Creative Works

[Kodai_Okuda]

CODE GEASS

DIRGE OF DAEDALUS

Turn One: Sakuradite (Part 1)

            "To deny the existence of Yang and Yin is to deny that there is day and night, light and darkness, good and evil.  Within Yang there is Yin and within Yin there is Yang, just as in light there are shadows of darkness and in darkness there are pinpricks of light. Such was the plight that Lelouch left the world in with his last evil, a state of perpetual peace that placed the world in Yang and smothered all but a few vestiges of Yin which threw the Chi of the world out of balance.  A wise man once said; nature abhors a vacuum. Pity we didn't realize that before Lelouch made his sacrifice."-Excerpt from the journal of UFN Japanese Ambassador Kaguya Sumeragi dated November 26th, 2024 a.t.b.

            The large oval-snowboard shaped superstructure of the former Aerial-Battleship Thor threw the shadow of its massive bulk over the southern seas of the Atlantic as she sped along her course.  Her float-system engines hummed rhythmically as the sun glinted off of her metallic hull.  Originally built under the orders of the 98th Emperor of Britannia, Charles Vi Britannia, the Thor was larger than any other air-ship before it.  The completion of this airship was done by the order of Empress Nunnally Vi Britannia in 2021 a.t.b.  However, the craft's role as an Aerial-Battleship was over before she ever set aloft into the blue skies of the world.  Her three FLEIJA launchers had been removed, leaving only her basic conventional armaments in place for defense against pirates and terrorists; a problem that had slowly grown in the wake of the catastrophic wars of the Britannian Imperial Era.  Although still a formidable warship, the Thor's new mission was one of peace and scientific exploration of planet Earth; the airship was now a massive armed aerial research-vessel.

            Upon the aft engineering structure which hung from midway along the ventral hull of the rear of the great vessel was an observation promenade, complete with railing and a staircase leading back up into the ship. 

            Leaning upon the railing of the promenade was a fiery-red haired woman in the black and gray military uniform of the elite Black Knight unit The Yamato no Orochi. Her long braided hair hung over her left shoulder and swayed slightly in the wind as it whipped up off the surface of the ocean below her.  Her blue eyes gazed at the deep blue cold waters below her as she pondered private thoughts known only to her.

            "Hey Kallen!" A tall blued-eyed man called to her as he walked down the stairs.

            His blonde hair gave him away instantly, "Hi Gino."

            "Hi," Lt. Commander Weinberg leaned over and smiled. "There's that look again."

            "What look?" Captain Kouzuki straightened up and sneered.

            "You know what look," he leaned on the railing and looked towards the horizon. "That whole, could I have saved him? Look you have."

            "I don't know what you're talking about." She folded her arms and turned away so he wouldn't see the sadness in her eyes. "Besides that was six years ago, and he's dead now so it doesn't matter anymore."

            "I know that," Gino said softly, "but that doesn't mean you've let go."

            "How can I?" Kallen turned to let the wind of the sea dry her eyes which threatened to tear.

            Gino lightly touched her shoulder, "We've all made mistakes Kallen. Isn't it time you forgave him and moved on?"

             "I forgave him already, nearly six years ago." She didn't look at him. "But with all that's happened since he left us..." Kallen brushed off Gino's hand.  "It isn't him I can't forgive Gino." Her voice was a whisper. "It's us...me, Ougi, Tamaki, and the others.  We betrayed him."

            At this moment she didn't sound like Captain Kouzuki of The Yamato no Orochi that he had come to know and trust and that bothered Gino. "He deceived and betrayed the world Kallen and killed countless people, he would have even killed you if Zero hadn't stopped him. You should know better than most what kind of person he became.  So you shouldn't be so hard on yourself, what would Ougi think?"

            "You really wanna know what Ougi thinks?" Kallen gave him a false smile. "On the one year anniversary of the Death of the Demon Emperor there was a televised broadcast of how Zero, the hero of the people, slew the 99th Emperor of Britannia and saved the world.  Ougi left the room when he saw the rebroadcast of Zero stab Lelou-the Emperor." Kallen stared off into the distance as she recanted the scene. "I had gone to visit Valletta, Ougi and their infant child; since I was hardly ever able to make it over there anymore with all my school work, and continued military training at that time; I thought it would be nice to take the opportunity to see them during the international holiday.  We were having evening tea when the broadcast came on the television. Ougi just got up without a word and went outside.  I followed Ougi out to the front of their house where I saw him weeping softly for a moment before he recomposed himself.  He's never felt right about what we did to Zero when we chose to ally with Schneizel. Tamaki is not any better either.  He won't talk about it unless he's stone drunk and then all he does is cry about how we wronged Zero.  All of us that were close to Zero, the real Zero, carry the shame of what we did to him Gino.  I know I feel like if I had talked to Lulu instead of just following him like a lost puppy with a new master then maybe I could have stopped his Requiem; maybe we could've found a different path to peace; and then maybe he'd still be alive today."

            Gino felt foolish, "I'm sorry Kallen.  I shouldn't have brought it up.  I just thought that after all this time your feelings might have changed."  The only thing that stood in the way of Kallen going from just being his best friend and comrade too something more was the lingering shadow of Lelouch.

            Kallen gave him a warm smile, "Its okay Gino, don't worry about it.  It's just this cool, crisp air; it brings back memories of Japan and the Battle of Narita and how Zero led us to victory there and so many other times afterwards."

            "Speaking of frigid mountain conditions," Gino said anxious to change the subject, "What do you think about this mission?"

            "What? Do you mean going to Antarctica to babysit some geophysicists, archaeologists, and other science personnel just to find that huge Sakuradite deposit that the Global FLEIJA-detection security satellites picked up near the central mountain range of that continent of ice?" Kallen put on a genuine smile and rolled her eyes. "I think its BORR-ING."

            "Well at least we'll see some penguins." Gino laughed.

            "Why couldn't we get assigned to South America?" Captain Kouzuki said as she lay back on the railing with her arms.

            "You want a re-match with Generalissimo Ceasaro's mercenaries don't you?" He snickered.

            "Yah, why not?" Kallen squinted her eyes at him. "Isn't our job to put down the build up of internal armed forces?"

            "Yes but it's not like we can just waltz in there with our KnightMares and take them prisoner. Those forces are the remnants of the old Imperial Britannian army, and will put up one hell of a fight which could in turn spark a war in the region." Gino leaned against the railing beside her. "They don't recognize UFN authority. Not too mention that Cornelia is leading them."

            Kallen sighed, "Poor Nunnally.  She's lost her whole family either by death or desertion. I can't believe Cornelia renounced her father's name and took up her mother's maiden family name as her own; Cornelia Ceasaro."

            "I can't really say I blame her," Gino turned to face Kallen with a devilish grin. "It's not like Cornelia gets along with Schneizel or trusts Nunnally. Look at it from her viewpoint."

            "Are you serious or are you just picking on me?" Kallen asked.  "You know as well as I do Gino that Cornelia and Gilford both left Britannia as soon as Gilford and she were able to do so.  They grabbed what they could in weapons and equipment and then left with as many people as would follow them down to Brazil."

            "I might be picking on you a little," He smirked. "I wouldn't want you to think I've given up on you."

            Kallen blushed, "Commander Weinberg!"

            Gino laughed and then became serious all of a sudden, "Hey is it true that Nina Einstein left with them."

            "That's what the intel says; her, Lloyd Asplundh, and Cecil Croomy too." Kallen turned to look at the sunlight reflecting off of the waves beyond the shadow of the ship. "I can only imagine what their doing for Cornelia down there."

            "You think they'd build a FLEIJA after everything that's happened?" Gino inquired anxious to know her opinion.

            "No," Kallen was firm, "I don't think they would.  But I do think that they'd build conventional weaponry like Knightmare-Frames and such.  That's more Cornelia's style."

            "Hey you two!" A young female voice called out from the top of the stairwell that led down to the promenade.

            "Hi Anya," Gino waved at her to come down and join them.

            First Lieutenant Anya Alstreim wore the same uniform as Kallen and Gino.  In her arms the girl carried a tray which had three cups of hot tea upon it.  "I thought you might like something to keep you warm out here."

            "Thank you Anya," Gino said as he took a cup.

            Kallen took the second mug, "So what do you think of this crisp Antarctic air Anya?  I'll bet it's a big change from the Orange-Orchard farm you and Jeremiah were on."

            "Yes it is," Anya replied in her usual monotone voice. "But it's a nice change." She smiled.

            "I'm still surprised Jeremiah let you become a Knightmare pilot again." Kallen said.

            "Well, I wasn't happy on the farm." Anya stated. "It got too boring for me and I was already a good Devicer so I thought that I'd join the Black Knights after the UFN reformed them in 2020 a.t.b."

            "I'm glad you did," Gino said with a smile, "It's nice to have an old friend on the team besides Kallen; at least your better company."

            "What's that supposed to mean?" Kallen put her free hand on her hip and scowled at Gino.

            "Just that Anya is better company than some people on this ship, that's all." Gino teased.

            "Would you two like to be alone?" Anya inquired with a blank expression.

            Kallen turned beet red, "What?...No...It's alright Lt. Alstreim, you can stay."

            "Aw com'on Kallen, don't you value our private time together?" Gino taunted her with a wink.

            Kallen furrowed her brow, "Commander Weinberg how many times do I have to tell you..." The ship's intercom interrupted Captain Kouzuki before she could finish.

            "Attention!" The voice of Chancellor Schneizel Britannia's Chief Yeoman, Kannon, boomed over the speakers, "All members of the Black Knights are to report to the Flight deck for a preliminary operations briefing immediately.  We are currently less than three hours from our destination point.  That is all."

            "Saved by the bell," Cmdr. Weinberg laughed as he made his way up the stairs; empty tea cup in hand.

            Anya turned and started up the stairs.

            "Hey wait for me!" Kallen chugged her mug of tea and choked down the hot liquid as she hurried to follow behind Gino and Anya.

            "Do you think it was wise to send Schneizel in charge of this mission Empress Nunnally?" Suzaku asked.

            "I do," She said as she stared out the window standing on her cybernetic-enhanced legs.  World medical technology had advanced quickly during the years after her reign began; it had too in order to deal with all of the misery and suffering of those that were maimed and disfigured during the war her brother had waged.

            "I should have went with them," Kururugi said as he came to stand beside her; the mask of Zero resting under his arm.

            "No," she cut him off. "I need Zero in Japan with me for the upcoming UFN summit." Her tone was cold towards him.  Nunnally had learned Zero, the new Zero, was Suzaku on that horrid day when she held her dying brother in her arms.  Empress Nunnally didn't hate Suzaku for what he did, but it didn't change the lingering feeling of antipathy for him that festered in her heart no matter how badly she tried to forgive Suzaku.

            Suzaku had been reluctant to expose his identity to Nunnally at first, but later realized that lying to her was equally despicable and pointless.  He made up his mind to confide his true identity to her and only her. 

            "Are you afraid of being assassinated? Is that why you want Zero there by your side?"  He knew it was a foolish question as soon as it left his lips.

            "Of course I am." Nunnally didn't look at him.  Her eyes were on the replica of the garden that mimicked the one her mother Marianne's estate used to have.  The lush floral greenery adorned the west side of New-Brunswick Castle in the center of Neo-Pendragon; a city built around the crater-lake that once was the original metropolis built by her father.

            "The hatred of the world rests upon me for the actions of my family." She told him flatly. "Why wouldn't assassins be there to take my life?"

            "I don't think the world hates you Nunnally," Suzaku ventured to say. "Much of the world is still focused on reconstruction and rebuilding.  Only a few remnants of war remain and we may be able to bring those elements to the bargaining table to bring about total peace.  Doesn't that make you happy?"

            "NO!" She snapped at him, though she continued to look at the blooming flowers of the garden below. "There was only one thing that brought me happiness in this world, and you took that from me."

            Suzaku flinched as though she had run him through with a sword.  He and his conspirator hadn't considered Nunnally's feelings about their plan; The Zero Requiem.  They had been teenagers back then; childish and impulsive in their decisions.

            "It's what he wanted." Suzaku had been through this with her before, but not at this level of intensity.  Something was wrong and it was deeper than just the emotional ache in her bosom.

            "I know Suzaku." Nunnally turned to face him, tears welled in her eyes. "And it was all for nothing.  Even now the countries of the world conspire against each other for resources and power.  Humans aren't pieces on a chessboard.  They have feelings and desires, vices and shortcomings that you two either chose to ignore or failed to take into account in your grand scheme!"

            Kururugi tried to ignore the verbal blows as they slashed at his emotions; he knew she was right.  "Do you believe this new Sakuradite deposit will start another war?"

            "Yes, I do." Nunnally hobbled over to where her float chair hovered silently above the floor of her study-chambers.  Even though the cybernetic-enhancements allowed her to walk, she had yet to master their operation and still had some difficulty walking.

