back in a moment.”

“I’ll be waiting,” she said softly.

It took Nunnally only moments to don her nightgown and robe. She opened up the small refrigeration unit in her room that held orange juice and other refreshments. Nunnally had barely finished pouring herself a glass of OJ when Jason knocked on her door.

“Come in, Jason,” Nunnally told him while filling a second glass of orange juice.

He walked into the room slowly and made his way over to where she sat by a tall observation window. Jason took the drink she handed him as he sat down in a chair adjacent to her own.

“I’m sorry about bursting in…” he started.

“Don’t be.” She put her hand on his shoulder. “I’m honored that you would come to my aid so quickly.”

“May I ask what nightmare cause you to shout with such fear?” Jason asked.

Nunnally looked out into the swirling colors of hyperspace. “The voices are gone.”

“Voices?”

“Yes,” she replied with a grin. “I know it may sound insane, but ever since the Tartarus left Earth, both I and C2 have heard the voices of those that have died. Nearly every night I’ve been able to hear their conversations, or at least feel them. But now…” Her eyes grew wide. “They’re gone, Jason.”

Jason of Argos knew better than to question the visions of an Oracle, but his curiosity and concern for Nunnally forced out his query. “Where have they gone?”

Nunnally was silent in thought for many moments before she answered. “Into Nibiru…they’ve gone into Nibiru.”

* * *

The stench of sweat offended Lelouch’s olfactory senses while he hung from the manacles within his cell. He was still in the same tattered rags of his destroyed flight suit that he’d been wearing for days since both he and C.C. had been captured by the Babylonians.

Lelouch’s stomach ached with hunger while he waited for the next phase of his plan to begin. “You’d better get here soon, old man,” Lelouch grumbled aloud. He turned his attention to where C.C. hung naked from her own chains.

“Hey, C2, you still with me?” Lelouch inquired of her softly.

She did not respond but only hung her head down towards the floor.

“C2!” Lelouch said louder. “Can you hear me? Are you still alive?” Fear welled up in Lelouch’s mind. “ANSWER ME DAMIT!”

C.C.’s head moved up wearily and her eyes opened partially. “Pizza,” she whispered.

“Yep,” Lelouch grouched, “you’re still alive.”

The door lock indicator to their cell changed from red to green.

“C2, pretend to be delirious,” Lelouch ordered her, even though he reasoned that she truly was already. He hung his head and feigned being unconscious while the door to the chamber slid open.

Lelouch heard only one person enter the room. The footsteps of the individual got closer to him. Close enough for him to use his Geass.

Instantly, Lelouch flipped his head up with both sigils of Geass burning in his eyes. “I, Lelouch vi Britannia, command—”

“Nice to see you’re still okay there, Big-Z,” Enoch tittered upon seeing Lelouch scowl.

“You could have said it was you,” Lelouch scolded him.

Enoch gave him a wide grin. “Well…I’m trying to keep a low profile, considering I’ve put the prison block’s security cameras into a loop. I didn’t think it would be wise to announce my presence.” Enoch grabbed hold of Lelouch’s manacles and tore them apart gently like tissue paper. “The deception won’t last forever but long enough for us to make our escape, provided we hurry.”

Lelouch nearly fell to his knees from weakness, but Enoch caught hold of him. “I haven’t eaten,” Lelouch told him in a winded tone.

“I can see that.” Enoch sat him down on the metallic floor and opened up a brown duffel bag he had brought with him. “Here.” Apsu tossed Lelouch a wrapped bar. “It’s Babylonian emergency food rations, and here’s a canteen of water.” Enoch passed him a large, two-quart container made of some kind of plastic.

Lelouch drank first then opened up the wrapper of the bar and sank his teeth into the soft material that smelt of molasses, nuts, and honey. “Mmmm, not bad.” Lelouch took another swig of water and ate more of the food.

C.C.’s head popped up and her eyes fluttered. “Pizza,” she mumbled.