            "And FLEIJA will rear her ugly head yet again," She said as she sat down.

            Suzaku was stunned by her suggestion. "Do you think Cornelia will develop a FLEIJA weapon?"

            "No, my sister is an honorable woman. She would never use such a weapon." Nunnally sank into the cushions of her chair and threw her head back, "But I'm not so sure about the Black Knight's Pacific Commander Brigadier General Kyoshiro Tohdoh and his right-hand, the Black Knight's Asiatic Commander Major General Li Xingke.  They've both become hungry for power."

            Kururugi stood before her and looked directly at Nunnally, "Empress, are you implying that you believe that the UFN has become corrupt so soon?"

            "I do." She said to him without flinching.

            "What about your friends Kaguya Sumeragi and the Tianzi, Jiang Reika?" Suzaku questioned her with a scowl, "You can't possibly think that they have become corrupt can you your Majesty?"

            Nunnally tittered, "Of course not Suzaku.  Kaguya and Jiang are both very forgiving and understanding women.  Besides the fact that we three are nearly the same age, we all share the heartache and disappointment that the men around us have wrought.  It's those shared emotions that actually started to bind us together like sisters when we met during the first UFN global summit one year after I became Empress.  After that we three have forged a strong friendship amongst ourselves." 

            Suzaku shrugged, "I hadn't realized you three were so close.  I thought that my cousin Kaguya would actually be rather cold towards you considering your pedigree milady."

            Nunnally held back a laugh, "She was at first-my being the sister of the Demon Emperor and all-but I think a part of her felt guilty about betraying Zero." Nunnally giggled, "Kaguya never stops asking me about my brother's past; the girls he liked; the girls that liked him; his hobbies; you know basically everything about him.  I think she still likes him deep down inside."

            "Wasn't Lady Kaguya supposed to marry Tohdoh a few years back?" Suzaku inquired; he pressed the subject to keep her smiling.

            "Yes she was," Nunnally chortled, "it was at the behest of the new Japanese parliament.  They claimed it was to ensure the continuance of the Imperial bloodline but Kaguya saw right through it and rightly accused them of trying to use her as a pawn in a power grab for Japanese control of the Black Knight's Pacific Command.  Since Tohdoh had been elected head of that position by the UFN, the Japanese parliament sought to gain bedside influence and inner knowledge of confidential information through Kaguya."

            "I take it that didn't sit well with her?" Suzaku smiled.

            Nunnally let out a laugh, "Oh no!  Kaguya faced down the Prime Minister in the middle of the Senate's most important debate of the year; that being the Japanese government budget; and flat out told him in front of the whole country during the televised event that if he wanted to be in bed with Tohdoh then he should marry him himself."

            "Feisty as always," Suzaku laughed.

            "Yah she is," Nunnally giggled. "She once stared down Li Xingke and scolded him severely for missing Jiang's birthday a few years back.  I pity the person she gets angry at because Sumeragi gives no quarter."

            "I never understood Jiang Reika and Li Xingke's relationship," Suzaku asked a bit perplexed. "Are they in love?"

            "Yes." Nunnally said with smirk. "I believe they've been planning a wedding for years but both of them are so busy they've not gotten around to even deciding where to have it."

            "Does Jiang talk a lot about getting married?" Kururugi asked with a smile.

            "No, not really," Nunnally said. "Jiang usually tries to get me to talk about all the friends I had at Ashford.  Reika didn't have any real friends growing up so she likes to hear my tales about my school days with Millay, Rivaltz, Nina, Shirley and my brother.  She especially likes to hear the stories of Shirley trying to chase down my brother and all of Millay's crazy antics to get them together."

            The memory of the last words Shirley said to him cut into Suzaku's psyche; I forgave Lulu for the death of my father...maybe you should try to forgive him too Suzaku.  He hadn't forgiven him; even now after all this time; his love for Euphie was too great and too deep and Lelouch, no Geass, had taken her from him by the hand of Zero and he could never forgive Lelouch for forcing him to live by using Geass. The Zero Requiem was not enough; he knew that now; he knew he wanted to be with his true love; Kururugi knew he wanted more than anything to be with his Euphie; Suzaku wanted to die.  "Yah, Millay sure was crazy wasn't she?"

            "Was?  She still is." Nunnally laughed. "Millay Ashford is now the chief executive of the Tokyo Broadcasting Channel and airs some of the most outlandish shows in the world; she's a huge success over there."

            "Wow, I didn't know that." Suzaku said in surprise. "I wonder what happened to the rest of the gang."

            "If you mean Rivaltz, he actually married Millay a little over four years ago." Nunnally told him. "I wanted to go too their wedding but couldn't because I knew I'd bring attention to my relationship too them and there was a real possibility of retaliation against our friends by the Japanese government and other parties."

            Suzaku sighed, "Oh, I'm sorry milady I should have realized that would be a problem."

            "That's okay," Nunnally told him. "Things are more settled now in Japan and when we go there in a month for the UFN summit I've made arrangements for us to visit Millay and Rivaltz...well, you as Zero anyway."  Her elation subsided as she realized her excitement was lost on Suzaku.

            "Don't look sad Empress," He gave her a fake grin. "I've made my own bed and am more than willing to lie in it."

            "That reminds me," Nunnally cocked her head to one side, "Kaguya and Jiang are flying out here to travel with us to Japan."

            "Pardon my saying so Empress, but that seems a bit odd." Suzaku was puzzled.

            "Not at all," She smiled at him. "You see you and I are going to Japan by ship and so you'll have a whole month to get reacquainted with Lady Kaguya and the Tianzi while we cruise along to the islands of Japan.  Hope you don't get sea-sick."

            Suzaku grimaced, "No milady."

[Kodai_Okuda]

Tunr One: Sakuradite (Part 2) 

            "Chancellor Schneizel, we are approaching the Weddell Sea coastline," Kannon stated from his position standing on the foredeck of the enclosed bridge which protruded from the ventral bow section of the ship just below the nose Hadron-Cannon.

            "Thank you Kannon," Schneizel smiled at his Yeoman. "Please inform Dr. Viviane that we are now within landing range and have her prepare her teams for immediate departure.  Also, have the Black Knights put on standby."

            "Yes Chancellor," Kannon stated obediently. "We should make the intended dig site on the Vigrid Plain in about an hour Sir."

             "Excellent Kannon," Schneizel smiled. "I imagine we'll be able to secure the area of the Sakuradite deposit by morning and have the UFN International Energy Commission a base of operations built here by then end of the month."

            Kannon gave Schneizel a perplexed look. "Antarctica is unclaimed territory shouldn't we claim this area for Britannia?"

            Schneizel thought his Yeoman's question over for a few moments before a scowl flashed across his expression and then faded to his practiced smile. "No Kannon.  Zero gave explicit orders to me that I was to only secure the area and assist the UFN team.  I am not to take possession of the Sakuradite."

            "I understand sir," Kannon said dejected.

            The Thor flew on over the vast expanse of the Antarctic ice shelf as the rays of the sun illuminated the snow-covered Trans-Antarctic Mountains.  The large aerial ship weaved its way above the ice-capped peaks of the great stone sierras as the crew maneuvered her towards a large basin-valley in the middle of the range.

            The great metal vessel swerved over into a position over the center of the icy expanse and hovered.  As soon as she came to a complete stop the outlined central portion of the craft's lower hull popped open slightly creating a vapor caused by the warm air of the ship mixing with the frigid atmosphere of the region.  A long-rectangular shaped elevator-platform descended from the ventral hull of the mighty vessel via four long hydraulic lift cylinders to the snow-covered ice below. 

            Upon the top of this drop-elevator platform was a G-1 command base, and a contingent of two-hundred KnightMare frames comprised of mostly RPI-13 Southerland and RPI-209 Glousters.  These KnightMares were armed with a plethora of mining equipment; from drill-lances, to grappling-harkens, and radiant-heat guns used for melting away ice without damaging things beneath it.

            The large force of UFN team members went into action immediately as they broke off into individual units and began boring, melting, and chipping away at the icy surface. Within an hour the UFN force of excavators cleared away an area of ice nearly three-hundred meters wide and fifty deep.  They were rapidly nearing the edge of where the Sakuradite deposit was supposed to be.

            "Doctor Viviane!" A masculine voice called over the radio to the G-1.

            "What is it?" She inquired; her curiosity heightened by the man's excitement.

            "We've found something," He radioed back.

            "Oh," the Doctor said. "What have you found?"

            "I think it's best if you come down here Doctor.  I'd rather not talk over an unsecured channel." The man stated with an edge of concern in his voice.

            "I see," she replied.  "I'll proceed down there immediately."

            "Chancellor Schneizel," a female communications officer ventured to interrupt him while he spoke private words to Kannon who currently stood by his side at the commander's station.

            Schneizel looked towards the young woman and grinned, "Yes? What is it?"

            "Chancellor, I've intercepted a communication between one of the mining teams and Dr. Viviane.  It appears they've discovered something under the ice-sheet and she is now currently on site."

            "I see," Schneizel hid his irritation at having been disturbed over such a trivial matter. "It's probably just the Sakuradite vein-"

            "No sir," the girl cut him off. "They've called in Professor Cornwallis of the UFN archaeological unit and have requested a KnightMare armed with a Maser Vibration Sword."

            "An MVS?  What would they need that for?" Kannon blurt out in surprise.

            "That's a good question," Schneizel stood up from his command chair and addressed his Yeoman, "Kannon, have my personal transport prepared for launch. I'm going down there to see what this is all about."

            "Chancellor, shall I have an escort detail go with you?" Kannon was concerned.

            "That won't be necessary Kannon.  However, you have my permission to launch the Black Knights as a precaution if that will assuage your concerns." Schneizel said as he walked towards the bridge elevator doors. "You're in charge until I get back Kannon."

            "Thank you Chancellor." Kannon said. "I'll have the Black Knights launch at once."

            "Very well, just be sure to have them sent out to patrol the perimeter of this area." Schneizel smiled. "We wouldn't want to burden them with the boredom of whatever trinkets Dr. Viviane may have uncovered."

            "Of course sir," Kannon said with a short bow.

            "I hope you had a good reason for dragging me down here," Dr. Viviane said as she disembarked from her Glouster into the large chamber which had been excavated by the mining team with radiant-heat guns.

            Professor Cornwallis slid down his machine's egress ladder and joined up with her as quickly as he could. 

            "Yes ma'am I do," Stated a burly gentleman who greeted her with a quick bow.  "I'm Crew Chief Miyazaki, my team and I found something...it's difficult to describe...Perhaps we should just go down and have a look at it."

            Dr. Viviane and Professor Cornwallis followed along with the Crew Chief of the UFN team towards the end of the cavern where a spire of bronze-colored metal jutted out of the ice.  The metallic cone was large, at least five meters wide and ten meters high, and had an unusual texture; it was smooth like glass.  There were no markings or edges of any kind on the thing.

            "We tried using the MVS to cut through its surface but whatever it's made off is impervious to our tools and weapons." The Chief explained.

            "What do you think Professor Cornwallis?" Dr. Viviane was truly perplexed by the sight of the enigma.

            Cornwallis brushed away some of the snow at the base of the spire. "I think this is the top of a much larger structure.  It looks like the base is another five meters down."  

            Dr. Viviane turned to the Chief, "Mr. Miyazaki, how long would it take you to melt away the ice around this spire and reach the base."

            The Chief put his gloved hand to the chin of his arctic-weather coat, "About five, maybe seven minutes tops."

            Dr. Viviane smiled, "Excellent, get to it as soon as we've cleared the area."

            The Yamato no Orochi took off from the Thor's five dorsal KnightMare launch decks to patrol the surrounding mountainside.  The five Type-21B transformable Bushido-Frames, two Type-21J transformable Samurai-Frames, and one Type-21S transformable Shogun-Frame flew along in their predetermined flight path via their new graviton-impeller internal-inertia propulsion units (GIPU). 

            The Type-21 series was a tenth generation transformable KnightMare Frame developed by the UFN Kyoto-House/Zone-India Industries and built under the direction of Chief Frame-designer Rakshata Chawla and her team of experts during the 2020 a.t.b. rearmament program for the reformed Order of the Black Knights.  This R&D team based the new design on the Shinkirou and Tristan designs.

            The Type-21 was intended to contend with any type of KnightMare, Aerial-warship, or sky-fortress (like the Damocles), that the Order of the Black Knights might encounter.  Therefore, the Kyoto-India design and development teams created a new propulsion system for the Type-21, the GIPU, which allows the Type-21 series to travel at supersonic speeds for as long as the frame has power and the KnightMare is capable of trans-atmospheric flight.

            Enhanced weaponry like the Blade-Luminous (based off of the Blaze Luminous shield system) and the Omni-directional Enhanced Absolute Protection Territory energy shield system were derived directly from Shinkirou and the Tristan-Divider type KnightMares built during the 2017-18 time period. 

            "Hey Kallen you have any idea why we're being sent to patrol the outer perimeter?" Gino inquired of over the radio.

            "I'm not sure," She told him as they flew over the last of the mountain peaks towards the edge of the Sierras.  "But I don't like this."

            "Think we should split up just in case?" Gino asked.

            "That might not be such a bad idea," Captain Kouzuki agreed as she flipped over to the main radio frequency of the Black Knights. "Okay team, listen up.  I want Tamaki and Anya to form up with Gino and me in a diamond formation.  Arial, Luke, Shoji, and Isuzu, will form up in the same manner and patrol in a parallel flight path to ours; circling the Thor's outer perimeter.  This way if we're engaged by any outside threat they won't surprise all of us at once."

            "What? Hey Captain you know there ain't nobody gonna surprise us, we're the original Black Knights," Tamaki boasted over the radio.

            Kallen smiled, "I know Tamaki, and we won't get caught with our pants down."

            "Dr. Viviane, we've found an entrance!" Chief Miyazaki exclaimed from where they had cleared away more of the thick ice.  The spire that rose from the glacial material was much wider at its base and had a slightly larger than man-sized archway that led into the darkened depths of the cone shaped tower.

            "There's more underneath this spire." Professor Cornwallis said in awe of the shadow that lay below the ice. "This must be the top of some central building or temple of some kind."  He looked out along the walls of ice made by the KnightMares as they had unearthed the bronze cone. "There must be a complex of some sort under here, perhaps even an ancient city."

            "How old is it?" Dr. Viviane inquired of him.

            "I don't know," the Professor was giddy. "I've never seen architecture like this before anywhere."

            "Let's proceed inside," Dr. Viviane said as she took a flashlight from her utility belt. "Chief, you're with the Professor and I, the rest of you stay here." She ordered the team of men that now surrounded the egress.

            The trio made their way into the inky blackness of the cylindrical tower only to find it devoid of anything except a bronze circular plate at its center with a podium in the middle.

            "What do you think this is?" Chief Miyazaki asked as he examined the top of the pedestal.  "Hey there are diamonds on this thing!"

            "No Miyazaki, don't touch them!" Professor Cornwallis cried out, but it was too late.  The Chief touched one of the crystals and the disc they were standing on immediately dropped downward at an alarming rate.

            It fell for minutes.

            Finally the circular platform eased to a stop within a chamber lit only by a faint blue light.

            "Where are we?" Dr. Viviane queried her companions.

            "Hundreds of meters down the tower I would guess judging by the speed with which the plate descended." The Chief said as he looked around the room.

            "Good gods, what is that?" Dr. Viviane said as she looked towards a dimly lit corner of the room.  There amidst a pile of rubble were the remains of a thing that looked as if it was once both organic and mechanical; a cyborg of some sort but on a massive scale; like a giant KnightMare-Frame.

            Professor Cornwallis examined the thing with his flashlight.  He let out a gasp, "Hecatonchires, the hundred-handed."

            "Come again?" Dr. Viviane asked the Professor.

            "The Hundred-handed guardians of Greek legend that supposedly guarded the Gates of Tartarus," the Professor stared at the remains of the beast.

            "Who do you think she is?" Chief Miyazaki inquired looking in the opposite direction of the room.

            Dr. Viviane and Professor Cornwallis turned to see what the Chief miner was talking about.  There upon the far wall incased in a crystalline rectangular shaped capsule, which had numerous tubes and cables running from its top and bottom, was an extraordinarily beautiful woman dressed in what appeared to be a jumpsuit adorned with Greek robes.  A wide, flat tiara of gold adorned her head.

            "I don't know who she is." The Professor was enthralled, "but there seems to be an inscription on her tiara." He added as he came to within a few feet of the capsule.

            "Be careful Professor," Dr. Viviane cautioned him.

            "I need to clear this thin layer of ice off to read it," He said as he touched the outer lid.

            As soon as he touched the crystalline surface the capsule came to life.  The crystal structure of the device liquefied in seconds exposing the woman within.

            "Incredible," The Professor said as he leaned in towards the woman. "She is perfectly preserved."

            "Professor I think we should get out of..." Dr. Viviane started to say but was startled by the woman sitting upright.  Her eyes opened to reveal their dark blue, almost violet color.

            "Χαιρετισμούς, είμαι Σθεννώ" The woman said with a smile.

            "What did she say?" Chief Miyazaki managed to ask.

            "It was Greek.  I believe it translates; Greetings, I am Sthenno." The Professor said in amazement.

            The woman took hold of his arm.

            Professor Cornwallis shrank back from her iron grip but could not free himself from her.  In seconds a look of recognition crossed her face.

            "I see I am the first to wake," the woman said in English with a thick foreign accent as if the words were clumsy on her tongue. "Thank you Professor for translating your language to me through your mind, it is much appreciated.  However, since you and your companions are not gods I'm afraid I'm going to have to enslave you."

            "Enslave us!" Miyazaki laughed.  "How the heck are you going to enslave us?"

            A pair of sigils appeared in Sthenno's eyes as Dr. Viviane gasped in horror, "GEASS!"

[DeaconPhenix]

Very well written. I liked the illustrations of the Thor and the Knightmares and you present a very intriguing storyline. The only recommendation I would have is to use a larger font. Sometimes its tough to read a large chapter with small font.

[Kodai_Okuda]

---

DeaconPhenix wrote:
Very well written. I liked the illustrations of the Thor and the Knightmares and you present a very intriguing storyline. The only recommendation I would have is to use a larger font. Sometimes its tough to read a large chapter with small font.

---

Thank you very much for the compliment.

I will use a larger font in future installments which should be forthcomming on either a weekly, biweekly, or monthly interval depending on how many images I have to draw for each "Turn" of my fanfic and what unforseen slow downs real life throws my way.

"Turn 2" is already partially finished (4 pages in Word at 12pt Times New Roman font), I expect it to be around 8-15 pages before its finished.

Each "Turn" will be around 8-10 pages on average so this whole project should be about 200-250+ pages when it's finished (I estimate it will take me about 7 weeks to a year before its done, but I love to write Science-Fiction/Fantasy so I'll enjoy every minute of it ).

I have 25 "Turns" planned out (in a rough outline) right now so this will be a long one, but a fun one I hope (I've got where this whole thing will end up written down).

There are new characters that I will introduce slowly as the fanfic moves along, as well as new mecha (which I plan on drawing for all of you to enjoy).

---

  

Next Turn: "ROOKIES"

[DeaconPhenix]

I'm so jealous that you can draw that well. I might be able to write well but my drawing skills are terrible lol. I'll definitely keep an eye out for future chapters and if you're a fan of Bleach and get the time, check out my fic.

[Kodai_Okuda]

---

DeaconPhenix wrote:
I'm so jealous that you can draw that well. I might be able to write well but my drawing skills are terrible lol. I'll definitely keep an eye out for future chapters and if you're a fan of Bleach and get the time, check out my fic.

---

Thank you.

It took 20 years for me to learn to draw like that, so I can't say I'm that good after all that time, but thank you very much for the compliment. 

You write very well BTW.

I started reading Battle of Four Dragons and I think it's excellent.

I can picture what's happening in it as if I were watching your story as actual episodes of Bleach.

I especially like the Shade, very nice idea if I may say so.

[DeaconPhenix]

Thanks I hope you enjoy the story. It has a lot of original stuff I put in there to make it something different than your everyday Bleach story

[JQuest15]

Dang that was awsome, very detailed. The Knightmare Frame designs are great =)

And this new girl...with Geass.....interesting. I like how you went with a bit of Greek Mythology, you made it blend well in there. I look forward to more keep up the good work.

Indeed this Sthenno character has my interest....nice to see you go in another direction with this, i was almost for sure thought that girl was going to be C.C.

[Kodai_Okuda]

---

JQuest15 wrote:

Dang that was awsome, very detailed. The Knightmare Frame designs are great =)

And this new girl...with Geass.....interesting. I like how you went with a bit of Greek Mythology, you made it blend well in there. I look forward to more keep up the good work.

Indeed this Sthenno character has my interest....nice to see you go in another direction with this, i was almost for sure thought that girl was going to be C.C.

---

Thank you very much JQuest15.

The next Turn (turn 2) will be posted tonight (no new pics in this one...sorry...I'll post new mecha images as new machines are introduced. )

Oh and since Code Geass is essentially a Greek Tragedy I thought it fitting to add the Greek gods into it!

[Kodai_Okuda]

CODE GEASS

DIRGE OF DAEDALUS 

Turn Two: Rookies (Part 1)

            "Ashford Academy, I hadn't seen the place in nearly half a decade.  I was truly amazed at how a former Britannian private school could be transformed into an international Career Academy.  The biggest surprise was that Ougi and Valletta Nu were now actually teaching there.  Valletta had become the school's KnightMare-Frame instructor and Ougi taught command classes for the fledgling recruits of the Order of the Black Knights.  It was truly amazing for me to see how much had changed, but what moved me more is how much had stayed the same since those glory days with Kallen, Rivaltz, Nina, Shirley, Nunnally, and...Lulu."-Excerpt from Milley Ashford's interview with International World Review dated October 22nd, 2025 a.t.b.

---

            "Akira Nobunaga!" Valletta called out the name from the list on the sheet secured to the clipboard she held in front of her.

            "He's not here yet Mrs. Nu," Lena Morrow told her from where she stood within the group of nearly twenty student-pilots. 

            "Any idea where he is Lena?" Valletta asked.

            The young girl just shrugged her shoulders and then began playing with her long braided blue-hair, "I don't know Mrs. Nu.  He doesn't tell me where he goes in the morning."

            There were "oohs" mixed in among the tittering within the group.

            "I thought you were his girlfriend..." Valletta started to say when she was interrupted by a person running into the KnightMare hangar.

            A short brown-haired teenager with jade-green eyes rushed through the large open garage door of the KnightMare bay.  His features became apparent in the overhead lighting of the hangar and betrayed his mixed Britannian-Japanese heritage as he got into his place in the group of rookies, "I'm here!" he wheezed; bending over and holding himself up by resting his hands on his thighs as he tried to breathe.

            "Where the heck have you been Akira?" Valletta interrogated him. "There is only a month left until graduation, you could at least TRY to get here on time for once before that."

            "Yes ma'am," He said as he got his wind back and stood up straight. "I've been working with Ms. Rakshata." Akira smiled.

            "Really?" Valletta frowned. "Is fooling around with Dr. Chawla's new inventions more important too you than defending the honor of your KnightMare team in the upcoming final game of this year.  Japan's Jaguars are playing in the International KnightMare Competition.  We'll be competing against the best rookie KnightMare pilots in the world including the Chinese Federation's Red-Dragon team.  The week long competition is going to be televised to the whole world or did you forget that today was the day of the Tokyo Broadcasting Channel's visit to Ashford to cover our leaving for Sidney Australia?"

            "No ma'am," He answered her with a weak grin.

            "You're the Captain of the Jaguars, Akira." Valletta scolded him. "Where's your Ashford pride?"  She put her hands on her hips. "I know you want to be a Black Knight, you all do, but only the best KnightMare Devicers are selected.  Your skill in a KnightMare is very impressive Mr. Nobunaga, but your lack of professionalism and lax attitude towards your duties as a Japan Jaguar will hurt you in this upcoming contest.  Members of the Black Knights are selected from the winners in this International Competition"

            "I know Mrs. Nu, but how are we supposed to prove ourselves when we're practicing in these old Gloucesters and Sutherlands?  They are obsolete and..."

            "You think they're obsolete huh?" Valletta gave him a devilish smirk. "Fine, we'll begin today's practice lesson with you and I sparing off in a pair of Gloucesters."

            There were whispers in the crowd of students all around Akira.

            Valletta commanded her troupe of student-pilots. "All of you get your suits on and meet me on the practice field in ten minutes."

---

 

            "You've done it now Akira," A tall blonde-haired male pilot said.  His Germanic facial features seemed strained as he smiled. "Mrs. Nu is gonna whip your butt out there man."

            "We'll see about that Gregor," Akira snickered as he secured the boot straps of his Devicer-suit. "She's good, but out of practice."

            Gregor laughed as they made their way out of the locker room towards where the others were gathered. "Hey Lena, our boy Akira thinks Mrs. Nu can't beat him."

            "Is that so?" A tall teenage-woman, with auburn hair and ice-blue eyes, sneered.  Her athletic figure moved to one side as she swung her pilot's braid of hair over her left shoulder. "Think cause you're a guy that a woman can't beat you Akira?"

            Lena jeered at her, "He wasn't asking you Princess Superior Me Pretendia!"