Enoch opened up another of the bars he had taken from the bag and blew over it towards C.C.’s face.

Her nostrils twitched for a moment before her eyes shot open. “FOOD!”

“Shhhh!” Enoch put his finger over his mouth. “Be quiet.” Apsu snapped her bonds easily and helped her to the floor before giving her the food ration.

She devoured it quickly between gulps of water. C.C. eyed him lovingly. “Enoch darling, may I have another?”

Apsu sighed, “Not now, gorgeous. We’ve got to get you out of here.” He pulled two large towels wrapped in clear plastic and a pair of uniforms out of the large bag. “Here, use the dry-wash towels to wash up with then put these clothes on.”

“Phase two is complete,” Lelouch told them while wiping himself down with the white towel. “Now, if you’ve gotten what I asked for, old man, the third task should be easy.”

Enoch raised an eyebrow. “You mean these?” He pulled out a pair of Geass inhibitors. One was a headband intended for men while the other was a wide-banded tiara clearly designed for a woman. Enoch also pulled out three long, tubular devices that reminded Lelouch of old black powder dueling pistols.

Lelouch finished zipping up his clothes then took the headband and pistol from Enoch. “I’m glad to see you, old man. You had me worried that you’d gotten killed or lost in space.”

Enoch smiled, “You’re not getting rid of me that easily.” A female voice made an announcement in Babylonian over the ship’s internal communications system. Enoch frowned, “Great, the Hammurabi is preparing for a fold, we need to go.”

C.C. looked worried. “Where to now, Lelouch?”

“The hangar deck,” Lelouch told them. “They will no doubt move our Hakodeshim into a shuttle to transport it off this ship. We need to find that shuttle and commandeer it.”

“How can you be so sure they’ll do that?” C.C. snickered and put on the Geass inhibitor tiara.

Lelouch smiled mischievously at her while fitting his headband, “Because that’s exactly what I’d do.”

* * *

The trio briskly headed out of the cell block towards a row of elevators. They passed by crewmen in worker’s uniforms and a few guards without incident before getting into one of the turbolifts.

“Which level?” Lelouch asked.

“Let me find out.” Enoch put his hand over the computer panel on the side of the elevator. “Level 21,” Apsu said, taking his hand off the panel.

A group of eight guards came running down the hall towards their elevator cabin just as the doors closed.

“What were they yelling?” C.C. asked Enoch.

“Stop,” he replied solemnly. “We’re out of time. We’re going to have to move to the shuttle as fast as we can.”

“Can you fly it?” Lelouch asked him.

Enoch gave him a pat on the shoulder and winked, “Of course I can. You didn’t bring me along just for my good looks.”

* * *

“Lady Ishtar,” the tactical officer on the bridge of the Hammurabi dared to address her directly without going through his superior officer, Adad.

She eyed him coldly. “Yes? What is it?”

The officer apprehensively glanced between her and Adad. “Security reports that the prisoners have escaped.”

“What?” Ishtar hissed. She spun on her heel to face Adad where he stood. “So…it was impossible for Enoch to be on my ship, was it?”

“Milady, we don’t know if they escaped with any help,” Adad protested.

Ishtar backhanded him across the face. “Do not try my patience, Adad.” Her strike did not faze him nearly as much as her words. “I either want the prisoners captured alive or your head. Do I make myself clear?”

The man only nodded in response then strode towards the bridge elevators as fast as his legs would take him.

* * *

“The situation doesn’t look good,” Lelouch told his companions in a low tone so as not to alert the enemy to their position behind a stack of cargo containers. Large groups of soldiers were combing the cavernous hangar bay with sensor wands and lance-shaped energy rifles.

Enoch armed his pistol and showed Lelouch and C.C. how to do the same. “I can’t justify endangering you and C.C. in a massive firefight. Therefore, I don’t intend on fighting the whole security force on the flight deck,” he sighed, “but I realize that now that they’re on to us, there isn’t any way we can get past them without a fight.” Apsu turned to Lelouch. “Any chance you can use your Geass on one of those squads to bolster our chances?”