            "Don't start Mika." Gregor waved her off with an irritated look trying to defuse the situation before it got out of hand. "He's got enough on his mind already today."     Mika ignored Gregor, "Ooh, aren't we testy this morning, Lena.  Maybe when you're all grown up I'll take what you say seriously.  You know, when you actually fill out like a woman."

            "What?" Lena felt her cheeks flush with anger at Mika's jibe at the size of her chest.  "You're one to talk, Mika.  It's not like guys want a girl with a pair of bowling-balls strapped to her chest.  How are they supposed to help you up out of a car on a date...with a crane?"

            "That's it you little **BLEEP**!" Mika said as she spun around on her heal and let loose with a closed fist aimed at Lena's face.    

            Mika's punch was caught in mid-air, "Stop it, both of you." Akira said as he let go of Mika's clenched fist.  Nobunaga gave Gregor a frown before turning back to Mika, "I didn't say she couldn't beat me because she's a woman.  That has nothing to do with it.  I said I think I can beat her because she's out of practice."

            "If you're so confident then I guess you'd better get into that Vincent Ward over there instead of a Gloucester." Valletta said from the cockpit hatch of a Gloucester on the far side of the hangar.

            "But Mrs. Nu there's no way you can beat me in a Gloucester if I'm piloting a Vincent Ward.  Even Gregor could beat you in that thing." Akira protested.

            "Gee thanks old buddy, " Gregor grumbled.

            "No buts Mr. Nobunaga get your **BLEEP** in that Vincent Ward and meet me on the field ASAP." Valletta closed the hatch of her Gloucester and moved the machine over to pick up an MVS.  "Be sure to arm your KnightMare with one MVS and no projectile weapons." Valletta told him over her KnightMare's loudspeaker. "We'll be engaging in hand-to-hand combat only."

            "Oh man Akira," Gregor said. "She sounds serious."

            Akira gave him a blank look, "She is."

---

            "What are all of you doing milling around this...thing," Schneizel said as he walked down towards the egress of the bronze spire. His finely woven fur arctic-coat whipped in the wind as he made his way to the mouth of the opening.

            A man came up to Schneizel and opened his cold-weather mask, "Chancellor, they haven't come out of that structure for nearly an hour."

            "Who hasn't come out of there?" He asked.

            "Dr. Viviane, Chief Miyazaki, and that Professor fellow," The man said.

            "I see," Schneizel approached the doorway and peered into the inky blackness. "I wonder what could be keeping them." He mused to himself as a light came into view from a large circular hole in the floor.  Within moments a bronze disc carrying four people came to a halt at the top of the orifice in the center of the chamber.

            "Dr. Viviane, what have you discov..." Schneizel started to ask before he saw the faint orange glow that shown in their eyes through the darkness of the room, "Geass, but how?"

            "You're a handsome one," Sthenno cooed as she walked off the platform towards Schneizel. "I think I shall make you my personal play-thing." She smiled as the sigils appeared in her eyes.

            Schneizel tried to avert his gaze but it was too late.

            Sthenno stretched out her left arm towards him, "I Sthenno, Goddess of Tartarus command you to be my slave and serve me and no other!"

            Schneizel dropped down onto his knees and screamed, clutching his head, "NO! I must serve Zero!  I must serve Zero!"

            "Zero?" Sthenno asked out loud. "Ah, I see.  This Zero must be a Sorcerer who's enchanted you, or perhaps even a god.  I suppose I could let you go mad and die, but on the other hand I may need more knowledge of this Zero.  Therefore..." Sthenno walked over to Schneizel and pulled the Tiara she wore on her head down over her eyes.  Instantly the bronze-colored headband came to life; at its center a mechanical eye appeared, the symbol of the All Seeing Eye, and from this eye the blue inverted sigil of Geass formed.  A blue glow engulfed both Sthenno and Schneizel.  The orange glow in his eyes subsided.

            Schneizel stood up and looked around in a momentary daze, "What? What happened?"

            Sthenno smirked, "I have freed you from the enchantment of Zero.  However..." Sthenno flipped up her Tiara and prepared to Geass him.

            He put out his hand, "There is no need for that. I am in your debt.  I can serve you more efficiently without the need for such....sorceries."

            Sthenno paused, the sigils in her eyes faded, "How can you serve me better than if you were my slave?"

            Schneizel seized the moment "I can give you insight into knowledge of things that have transpired since whenever it is you came to be in this place.  I imagine you've been in this place for some time; would I be wrong to assume that you require information on the peoples, places, and countries of this present day world."

            "No you would be correct in your assumption.  However, what concerns me most at present is this Zero.  Who is he?" She inquired as she reached out and caressed his face. "What do you know of this person?"

            "Zero was my younger brother," Schneizel told her.

            "Brother?" Sthenno inquired. "So then are you his champion?"

            Schneizel thought fast, Champion? She must mean the Geass Lelouch put on me. "I was, but thanks to you I am no longer." He smiled. "I was not his champion by choice."

            "As his brother why would you not willingly be his champion?" Sthenno was clearly intrigued.

            "He betrayed and killed our father, and then stole our father's power for himself." Schneizel was casual in his demeanor. "My brother became a tyrant and a murderer and the world has suffered for it."

            "Oh, how tragic." She smiled. "Then you must want revenge against this brother of yours, this Zero?"

            "Very much so," Schneizel pasted an innocent expression on his face, "I was once a prince.  Prince Schneizel vi Britannia, and I wish to reclaim the kingdom that is rightfully mine.  I am the eldest surviving son and this Zero has put his sibling, my crippled youngest half-sister, who is just barely a woman, in my place to mock our father and our Empire."

            "Has he?" Sthenno's demeanor became cold. "This Zero would dare to put a weakling cripple child in place of a Prince such as you."

            "Unfortunately," Schneizel smirked.

            "Then I think you may be able to serve my purposes Prince Schneizel and I in turn can help you," Sthenno eyed him cautiously. "If you pledge your undying loyalty to me on your honor as a Prince of this Britannia of yours, then I will grant you the power to take back your kingdom."

            "I will be eternally grateful," Schneizel bowed.

            "In exchange for this power I shall grant you, I expect you to free my people from their icy tomb within a fortnight."  Sthenno gave him an evil grin and held out her hand, "Do we have an accord?"

            Schneizel realized that her offer was final and that she would probably Geass him and release her companions even if he refused.  He knelt before her and gently took her hand in his own.  Schneizel kissed her hand, "We have a deal milady."

            "Very good," Sthenno blushed at his gesture.  She bent down and lifted his head gently as she kissed him on the lips.

            A flood of imagery ran through Schneizel's head; Sthenno as a young girl being given Geass from an old man; her power to enslave gaining her the stature of a champion of her God; wars fought in his name; her attainment of a full Geass power with sigils forming in both her eyes; her slaying of an Egyptian immortal and the transfer of her immortality, her Code, into Sthenno's body; the last image was of the final Geass-War which shook the very foundations of the Earth and caused the antediluvian civilizations of the world to sink into oblivion in the flood that ensued, sealing with it the ancient secrets of the gods.

            Schneizel knelt before her; stunned at what his mind had seen and its implications, but one question burned in his skull.  "I was under the impression that a person lost his power of sorcery when he gained immortality, is this not so?"

            Sthenno chortled and addressed him as a teacher to a student, "A champion becomes a sorcerer over time, and may achieve immortality in one of two ways.  He may either acquire it from an immortal or he may obtain transcendence through the oracle of life.  If he is given it or takes it from an immortal then he will retain his power of sorcery provided that immortal is not the one who made him his champion in the first place; only a fool would kill the one that made them, though a master may sacrifice his immortality and force it upon one he has made to end the power of his wicked pupil.  I took my immortality from a god known as Bast, but the one who made me was Kronos."

            Sthenno motioned for Schneizel to rise before her, "You now have the power of a champion my Prince."

            Schneizel could feel a sensation of power coursing through his body, its epicenter focused just behind his right eye. "So this is the power of Geass." 

            Sthenno leaned up to his ear and whispered, "Let us go now my Prince, and convince your people to follow you in the name of your goddess, in the name of Sthenno."

---

            "Kannon," Schneizel's voice emanated from the back of the bridge as he and his female companion entered the command deck.

            "Oh, Chancellor, I hadn't realized you'd returned," Kannon said a bit perplexed by the attire (and gender) of Schneizel's escort.

            "Please Kannon, address me as Prince Schneizel," He smiled.

            Kannon was befuddled, "But Chancel...I mean Prince Schneizel, Emperor Lelouch abolished the royal system-"

            Sthenno raised an eyebrow at the mention of Lelouch but said nothing.

            "And I am here to rebuild it," Schneizel said in his calm manner.  He called out to the bridge crew, "Everyone, may I have your attention."

            The bridge crew turned to face Schneizel.

            "Very good," he said as the sigil of Geass appeared in his right eye. "I Prince Schneizel vi Britannia command you to serve me with undying loyalty."

            The bridge crew stood up, a faint orange glow was just barely visible behind their eyes, as they declared in unison, "Yes my Lord!"

            "Well now that the formalities are out of the way we can begin," Schneizel told a horrified Kannon. Schneizel laughed, "Don't worry Kannon this is the beginning of a truly new era, besides I would never use this power on you my loyal friend."

            Sthenno looked over the bridge of the Thor as she waltzed in with an air of invulnerability, "This is a primitive vessel, but it will do."

            "And whom is this?" Kannon inquired with a narrow eyed look.

            Schneizel turned and gently took Sthenno by the hand.  She regarded him with a curious smile as he introduced her, "Kannon, this radiant creature is the goddess Sthenno. It is too she that I owe our second chance to reclaim the empire and it is she whom we owe our allegiance too for this grand opportunity."

            Sthenno snickered, "I assume by the jealous look on your face that you must be Prince Schneizel's man-servant."  Sthenno clasped Schneizel's hand tightly, "I imagine that you serve your lord well, but I'm afraid there are certain functions that you are no longer required for; functions that only a woman is capable of providing."

            Kannon scowled, "I will perform whatever duties Prince Schneizel requires of me."

            "As you have for years Kannon," Schneizel said. "And as I expect you will throughout this great endeavor to restore the glory of Britannia."

            "What about the Black Knights?" Kannon asked the question as if it should be obvious that Schneizel's plan would require more than just a Geass wielding goddess.

            "Ah yes, my brother's Order of vagabonds," Schneizel turned to one of the bridge crew. "Order Captain Kouzuki's team to return at once," The Prince smiled. "And when they come in range of our weapons, destroy them."

---

Insert TV Commerical Break here

[Kodai_Okuda]

CODE GEASS

DIRGE OF DAEDALUS

Turn Two: Rookies (Part 2)

---

            "Are you ready Akira?" Valletta asked as she prepared her Gloucester.

            "Yes Mrs. Nu, I'm ready." Nobunaga radioed her.

            "Good!" Valletta said as the wheels of her KnightMare folded down.  Her machine tore up the gravel of the academy proving grounds as she maneuvered it towards the Vincent Ward on the other side of the field.

            The other members of the Japan Jaguars sat in the bleachers which were built high above the field, on the sidelines which were protected by a luminous blaze shield all along the rim of the proving grounds.

            Valletta unsheathed the MVS of her Gloucester as she charged Akira's Vincent Ward. "You need to learn to take the initiative!" she said as her KnightMare swung its Maser sword at the left leg of the Vincent.

            "I prefer to let my opponent make the first move," Akira said as his machine pivoted on its right heel while simultaneously unsheathing its MVS.

            The Gloucester's Maser sword just barely missed the leg of the Vincent Ward as Nobunaga's machine swung down towards the right shoulder of Valletta's mecha from behind.

            "Go Mrs. Nu!" Mika cheered from the stands.

            "Get her Akira!" Lena yelled.

            The Maser Sword of Akira's mecha was stopped by Valletta's own MVS.

            The swords of both machines crossed several times before the two combatants separated again; driving across the field at high speed via their wheeled drives.

            Akira's Vincent flew into the air with the momentum of its driving speed and lunged at Valletta's Gloucester with a cutting blow.

            "You're trying too hard Akira," She scolded him over the radio as her machine swerved in towards him; the blade of her Maser sword came up towards the left arm joint of the Vincent.

            "If you say so ma'am," Akira countered with the hip mounted Slash-Harken of his machine; deflecting Valletta's attack.

            "Oh man that was close," Gregor said to Lena.

            Lena reassured Gregor, "Don't worry, Akira just needs to get a feel of his opponent before he can whip em."

            "No way Lena," Mira taunted her. "Mrs. Nu is a war veteran and an expert KnightMare Devicer, your boy is going down!"

            "Not bad," Valletta said as her KnightMare swung around and lashed out with a stun-tonfa from its left arm.  The weapon connected with the right arm of the Vincent.

            "Oh NO!" Lena blurt out.

            Mira laughed, "You see, there's no way he can win."

            "**BLEEP**!" Akira cursed as the electrical jolt shot through his KnightMare frame.

            "You need to think two steps ahead of your opponent if you want to win," Valletta told him as she twisted her Gloucester around and sliced the right arm of the Vincent Ward off completely.

                Akira tried to counter her move with a pair of Slash-Harkens but Valletta used her MVS to cut through both of them.

            "Wow, Mrs. Nu is really good," Gregor said with a blank look.

            Lena shoved him, "Whose side are you on?"

            "Your moves are too predictable Nobunaga," Her Gloucester thrust forward with its MVS.

            Akira's Vincent Ward spun to one side as he instinctively moved the Maser Sword of his mecha and slashed at her machine's left arm; severing the mechanical limb.

            Valletta was surprised, "Impressive."  She said as her KnightMare parried his second blow with its MVS.

            "Thank you sensei, you'll find I'm full of surprises," Akira retorted as he drove his machine backwards at full speed.

            "What the heck is Akira doing?" Gregor asked perplexed by his friend's move.

            "Looks like he's running away," Mika chuckled.

            "No, he's luring her in." Lena said.

            Akira maneuvered his machine in a zigzag pattern along the field with Valletta in hot pursuit.

            "I take back what I said," Valletta told him as she followed after him.  "Running away isn't very impressive Mr. Nobunaga."

            "I agree," He said as he reversed the direction of his Vincent Ward and stuck the tip of its MVS into the ground like a pole-vault stick; spinning his KnightMare to the side and behind Valletta's mecha.

            Before she could react Akira's Vincent Ward cut off her Gloucester's last remaining arm.

            "Yah Akira!" Lena yelled.  "He beat her!"

            "I can't believe it," Mika said in amazement.

            Akira pointed his Maser Sword at Valletta's Gloucester, "I win Mrs. Nu, there's no way your machine can fight..."

            The Slash-Harkens of the Gloucester launched out at the Vincent Ward, "The fight isn't over until your enemy is defeated completely Akira!" The first Slash-Harken tore through the arm of the Vincent Ward, cutting it off, while the second one smashed through the sensor head of the mecha.

            "Surrender!" Valletta said over the radio.

            Akira was shocked by how quickly his victory had vanished, "I concede." He said as his Vincent Ward dropped to its knees.

            "No Way!" Lena whined.

            "Oh Yah!" Mika raised her arms up in the air. "She really kicked his..."

            "What the heck is going on here?" A male voice startled Mika as he inquired from behind the Japan Jaguars at the top of the bleachers.

            "Hi Mr. Nu," Gregor greeted Ougi as he walked down towards them.

            "Where's Valletta?" He asked in a befuddled tone as he stopped and looked around at the KnightMare team.

            The Jaguars pointed out to the Gloucester that stood triumphantly over the badly damaged Vincent Ward.

            "I see," Ougi sighed.  He walked down past the Jaguars to the gate that accessed the proving grounds and strut out onto the field towards the Gloucester at a quick pace.

            Valletta opened the cockpit hatch of her KnightMare as Ougi approached her machine, "Hi hun," She said with a meek smile. "How's your morning been?"

            "Not as exciting as yours I see," He said with a smirk. "Is this some kind of last minute training before you guys leave for Australia?"

            Valletta knew Ougi didn't approve of her being the Ashford Academy KnightMare instructor because it brought out her Britannian training and conditioning and Ougi disliked that side of her personality. "Uh...heh, it's something like that." She stammered.

            "Well, just try not to put your students in the hospital before the competition," He joked. "The Chief Executive Officer of TBC, Mrs. Milley Ashford, is here and would like to personally interview the Jaguar's coach in a one-on-one exclusive before the Jaguars leave today.  I told her I'd come get you, but if you're busy with your team I'll tell her to wait..."

            "No, no...Not if Milley came to see us off." Valletta blushed. "I'll get right over there."

            Ougi laughed, "I hate to be the one to tell you honey, but you're sweating profusely," He knew how conscious Valletta was of her appearance in public, her sense of royal décor had not ended with her leaving the ranks of the Royal Britannian military. "Should I tell Mrs. Ashford that you'll be a while?"

            "Twenty minutes tops," Valletta said as she climbed down from the KnightMare and yelled to the Jaguars. "Mika, you and the others help Akira get out of his KnightMare and then clean up this mess before we have to pack up and leave today.  I've got to go!" 

            Mika looked at her teammates, "Clean this up before we leave?  How the heck are we supposed to that?  Those KnightMares are both wrecks.  Can't we just leave them here until we get back?"

            "Come on Mika let's go get the wrecker and the crane." Gregor said as he dragged her off towards the hangar.

            Valletta Nu came up to Ougi and kissed him on the lips, "Thanks for understanding about all this Ougi," She said before kissing him again "It means a lot to me that you're not mad about me going off to Australia for the week and leaving you with the kids.  You really are the best Ougi. I Love you." She told him before she sprinted off towards the KnightMare hangar and the showers.

  

---

            "Attention Black Knight units," the female flight control officer of the Thor spoke over Kallen's radio. "Prince Schneizel has ordered your teams to return to the ship at once."

            "Prince Schneizel?" Anya remarked over the radio in a befuddled tone.

            "That's not the kind of déjà vu I need Captain," Tamaki added.

            "No kidding," Gino guffawed, "What do you think it means Kallen?" Gino asked her with an edge of concern creeping into his voice.

            "She probably just misspoke," Kallen tried to calm the rising feeling of dread that welled up from her gut. She flipped her radio over to the general Black Knight frequency and contacted the team leader of the other four members of the Yamato no Orochi, "Shoji listen up.  We're going to fly in together in a line formation, flanking the Thor from each side of her.  My team port and your team Starboard that way if anything's amiss we can minimize any damage that might ensue."

            "Uh...Okay Captain, but is there something wrong?" Shoji asked confused.

            Kallen didn't want to alarm her teammates, nor did she want to alert the Thor if something really was wrong, "It's probably nothing...just fly in parallel to us on the starboard side and keep your wits about you."

            "Yes ma'am," He replied.

 

---

          

            The two flights of Type-21 KnightMares flew towards the Thor in a low steady path along the tops of the Antarctic sierras.     

            "Prince Schneizel, the Black Knights are in range of our port and Starboard Hadron Cannons." A young male officer said from his tactical station on the bridge of the ship. "I have a solid lock on the Starboard flight and will have the port flight locked on at any moment."

            "Very good ensign," Schneizel smiled. "You may fire at will."

 

---

            The starboard and port side clamshell-type enclosures which housed the Hadron-Cannons opened up and unleashed their deadly streams of energy.

            "What the hell!" Gino blurt out as he instinctively veered his fighter away from the attack.

            "SHIELDS!!" Kallen yelled over the radio as she transformed her Type-21 Shogun and used its Hadron-shields to try and protect her teammates from the deadly beam.

            The streams of destruction cut through the unsuspecting starboard flight of Type-21s, reducing them to molten balls of slag that fell down in between the mountains below them.

            Kallen's KnightMare shook violently under the barrage of the Hadron beam.  The searing heat of the ray emanated through the superstructure of her mecha into her cockpit and smothered her until she started blacking out.

            Her Type-21 fell to the rocky crags below; smoking as it did so.

---

            "Direct hit my lord," the young tactical officer reported.

            "Excellent work ensign," Schneizel commended the man.

            "Do you think they were totally destroyed?" Kannon asked.

            "In all likelihood they were," Schneizel said as he sat down in his command chair. "However, they are equipped with an enhanced Absolute Protection Energy Shield, some of them may have gotten lucky so we should send out a recovery team to be sure all of them were neutralized."

            "Yes, my lord," Kannon said with a short bow.

            "Oh, and Kannon, be sure to put dispatch a report to the UFN," Schneizel smiled. "Tell them we were attacked by mercenary forces that we believe to be connected with Cornelia's troupe of Brazilian terrorists, and that these terrorists unfortunately managed to destroy our Black Knight escort. However, we are currently safe." 

            "As you wish Prince Schneizel," Kannon nodded.

---

            "It's been too long Nunnally," Kaguya said with a smile as she kissed Nunnally on each cheek.

            "Indeed," Jiang Reika hugged Nunnally as she sat in her float-chair.

            "Yes it has been," Nunnally responded with a warm smile at her friends as she greeted them on the landing pad of the Britannian surface warship Emerald Queen.

            Suzaku looked on silently; playing his part as Zero while he stood behind Nunnally's chair.

            Kaguya regarded him with icy glare, "I see you've brought along your bodyguard." Sumeragi said to Nunnally.

            Nunnally tried to be diplomatic, "Yes, Zero is my trusted aid and protector.  I thought it prudent to bring him along on this voyage."

            "Oh, I see," Kaguya eyed Zero. "So tell me Zero, now that there is perpetual peace in the world, what need do we have of you outside of being a mere bodyguard?"

            "Kaguya!" Reika scolded her. "That was rude."

            Sumeragi's stare didn't waver.

            Suzaku knew she was trying to get him to speak out loud to her, even with the helmet's voice modulation unit, Kaguya Sumeragi, his cousin, might recognize him; he stood maintaining his silence.

            "Well?" Sumeragi pressed him. "What happened to the knight of justice?  The man who changed the world will tongue and deed must have something to say in his defense."

            She's trying to push me into revealing who I am to her with my voice!  Suzaku thought as Sumeragi put her hands on her hips and stared at him. Maybe she won't be able to tell.  Maybe the voice scrambler will fool her; then again maybe not.

            Nunnally was too shocked to speak; she hadn't thought that Kaguya would be so bold.

            I have no choice, if I say nothing she'll suspect I'm hiding something which relates to her and me personally. This woman had known the real Zero; she would not be fooled by Suzaku's attempt to imitate Lelouch, so there was no use in trying to do so; Suzaku spoke using his own brand of verbal tact; which was to say as little as possible with the most verbiage he could muster.  "I am the Knight of Justice, the one person the world looks to for salvation, and I, Zero, am the symbol of the peace the world now enjoys." His words were like a metal coin on his tongue; course, dry, and metallic.

            "Is that so," Kaguya tittered viscously. "The world is fortunate that it does not know you the way I do."

            "Lady Kaguya that is quite enough," Nunnally told her with a frown. "Zero is not a criminal and I cannot tolerate you attacking him like he is one."

            "I'm sorry Empress Nunnally," Sumeragi gave her a sad smile. "It's just that I once loved Zero...the real one...your brother.  And I don't know for certain whom this imposter is, but I hate to think of who he may be."

            Nunnally's heart sank. She wanted to cry for the loss of her friend and for her own loss, but she had to be strong for Suzaku's sake.  "I...I'm sorry for you Lady Kaguya, but please do not blame this Zero for what happened.  My brother was responsible for his own actions, no one else."

            Kaguya took hold of Nunnally's hand, "Thank you my friend." She put on a grin as she changed the subject abruptly, "May I ask if it would be possible for us to get anything to eat on this ship, the flight was long and we've yet to have supper."

            Nunnally laughed, grateful for the shift in Sumeragi's mood. "Yes Lady Kaguya, there's plenty of food to eat in the ship's galley.  We can go there immediately if you'd like."

            "How about you Reika, are you hungry?" Nunnally asked the girl who had been silent for much of Kaguya's verbal flaying of Suzaku.

            Jiang nodded, "Umm-hmmm, I'm starving." She giggled.

            "Good," Nunnally chortled. "Let's go."

            "Okay," Jiang said as she took hold of Nunnally's float-chair and pushed her along towards the elevator at the far end of the landing pad.

            Kaguya turned to Zero, "I've wondered about you for many years Zero.  Who you are now and why you did what you did.  I think I've figured it out, so when you see my cousin, tell him that I'll never forgive him for being a traitor to his people, to his family, and to a man who must have been like a brother to him."  She turned on her heel without saying another word and sprinted ahead of Zero to join with her two friends.

            Suzaku was frozen in place.  Her words had cut deep into him.  It was true what she had said; he had murdered his father, killed his own people in the service of Britannia, and slew his best friend, and for what?  What had he done that changed the world for the better?  It was Lelouch that had made the sacrifice, not him. How had anything that he did save anyone he loved?

            Back during the Rebellion he had looked at the world through the eyes of a teenager, rash and impulsive, an idealist; now he had the wisdom of six years of experience in living a lie that tore at his sanity and his soul.  He wondered how much more of this shame he could stand before he lost what was left of who he was and fell into total despair and perhaps even madness.

            Suzaku looked up at the clear blue sky above him and spoke softly to himself, "Lelouch, if you can hear me, please, lift this curse from me and release me.  I can bear it no longer."

            The sky responded with cold hard silence.

            Zero walked towards the elevators that led to the galley below.

[DeaconPhenix]

Villetta really put a whooping on Akira lol.

So Schneizels back in the game and with a Geass this time. I can smell trouble brewing already.