Lelouch frowned, “No, not with their visors down. They’re clearly taking precautions against the power of Geass.”

Enoch considered the situation and put his hand on Lelouch’s shoulder. “I might have to create a distraction for you two to get to the ship, and in all likelihood you may have to leave me behind.”

They didn’t notice C.C. slip away.

“You know I can’t do that, old man,” Lelouch shook his head. “I can’t fly that shuttle.” Lelouch turned to ask C.C., “C2, what do you think—what the? Damn her, where the hell did she go?”

“Great,” Enoch griped as he and Lelouch looked around for their dirty-blonde haired friend.

“There!” Lelouch announced as he caught sight of her walking up to a group of technicians working on a pair of Sargon-IVs.

Enoch tittered, “Those techies aren’t wearing Geass inhibitors.”

Lelouch smiled, “Cunning witch. We’d better get over there to assist.”

They moved towards C.C. in a crouch to avoid the soldiers as quickly as they were able.

* * *

C.C. strode up to the group of mecha technicians, who were preparing the Sargons for immediate takeoff should the need arise. “Hello, gentlemen,” she cooed seductively while unzipping the top of her jumpsuit.

Her interruption caused the techs to turn towards her as she exposed the top of her breasts and activated her Geass.

Even though the technicians didn’t understand her words, the effect of her Geass was no less potent; in short, the men didn’t stand a chance. Her power grabbed hold of them instantly.

Two of the men closest to her got down on their knees and made propositions in Babylonian towards her. Another grabbed hold of her hand and kissed it. C.C. smiled at them warmly and caressed the face of the man who still held her hand.

A male voice called out sternly in Babylonian from behind C.C., causing her to spin on her heel and face the newcomers with her Geass power.

Panic crossed her face when she saw that the man speaking to her was leading a squad of six armed Babylonian soldiers whose Geass inhibitors were down.

The leader of the squad of soldiers apparently noticed her inability to understand him and touched a device on the lapel of his uniform. “Hold where you are, C2. I am Adad, the current second-in-command of this vessel. I hereby order you to surrender yourself and tell me where your companion is.”

C.C. giggled at him, “I’m not yours to command.” She backed up into the group of techies as they surrounded her protectively.

Adad gave commands to the techies in Babylonian, but the men stood firm against his orders. The commander issued orders to his squad of solders, and the troopers opened fire on the techies, killing many of them. At the same time, a technician at the open cockpit of the Sargon-IV jumped in it and closed the hatch of the mecha. He caused the machine to pick up a Hades Lance and combat shield nearby.

Another hail of Hades blasts ripped through the techies towards C.C., who tripped over a power cable as she tried to flee to the safety of the cargo containers.

She instinctively held up her arms to protect herself from the beams streaking towards her when someone jumped in front of her.

The Hades blasts slammed into the man’s chest, burning through his clothing, but did nothing to the gold-tinted skin beneath it.

The Babylonian pilot of the Sargon-IV went into a rage and started firing heavy Hades cannon blasts from the lance of the mecha into the mass of soldiers. Adad dove towards a nearby mecha gantry—containing a bloodred Sargon-V—and just barely dodged the deadly volley.

“You okay, gorgeous?” Enoch asked as Lelouch took hold of C.C.’s arm to help her to her feet.

“Yeah, I’m okay,” she replied with a smile at Lelouch. “It’s been a long time since I’ve used my Geass. I wasn’t sure if my plan would work.”

He gave her a warm grin. “A beautiful witch wooing a bunch of lonely men, how could it not?” A stray Hades bolt zipped past them as the Sargon-IV felled another group of soldiers. “I suggest we use the chaos you’ve caused to make a break for the ship.”

She nodded at him.