And I wonder if Kaguya is going to discover that Suzaku is the imposter Zero.

[Bleach117x]

I approve of this topic

======================

=BLEACH'S SEAL OF APPROVAL=

======================

[Kodai_Okuda]

Thank you very much.

I'm glad you like it.

Suzaku's troubles are only just begining, he's got 29 more days with Kaguya before they reach Japan.

I wanted Valletta to kick some butt in this because she was shown to be a decent KnightMare pilot in S1 of CG, so I thought I would exploit that a little.

And Schneizel....oooh....If I do my job right as a writer you all should want him dead, and I mean REALLY DEAD, by the end of this.

I've got to go for tonight.  I'm getting ready to read more of your Battle of 4 Dragons tonight (right after this post actually) and then I'll be off to bed.

Next Turn:  Turn Three: Mettle

[DeaconPhenix]

Cool drop me a line over there if u get the chance

[JQuest15]

Nice job Kodai,

Really liked this chap, Villetta did her thing and i see she still has it

Schneizel with Geass? No it's big bro's turn

Hmm... i wonder what went through Sthenno's mind when she heard the name "Lelouch" this is getting interesting and just like the show you got me thinking of How? and Why?

Akira, promising yet unexpirienced nice character. Also like that part on Suzaku, "What did he do to make the world better?" Dang Suzaku you got alot to deal with, if its any consolation to him, he is makng the world better by bearing The Curse....The Curse of Zero.

Looking forward to more =)

[MsIszumi]

I've only read a little bit but I'm quite intrigued!  Can't wait for the next installment...thank you!

[Kodai_Okuda]

Thanks everybody, I'm glad you all like it thus far.

I should have Turn Three done by Saturday (maybe sooner if I can swing it); it's at 8 pages right now, will probably be around 10-12 in Word when I'm done.

No pics until Turn 4 or 5 (depending on how large Turn 4 is, but I've got the basic models for two of the Greco-Tartarian machines/KnightMares sketched).

[Kodai_Okuda]

 

CODE GEASS

DIRGE OF DAEDALUS

Turn Three: Mettle (Part 1)

            "The Type-21 series was truly one of my proudest achievements.  To have it selected over that awful Lancelot of the Lake design put forth by the Earl of Pudding during the 2020 X-Frame competition for the Black Knight's new KnightMare was simply wonderful.  I mean the look on Lloyd's face when our team won the contract was something I shall cherish for the rest of my life."-Excerpt from an Interview with Chief-Frame designer Rakshata Chawla in Jayne's Mecha-Monthly dated July 3rd 2022 a.t.b.

---

            "Is she alive?" Gino asked Anya.

            "Yes, I've linked with her Type-21's internal cockpit Devicer monitor and it shows her life signs are stable." The girl said as her Type-21 flew dangerously low over the vast expanse of the Antarctic plains of Ice.  Her "Samurai" carried Kallen's "Shogun" in its arms as its graviton impeller compensated for the weight of a second KnightMare Frame.

            "Good," He said.  "How about you Tamaki, how's your KnightMare?"

            "It's singed, but it is still fling." Tamaki remarked. "I'm not sure Kallen would want us running away like this, maybe we should have stood our ground and fought Schneizel."

            "No way," Gino protested. "Two-hundred fifth generation KnightMares against three 10th Generation is still a slaughter; we'd run out of energy before we'd cut through a quarter of them."

            "You're probably right," Tamaki grumbled.

            "We should be approaching the coastline any time now," Anya said. "Do you think that Prince Schneizel's forces will pursue us this far?"

            "As soon as he realizes we survived he will." Gino answered her.

            "Let's hope that's not before we make it to South America," Anya added.

            "Why the heck are we going to South America anyway?" Tamaki asked.  "Do you guys actually think Cornelia will just let us fly in there and say; 'Hi, can we get a recharge for our KnightMares?'; there's no way Generalissimo Ceasaro will let us go if she captures us.  I say this is a bad idea."

            "Bad idea or not, we have no other choice Tamaki," Gino told him.  "We only have enough power to make it to the tip of South America, and Anya's 'Samurai' won't make it unless Kallen wakes up soon and flies her machine under its own power."

            "So you're saying we're screwed," Tamaki moaned.

            "What a way to lift all our spirits, can't you do anything accept complain?" Kallen said over the radio.

            "Hey! Captain you're awake!" Tamaki was elated.

            "You okay Kallen?" Gino asked her.

            "I've got a splitting head-ache, and my 'Shogun' is a little worse for wear, but I'm okay otherwise." She sounded irritated. "What the heck happened?"

            "Schneizel is a traitor," Anya said in her methodical monotone. "He destroyed the other four members of our team and attempted to incinerate us as well."

            "I see," Kallen said softly. "You can let go of me now Anya, I can fly this thing on my own."

            Lt. Alstreim's KnightMare released the Type-21S.

            Kallen's machine flew under its own power up to the front of the group. "We should transform and go to supersonic flight," She suggested.

            "No," Gino contradicted her. "If we fly above 50 feet from the surface then the Thor's electromagnetic sensors will detect the Sakuradite signatures of our machines.  We're moving fast enough right now that their overhead satellite video will be hard pressed to find us; especially since the sun is going down.  We should be able to hide within the glare of the sunset off of the ice below us long enough to get out to the ocean."

            "Good idea Gino," Kallen remarked. "But where to from there?"

            The apprehension in his voice was clear, "South America."

            "So we're going to throw ourselves on Cornelia's mercy?" Kallen mused.

            "I don't think we have any other choice." Gino said.

            "You mean because our energy fillers will run out before we make it any farther than that don't you Gino?" Captain Kouzuki lamented.

            "Yah, Australia is too far, as is Africa, South America is our only hope." He told her as the coastline of the sea came into view.  The waves were a radiant gold as the ice below them burned a brilliant red-orange in the light of the setting sun.

            The group of Type-21s flew towards the sea as fast as their graviton-impellers would take them.

---

            "We've just received word from the recovery unit," Kannon informed his Prince. "There are four units missing."

            "Captain Kouzuki's unit I suppose," Schneizel said with a bored look as he wrested his head on his arm. 

            "Shall I send out a search team to try and track them down?" Kannon inquired.

            "There's no need Kannon," Schneizel smiled. "The only place they could be headed is South America."  Schneizel said, but his eyes were distant as a plan he was formulating came to fruition.  "Kannon, would you be so kind as to open a channel to General Tohdoh?"  

            "Oh course Prince Schneizel," Kannon said before giving the order to contact the UFN Commander-in-Chief.

            Within minutes the visage of General Tohdoh appeared on main viewscreen of the Thor.

            "What is it Schneizel?" Tohdoh was apparently not happy at being bothered by him in the early morning hours of Japan.

            Schneizel stood up, "Please forgive this intrusion General but I have pressing news."

            "Continue," Tohdoh nodded slightly giving his approval.

            Schneizel put on a sad expression, "It would appear my dear sister Cornelia has finally begun to make her move.  We have confirmed that it was indeed her forces which attacked us earlier today and even now she may be planning her next attempt to take control of the massive Sakuradite deposit we have found here in Antarctica."  The Prince lifted his chin slightly, "If we don't do something quickly, we may find ourselves at a disadvantage against her should she obtain the Sakuradite deposits here and thus be able to construct a massive army of new KnightMares and Aerial-warships.  Britannia could handle this on its own but in the interest of international cooperation I thought it best to contact the UFN C-in-C and request his permission."

            Tohdoh had a stone expression, "I can't give you that authority at this moment. However, I can call an emergency meeting of the UFN general assembly via satellite link and call for a vote on military action.  It may take a few days for them to iron out their concerns over this, but I can assure you they would act faster if you give me some proof of what you claim."

            "I will have all of the available data compiled and transmitted to you as soon as possible General." Schneizel smiled.  "I do hope the UFN acts quickly.  If we can stop Cornelia before she can rout us from our position here, then we may avert unnecessary conflict."

            "I'll contact you as soon as I've gotten word from the general assembly, Tohdoh out." The General's face vanished from the screen.

            "How are we going to provide him with that kind of data?" Kannon asked.

            "I doubt we'll have too," Schneizel snickered. "Tohdoh is cautious, a man driven to a certain extent by a sense of honor and duty that is only rivaled by his personal ambition.  He'll tell the UFN general assembly everything I told him, even without concrete proof, and when he does the avarice of the representatives of the various member countries of the UFN will be enflamed at the mere thought of Cornelia taking control of a massive Sakuradite deposit.  They'll most likely debate for no more than a few hours before they reach a decision to secure this site."

            "But won't they send the Black Knights?" Kannon didn't follow Schneizel's thinking.

            "Yes they will." The Prince smirked as he brought up a digital representation of the lower hemisphere of the Earth.  Schneizel highlighted cities on the South African and Australian continents.  "However, it will take them no less than four days to gather enough of their forces together from the closest Black Knight bases; the Australian base at Sidney, and the base at Cape Town, South Africa."

            "And by that time my people we be ready," Sthenno said as she walked onto the bridge with a man dressed in the same style of clothing she wore.

            "A companion of yours milady?" Schneizel asked as he bowed.

            "This immortal god's name is Hephaestus," Sthenno said with a haughty look. "He is what I believe you would call a scientist or engineer.  I have given him your language through the use of Tongues and thus he can understand and speak with you."

            "Now there are two of them," Kannon whispered to Schneizel.

            "Far more than that boy," Hephaestus said to him as he hobbled onto the bridge.  "I have managed to revive Euryale, Heracles, Jason and a legion of Spartans as well as their Automatos as per Sthenno's request."

            "Automatos?" Schneizel inquired with a befuddled look.

            "You call them KnightMares," Sthenno tittered. "Ours are no less terrifying or any less powerful."

            "But they do consume a great deal of the Golden Apple," Hephaestus told them.

            "Golden Apple?" Kannon asked.

            "Sakuradite," Sthenno laughed. "Your people apparently cut this precious stone into cubes whereas we have a more efficient process by which we cut the refined and purified element into a roughly apple-like shape.  It provides our Automatos with more unique abilities and a higher performance output then your comparatively simplistic KnightMare machines, but more of the element is needed to make a totally virgin Golden Apple."

            "Your Frames sound impressive," Schneizel smiled. "However, we shall need to capture the airship Bangkok before she leaves Sidney if we are to have transport for your...Automatos."

            "That will not be necessary," Hephaestus told him. "Your people have almost completely thawed out the Argo and her crew.  The Argo is a far more capable vessel than any of your aerial warships."

            "Even so, we'll still need at least another airship to launch our three-pronged assault." Kannon interjected.

            Sthenno studied the map on the overhead viewscreen, "The Prince's man-servant is correct." She turned to her fellow god, "Hephaestus, I want you to awaken Medusa and Scylla, and prepare the Gorgon, Charybdis, and the underwater warship Kraken for battle."

            "What?" Hephaestus blurt out.  "I've already begun unearthing two of the Colossi-class Automatos; the Helios and the Talos; what need do you have for two Titan-class Automatos and the mightiest submersible we have?"

            "We need them to crush this United Federation of Nations and secure the deposits of the Golden..." Sthenno put on a crooked smile as she changed her thought mid-sentence, "...the Sakuradite that are within the lower hemisphere of Terra."

            "But if Athena knew you were using them without her..." Hephaestus started to say.

            "She won't," Sthenno snapped at him. "Not until after we've conquered the lower regions of the world and she is then awakened from her long sleep."

            Hephaestus asked her with a stern look, "Are you therefore taking full responsibility for these actions Sthenno?"

            "I am" She replied with venom.

---

            The KnightMare Lancelot flew over the top of the Emerald Queen in the light of the setting sun.  Suzaku piloted his machine towards the stern of the ship where the helipad jutted from the craft toward the rear.

            "Who's that?" He said out loud to himself as he caught a glimpse of a pink-haired female figure in a flowing white dress standing at the edge of the landing platform.

            He radioed the bridge of the ship, "Emerald Queen control we have an unidentified person on the flight-deck, over."

            There was only static in reply.

            "Control, come in." Suzaku said over the channel as he flew the Lancelot down towards the figure on the landing pad. Her silhouette disturbed him. 

             Suzaku had a feeling of dread as he landed his KnightMare onto the deck.  He opened his hatch and slid down the rope-ladder of his machine.  The last embers of the light of the sunset bathed his white Devicer suit in a blood-red hue as he ran towards the figure with an urgency that bothered him.

            "Who are you?"  He asked as he came before the person who stood at the edge of the ship. 

            The twilight's rays were now behind her, exposing the bloodstains that drenched her dress and the machinegun that she held in her hand.  Her long flowing pink hair waved slightly in the ocean breeze.

            Suzaku stood staring in shock and awe at the angelic face of a woman he loved; a woman he thought was dead.

             "Oh, its you," She said as she smiled at him.