“I’ll provide us some cover,” Enoch said, picking up C.C.’s pistol from where it had fallen on the ground and taking his own from its holster.

“Let’s go,” Lelouch told him while holding C.C.s hand.

The three companions raced through the hangar towards the spade-shaped, gunmetal gray shuttle that held their pair of Hakodeshim. The Hades pistols in Enoch’s hands blazed while they approached the spacecraft. Groups of soldiers closed in towards them but were stopped by the rampaging Sargon-IV as the pilot tried to protect C.C. from harm.

The Sargon-IV made it all the way to the shuttle before a blast from another Hades Lance slammed into the side of the machine. A bloodred Sargon-V flew through the hangar deck towards the Sargon-IV, dodging the wild blasts from the inferior mecha.

The trio of escapees made it up the ramp to the shuttle’s side airlock. Enoch immediately tossed C.C. her pistol and then placed his naked hand over the lock of the hatch.

“Hurry up, old man!” Lelouch yelled while using his pistol to fell three soldiers that had made it past the now badly damaged Sargon-IV.

“Got it!” Enoch removed his hand as the hatch slid open. He put his body between his friends and the approaching mass of Babylonian soldiers. Enoch returned fire on the troopers through the barrage of blasts that impacted the sides of the shuttle. He moved backwards through the airlock once C.C. and Lelouch were safely inside.

Lelouch shut the door and locked it as soon as Enoch came through. “Let’s get to the bridge.”

* * *

“Stop them!” Adad demanded of his remaining troopers over the communicator of his Sargon-V upon seeing his prey enter the shuttle and shut the hatch. His bloodred machine dodged another wild assault by the Sargon-IV that stood in his way.

He closed the distance between himself and the shuttle in a mad dash as the ship’s ion engines came online.

“NO! I will not fail!” He lunged his Sargon-V at the spacecraft with its Hadron Lance in a blind rage.

He was nearly upon the ship when he caught sight of the damaged Sargon-IV out of his peripheral vision. “Damn you, you stupid fool!” Adad tried to twist his machine around to parry with its shield, but it was too late. The Hadron Lance of the Sargon-IV pierced deep into the cockpit of Adad’s machine and crashed with the bloodred mecha into the main doors of the hangar deck, where both of them detonated in a large explosion that caused the whole chamber to decompress.

* * *

“That poor man,” C.C. said sadly upon seeing the pair of mecha blow up on the main hangar. “He gave his life for me.”

“Don’t feel bad for him, gorgeous,” Enoch replied from the helmsman’s position of the shuttle’s bridge. “He was as good as dead anyway. The Babylonians don’t tolerate failure.”

“The decompression has bought us some time,” Lelouch said from where he sat next to Enoch. Lelouch manned the navigator’s control console. “I think I can get a hang of this navigational system.”

Enoch gave him a surprised look. “Even without being able to read Babylonian?”

“You did load the translation program into your brain before we left the Kaminejima, didn’t you?” Lelouch gave him a worried look.

Enoch waited a moment and then let out a chuckle, “Of course I did. Though I have to admit I was a little curious why you wanted me to do that before we left.” Enoch loaded the English-language translation program into the shuttle’s computer.

C.C. leaned on Lelouch’s chair. “We make a good team, don’t we, guys?”

“Yes we do,” Lelouch chortled and started plotting a course for Earth.

Enoch flew the shuttle out of the hangar at blinding speed. He dodged the continuous hail of Hades beam fire from the Hammurabi while flying the craft as fast as the shuttle’s engines could take it.

In a few moments, Lelouch finished the complicated calculations and entered them into the hyperspace navigational computer. He gave Enoch a sly smile. “The last task at hand has been cleared. Ready when you are, Enoch.”

Apsu smiled, “Not bad, Big-Z. I might make a hero out of you yet.”

C.C. slapped Enoch gently on the shoulder. “Can we just go home?”

“One step ahead of you,” Lelouch said confidently.

In a flash, the shuttle folded.