            He wanted to speak but his throat betrayed him and while his mouth opened no sound escaped.  Suddenly his left arm rose up of its own accord, clothed in the garments of Zero with pistol in hand, and fired at her; the bullet penetrated through her heart. 

            "Suzaku, why?" She said as she fell backwards off of the edge of the warship.

            "EUPHIE!!!" Suzaku screamed as he sat up straight in the sweat drenched sheets of his bed. 

            The door to his room closed. 

            "Who's there?" Suzaku demanded as he bolted out of bed and rushed to grab the mask of Zero. He donned the helmet as quickly as he could manage as he threw his cape over his naked body and rushed out of the room. 

            Suzaku saw a shadow turn a corner down the darkened hall of the corridor. 

            He gave chase; his cape flowing behind him as he absentmindedly streaked through the halls of the ship after the unknown spy who had been inside the threshold of his room.

            They saw me and heard my voice, but how could they have gotten access to my room?  It was locked.  Was it Nunnally?"  He rounded the corner and saw the silhouette walk into one of the guest room suites.

            It's Kaguya, it has to be.  He thought with anger as he bolted into the room and flipped on the light; the automatic door closed swiftly behind him and caught hold of the hem of this cloak, ripping it from his body.

            Lying in bed, Jiang Reika sat up and rubbed her eyes as she turned to see whomever it was that had entered her room.   Her lids opened wide with horror upon seeing Zero, naked from his mask downwards, standing in the entrance to her room.

            "AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" The Tianzi screamed.

            Suzaku stumbled as he tripped over his cloak and went face first into the door as he tried to vacate her room as quickly as possible.

            Reika wailed, "GUARDS! COME QUICKLY! THERE'S A NAKED MAN IN MY ROOM!"

            Suzaku heard muffled voices and footsteps on the deck above as he frantically got the door open, with his cloak hastily thrown over his shoulder, he bolted out of the suite.

            He barely made it to the corner of the hallway when the guards reached Reika who had come to the threshold of her cabin.

            "You there STOP!" The lead man called out as Suzaku sprinted for his own room.

            He could hear one of the other night watchmen asking Reika what the intruder looked like.  "I dunno..." She said barely awake from sleep, "he was just...there...and NAKED!" Suzaku heard her say through tears.

            Oh man, I hope she was too asleep to recognize this mask! He thought as he made his way to his stateroom and shut the door; he locked it quickly.

            "This way men," Suzaku heard one of the guards say as they rushed down the hall.  "He may try to jump overboard." Another said as they passed by his chamber; checking the locks of the doors as they did so.

            Suzaku took off the mask of Zero and leaned back against the soothing cold of the metal door behind him and shut his eyes, "Great...just great, what else could go wrong?"

---

Insert Commercial Break Here.

[Kodai_Okuda]

CODE GEASS

DIRGE OF DAEDALUS

Turn Three: Mettle (Part 2)

---

 

"Attention people of the World!" Milley Ashford yelled in her jovial tone into her headphone mic as she smiled at the lens of the TV camera that the cameraman in front of her held upon his shoulder.  "I'm Mrs. Milley Ashford, CEO and special Reporter for the Tokyo Broadcasting Channel's coverage of the 4th annual International KnightMare-Frame Competition, coming to you live from the bridge of the newly re-commissioned aerial battleship Ikaruga high over the Coral Sea, and less than twenty-four hours from the start of the Greatest Competition on Earth."

            The camera view paned back showing the whole of the bridge of the aerial warship.

            "Standing here with me now is the new commander of the Ikaruga, Captain Nagisa Chiba.  So Captain, tell me, is it true that you and General Kyoshiro Tohdoh are in love?"

            "Um...pardon me?" Nagisa was stunned as Milley leaned in towards her.

            "Oh common, people tell me the two of you have been secretly in love since the end of the war.  Is that true?" Milley cooed.

            "Same old Milley," Nunnally smiled as she turned the volume of the TV down. The monitor that bore Milley's jubilant image happily interrogating a shocked Nagisa Chiba was at the far end of the VIP lounge where Kaguya Sumeragi, Jiang Reika, and Nunnally vi. Britannia sat at a large oval table in the center of the room; eating breakfast and drinking orange juice.

            "Are your eggs and sausage to your liking Reika?" Nunnally asked with concern over her friend's comfort.

            "They're okay," Reika replied as she looked down at the long tube of meat on her plate as if it were some kind of monstrous beast.

            Kaguya grinned, "I'd say after last night she's had enough of eggs and sausage to last her a lifetime."

            Reika pouted, "Kaguya!"

            "Ms. Sumeragi!" Nunnally held back a smile as she tried to scold her friend.

            "Speaking of eggs and sausage," Kaguya snickered as Zero entered the room.

            Reika eyed him viciously.

            Nunnally cleared the giggle that rose up in her throat with a mock cough, "Good morning Zero."

            "Good morning Empress Nunnally, Lady Kaguya, Empress Jiang Reika." Suzaku said with a bow.

            Sumeragi's face was flushed red as she controlled herself, "Did you hear we had a...disturbance on board last night."

            "No, I hadn't heard." He told her the truth; no one had spoken to him of the events from the night before.

            Nunnally maintained her composure as a smirk formed on Kaguya's face, "It would seem a man entered Jiang's room just after 1:00 am this morning."

            Suzaku started to worry whether Reika had recognized him, "Did they catch this intruder?"

            Nunnally tried to glare at Zero to no avail, "Only on the surveillance video." 

            "We couldn't see his face, but everything else was pretty clear!" Kaguya said through her hands as she tried to hide the smile that crossed her face from ear-to-ear.  She closed her eyes as she giggled uncontrollably.

            Nunnally lost it and burst out laughing, "Zero what on Earth were you doing?"

            Suzaku was too embarrassed to speak.

            Sumeragi's eyes were closed as she hid her mouth with her hands and her shoulders shook from laughter, she spoke between spasms of giggling, "I feel so much safer now that I know that the halls of this ship are patrolled by Zero, Exhibitionist for Justice."  She snorted involuntarily, "No enemy would dare show his face to us on this voyage for fear of what he might be exposed too."  She emphasized the word exposed.

            Suzaku felt as small as any person could at that moment.  Not only had he been caught streaking through the halls of the Emerald Queen in the wee hours of the morning, but he had accidentally flashed Jiang Reika in the process of trying to catch whomever it was that had entered his room and heard whatever it is he may have said in his sleep.  Now was not the time to try and explain himself; he knew that, but he also had to face up to his mistake and apologize to the Tianzi.

            He turned to Reika, "Empress Jiang Reika, I have no excuse for my actions.  I beg your forgiveness."

            The Tianzi threw the sausage from her plate at Zero.

            The piece of meat hit the center of his mask where the honey based sauce it had been smothered in caused it to stick to the helmet.

            Kaguya threw her head back and laughed hysterically.

            "Oh my..." Nunnally said as she put her left hand over the smirk on her face and chuckled involuntarily.

            "How do you like having one of those shoved in your face?" Jiang asked him as a grin formed on her mouth. "I don't know exactly what you were doing Zero, but I believe you entered my room by mistake, therefore I forgive you.  However, the next time you try to sneak into your lover's room at night, be sure it's their room before you enter and bare all."  The Tianzi had made up her mind as to why Zero had burst into her chambers; to her it had been to surprise a secret lover of his; such was the fantasy of a nineteen year old girl who'd led a sheltered childhood away from the world, but it was dream that she hoped would someday be fulfilled by a certain person she loved and admired, a certain man named Li Xingke.

            Suzaku plucked the sausage from the front of his mask and placed the piece of meat on the table in front of him as he turned to Nunnally, "Will you need me for anything further milady?"

            The tremors of laughter subsided in Nunnally as she composed herself and wiped the tears of mirth from her eyes, "No Zero, I do not require anything of you right now.  You've already made our morning quite enjoyable and for that I thank you.  However, I wish to speak to you in private at your earliest convenience later this afternoon to discuss what it is you were doing last night.  The Captain of this vessel deserves an explanation over what he called your new Order of the Bare-Nights," Kaguya doubled over, holding her stomach from laughing so hard, as Nunnally continued, "which I promised earlier this morning that I'd give him as soon as I learned what had happened from you."

            "As you wish milady," Zero bowed and with that Suzaku turned on his heel and left the lounge as fast as his feet would take him.

---

            The afternoon rays of the sun shone through the windows of the executive suite at the top of the UFN Japan Headquarters as General Kyoshiro Tohdoh stood staring down at the people on the streets below while he waited for a communiqué from his counterpart Li Xingke.

             He didn't have to wait long before the beeper on the viewscreen, which nearly covered one whole wall of his office, started beeping. 

            Tohdoh picked up the remote control of the device from his desk and pressed one of its buttons; Xingke's image appeared on the screen instantly.

            "Greetings General Tohdoh," Li said with indifference.

            Kyoshiro got right down to business, "I called you this morning to discuss the Antarctica situation."

            "I've received a briefing on the apparent terrorist activity in that region," Xingke raised an eyebrow, "but I do not believe Schneizel.  He can't be trusted."

            "I agree," Tohdoh told him.

            "Then why are you pressing ahead with a call for our forces to attack Generalissimo Caesaro and her forces in South America?" Li wasn't sure what the UFN would gain by helping the Britannian Prince.

            Tohdoh's face was a mask of stoicism as he responded, "Because I also intend on removing Schneizel as soon as the Black Knights have taken control of the Sakuradite deposit on the Antarctic continent."

            "You plan on killing two birds with one political stone eh?"  Xingke snickered.

            "Precisely," Tohdoh allowed a grin to cross his lips.

            "And what of Nunnally Britannia?" Li inquired.

            "I would never think to move against her, of all of her Britannian kin she is by far the most trustworthy I've met," Tohdoh frowned, "Nor would I ever think to betray her, not after what we did to her brother.  I owe her that much."

            "But her brother Zero used his power against us," Xingke suggested. "How do we know that his sister doesn't also possess this power and has just not yet decided to use it?"

            "It is highly unlikely that Nunnally Britannia possesses such a power," Tohdoh stated with a firm look. "It was my understanding from our dealings with Schneizel that the woman C.C. gave his brother the power of Geass.  Besides, both Lady Kaguya and your Empress are quite fond of Empress Nunnally.  I doubt the Tianzi would be very pleased with you if she knew you had designs against her new found friend."

            "Your point is well made Tohdoh," Xingke grumbled.  "Very well, I will make arrangements to back up your plans to conquer Cornelia's territory and depose Chancellor Schneizel.  When the UFN General Assembly requests my assessment of the situation I will present the case that Cornelia is a threat to the peace of the world."

            "Very good," Kyoshiro said. "And when Schneizel fails to provide me with sufficient proof of the so called attack on his forces, the deaths of The Yamato no Orochi will be on his head, and I will move to have him arrested as an international war criminal and executed upon his conviction."

            "You seem to have thought this through to conclusion," Li Xingke stated with a smirk.

            "Actually I've been formulating a plan to remove Schneizel and take down Cornelia since the Britannians finished building the Thor and Cornelia took control of the South American continent." Tohdoh gave Li a firm look, "If we don't stop these two here and now, they may be able to rebuild the Britannian spirit of conquest that Lelouch broke.  Their sense of a Divine Right of Rulership has already begun to manifest itself in the lower ranks of their government; many of which are calling for a rebuilding of the Knights of the Round and the Feudal class system."

            "Do you really believe that Cornelia wishes to rebuild the Britannian Empire?" Li Xingke was skeptical about Kyoshiro's assessment of the former Princess.

            "I do." He stated flatly. "Cornelia has a superiority complex much in the same way that Schneizel had in the past and I believe still has.  It is for this reason that I've lobbied so hard to get the Ikaruga put back into service.  We need aerial battleships and...we will need F.L.E.I.J.A."

            "What!" Xingke was mortified. "Are you serious Tohdoh? You'd bring back that horrible weapon?"

            "I don't need to bring it back." He looked hard at Li. "The following information needs to stay between you and me, understood?"

            "Of course General Tohdoh," Xingke was intrigued.

            "The original model of Dr. Lloyd Asplundh's Lancelot of the Lake 10th Generation KnightMare Frame is housed in the armistice museum in Kyoto as an example of the last of the Lancelot series.  Unknown to nearly everyone who passes by that machine daily the large tubular bazooka's on its back each contain a F.LE.I.J.A weapon.  You see, the Lancelot of the Lake was contracted to be an Ballistic Assault KnightMare (BAM) for use by the Black Knights as a deterrent to any other country developing a FLEIJA; namely Cornelia's new South American Principality."

            "I'm surprised the Britannians allowed Japan to keep such a weapon." Li was surprised.

            "It was Nunnally Britannia that demanded that we keep the KnightMare armed with its FLEIJA weapons due to her complete distain for such weapons.  She implored us to disarm and destroy both of the warheads, but the UFN council refused; instead we agreed to allow Zero to keep the key to the Lancelot of the Lake which in theory prevents us from using the machine."

            "Zero has it?  Isn't that dangerous considering we don't know who this new Zero is?" Xingke disliked imposters and that is precisely how he viewed this new Zero; as a cheap imitation.

            Tohdoh smirked, "No, I don't think so.  This new Zero is weak and suffers from a guilt complex in my assessment.  I highly doubt he'll ever have the courage to use the Lancelot of the Lake."

            "You have some idea of who he is?" Li was shocked.

            "I have my suspicions of who he is and while I see him as very dangerous, I don't think he'll ever use a FLEIJA weapon again." Tohdoh said.

            "Again?" Xingke asked.

            Kyoshiro changed the direction of the conversation, "The only problem I see for us is that the key for the KnightMare is no where to be found outside of Zero's person. Our spies and operatives in Britannia have looked for it everywhere.  Either Lloyd took it with him to Brazil or Zero has it on his person at all times.  However, we may soon be able to use the FLEIJA weapons without the KnightMare Frame.  Our scientists here in Kyoto believe they've unraveled Nina Einstein's mathematical formula.  We may be able to fabricate a firing mechanism soon should we need one against Cornelia and Schneizel.  Then we can remove the warheads from the Lancelot of the Lake and use them in a launcher that does not require that machine to arm and fire them."

             Xingke was not finished with the subject of Zero, "I assume that you intend on dealing with Zero at some point."

            "Yes." Tohdoh said with a frown. "And once he is swept aside, nothing will stop the Asian Pacific Alliance from becoming a reality."

---

            "Whoa, is that the Guerin Mark II?" Lena asked Akira as the four top pilots of the Japan Jaguars walked along the museum side of the hangar of the Ikaruga.

             "Actually that's an Akatsuki rebuilt to look and operate like the original Guerin." Gregor informed her.

            "So the armaments are the same?" Mika inquired.

            "Yep," Akira told her as they all stared at the red KnightMare. 

            Mika laughed, "So then there's only one Devicer that could ever pilot it."

            "I'd give it a shot," Gregor said.

            "And kill yourself in the process," Lena jibbed him.

            Normally Mika and Akira would be at each others throats about something after spending a few minutes together, but right now they were in the presence of the KnightMares of the original Black Knights and thus they were too enthralled to think about much else at the moment.

            "What about this one?  Which one is this?" Lena stood before a large black KnightMare frame flanked on both sides by two Type-3fs.

            "That one is the reconstructed Zangetsu...that was General Tohdoh's KnightMare Frame." Gregor looked at it longingly.  "It nearly defeated the Britannian KnightMare Lancelot during the last major battle of the Rebellion."

            "Yah, but it was Captain Kouzuki in the Guerin Seiten that kicked that Britannian bastard's butt in the end." Mika chuckled.

            "The other four were the KnightMares of the Four Holy Swords," Akira said.

            "This one looks really interesting," Mika tugged at Akira's sleeve towards the large Black and Yellow machine. She had not been her usual snobbish self since Akira had nearly beaten Valletta the day before; she had become nice all of a sudden; Gregor had told Akira it was probably because Mika was nervous about the competition, but Lena had warned that maybe she was coming on to him.

            "I've never seen this one in any of the technical manuals or historical fileation of the KnightMares of the Black Knights." Gregor said perplexed as he walked in front of the large mecha.

            "And you won't," A stern voiced woman said from behind them.

            "Captain Chiba!" Lena blurt out as the four of them came to attention.  "It's a pleasure to meet you ma'am."

            "At ease, all of you," Nagisa said with a smile.

            "What brings you down here Captain?" Lena inquired.

            "Please, call me Nagisa." She laughed. "And it's Milley Ashford that's driven me down here.  That woman is relentless...she's like a walking enquirer."

            "Yah, I saw some of her interview with you." Lena said. "It was kinda...well...odd."

            "Nosey is how I'd put it," Mika said with her nose in the air.

            "Captain...I mean Ms. Nagisa, what is with this Black KnightMare Frame?  There's no placard in front of it and it's not any kind I've ever seen before." Gregor hoped she's share what she knew of the machine.

            "That's a very special KnightMare, for a very special pilot." Chiba had a distant look as her eyes moved over the form of the black KnightMare Frame.

            "Was that one of Captain Kouzuki's KnightMares?" Lena inquired.

            Nagisa chortled, "No, that KnightMare is a replica of a machine that was destroyed during the last battle of the war.  General Tohdoh himself ordered Rakshata Chawla to rebuild a new one to honor the Devicer who piloted it as a way to repay our debt to him by keeping his memory in this simple but anonymous way."

            "Who was its pilot" Akira's curiosity was peaked.  He'd known the names of nearly every Devicer of the Rebellion and their machines, but he knew nothing of this one.

            Chiba regarded the four of them with a warm smile, "My young friends the Devicer of this particular KnightMare had too be both and exceptional pilot and tactician.  This machine required more than just the raw talent of a gifted driver or even the experience of a seasoned veteran; it required a talent that few people possess.  I doubt you'd believe me if I told you who the Devicer of this machine was."

            "Was it you Mrs. Chiba?" Lena asked.

            Nagisa laughed, "No, it was not me."  She turned and looked up at the head of the mecha.  "This KnightMare was Zero's."

            The four Jaguars stared at her in awe for a moment.

            "This was Zero's machine." Akira looked at the KnightMare with reverence.

            "Wow," Lena remarked as she looked up at the large KnightMare.

            "What was its name?" Gregor asked, anxious to know the title of the KnightMare piloted by the legendary Zero of the Rebellion against Britannia."

            "This KnightMare's name is Shinkirou," Nagisa said with a sad smile.

[JQuest15]

---

Kodai_Okuda wrote: "I would never think to move against her, of all of her Britannian kin she is by far the most trustworthy I've met," Tohdoh frowned, "Nor would I ever think to betray her, not after what we did to her brother.  I owe her that much."

            "I have my suspicions of who he is and while I see him as very dangerous, I don't think he'll ever use a FLEIJA weapon again." Tohdoh said.

---

Oh man, that part got me going like OH SNAP!!!! He Probably does know!!!!!!

Nice to see he has a trust for Nunnally, as a way to repay her Brother for what he did for them....

---

Kodai_Okuda wrote:
            "Captain...I mean Ms. Nagisa, what is with this Black KnightMare Frame?  There's no placard in front of it and it's not any kind I've ever seen before." Gregor hoped she's share what she knew of the machine.

            "That's a very special KnightMare, for a very special pilot." Chiba had a distant look as her eyes moved over the form of the black KnightMare Frame.

            "Was that one of Captain Kouzuki's KnightMares?" Lena inquired.

            Nagisa chortled, "No, that KnightMare is a replica of a machine that was destroyed during the last battle of the war.  General Tohdoh himself ordered Rakshata Chawla to rebuild a new one to honor the Devicer who piloted it as a way to repay our debt to him by keeping his memory in this simple but anonymous way."

            "Who was its pilot" Akira's curiosity was peaked.  He'd known the names of nearly every Devicer of the Rebellion and their machines, but he knew nothing of this one.

            Chiba regarded the four of them with a warm smile, "My young friends the Devicer of this particular KnightMare had too be both and exceptional pilot and tactician.  This machine required more than just the raw talent of a gifted driver or even the experience of a seasoned veteran; it required a talent that few people possess.  I doubt you'd believe me if I told you who the Devicer of this machine was."

            "Was it you Mrs. Chiba?" Lena asked.

            Nagisa laughed, "No, it was not me."  She turned and looked up at the head of the mecha.  "This KnightMare was Zero's."

            The four Jaguars stared at her in awe for a moment.

            "This was Zero's machine." Akira looked at the KnightMare with reverence.

            "Wow," Lena remarked as she looked up at the large KnightMare.

            "What was its name?" Gregor asked, anxious to know the title of the KnightMare piloted by the legendary Zero of the Rebellion against Britannia."

            "This KnightMare's name is Shinkirou," Nagisa said with a sad smile.

---

Whoa, never would of thought they wopuld have some kind of way to honor Zero, that was nice and a bit odd at the same time. Considering the ones who were there when it was all happening knew what Zero truly did to the world.

And...it looks like from Nagisa's reaction...that some wounds take...a long......long....long time to heal, really suprised she managed to even put a smile at the sight of the Knightmare Frame that onced belong to the very man she followed and was betrayed by. Nice job Kodai you got me hooked, just like when every ep ended i want moar looking forward to your next chaps.

[DeaconPhenix]

Schneizel's such a conniving little bastard lol.

Tohdoh has become quite wise. I hope he's able to turn the tides on the prince soon and stay ahead of the game.

Oh jeez a naked Zero. Suzaku's got some explaining to do haha.

[Kodai_Okuda]

Does Tohdoh know who Zero is?  Hmmmm....you'll see

And I reasoned that Tohdoh would trust Nunnally after everything she tried to do for Japan (with the Zone) and how Schneizel tried to kill her with the FLEIJA (at Tokyo), and Lelouch chaining her up there at the end.

You just have to feel sorry for her, she didn't want any part of what any of her siblings or her parents where trying to do.

As for the Four Holy Swords (or at least the last two of them) honoring Zero/Lelouch, I think they would do that.

After all the Black Knights were created by Zero, and even though Schneizel tried to convince Tohdoh that Lelouch had geassed members of the Japan Liberation Front for his own purposes, I got the impression that Tohdoh knew there must have been a reason; he's not stupid, he knew that Lelouch wanted to destroy Britannia and I for one feel that Tohdoh saw the Zero Requiem for what it really was and therefore I concluded that he and Chiba would try and cleanse some of the shame that tarnished the symbol of Zero (not necessarily Lelouch).

While Nagisa didn't seem to like Zero/Lelouch for much of R2, I think in the very end she was sick of the fighting (which is why she stopped Tohdoh from flying back into combat and certain doom in the last episode) and I am assuming that Tohdoh would have explained to her that Lelouch committing seppuku (by Suzaku's hand) was an act of Honor worthy of rememberence.

And I am very happy you are enjoying this story I've got going, it looks like it may indeed be 25 turns (I promise I'm trying to consolidate the Turns into smaller chapters but I'm a long winded writer ).

Next turn's writing will be done by thursday or friday however, I have to draw, trace, ink, and photoshop the Argo aerial warship, Helios, Talos, and Spartan KnightMare Frames.

That could take awhile, four days at least, so this chapter may take some time to finish....sorry.

Unless I just do the Argo and Spartans in this Chapter and the Helios and Talos in the next (which I might to try and speed the Turns along without too much delay).

I'll see how the story irons itself out.

BTW, if anyone is interested in where I got some of the inspiration for this story, it was H.P. Lovecraft's "At the Mountains of Madness."

[Kodai_Okuda]

---

DeaconPhenix wrote:

Schneizel's such a conniving little bastard lol.

Tohdoh has become quite wise. I hope he's able to turn the tides on the prince soon and stay ahead of the game.

Oh jeez a naked Zero. Suzaku's got some explaining to do haha.

---

Yes Schneizel is!   And he's just getting started.

Tohdoh is going to go through a kind of Pai Mei/Grand Master of politics transformation (though not as Snarky) in which he's begining to see the shortcommings and stagnancy of peace and the need for Japan to insulate itself from the corruption of a world government which will ultimately collapse in on itself from greed.

And the Naked Suzaku was something that came to me while I was writing what would have been a very serious and somewhat sad scene for Suzaku.

However, in the midst of going through the first draft of that scene I thought to myself that "there's no time for him to get dressed, he'd have to run through the ship with just a robe or even better a cloak."

Then this image of the Tianzi yelling "Xingke" came to mind and I thought about taking a shot at a comical scene between her and Zerozaku (I'll also admit that Go Nagi's Kekko Kamen inspired this a little).

Writing comedy is not my strong suit but I hope you got a good laugh out of it, I know I did when I was writing it, especially the breakfast scene with Kaguya and Nunnally (I can imagine Kaguya having a ball picking on Suzaku).

Anyhoo, the next Turn is Turn Four: Competition and I should have the text ready by Friday of next week, maybe even the imagines as well.

[anime_goddess05]

I've finally read all three chapters.  This is well-written.  I tip the hat I'm not wearing to you. 

The goddess totally freaks me out.  "...functions that only a woman is capable of providing." also made me LOL to the point of falling from my chair.

And snap!  Everyone's plotting to take over the world in this one. 

Also, EVERYONE KNOWS IT'S SUZAKU!!!  He might as well streak during one of Milly's global interviews.

I will never look at eggs and sausage the same way. 

You have inspired me! I will go finish my fanfic now!   Keep up the good work!

Message Edited by anime_goddess05 on 06-30-2009 07:13 PM