CODE GEASS
DIRGE OF DAEDALUS
Turn Nineteen: Everybody Wants to Rule the World (Part 1)
"Conquest is easy, control is not. Those were the words of a wise commander who saw the difficulties in maintaining power over territory taken in conflict. Conquest of the whole of the world presented an even greater challenge then simply putting down the resistance or insurrection in one area once conquered. Control requires more finesse and tolerance if the conqueror is to ensure obedience or at the very least cooperation with the indigenous populous of his newly acquired fiefdom. When Schneizel made his bid for global domination, he did so with the cunning and skill of the Devil himself in the manner that all evil men seduce the masses...with a promise of peace."-Excerpt from the diary of Euphemia Li Britannia dated November 16th 2024 a.t.b.
"Greetings Zero," Schneizel smiled on the big-screen of the Avenger, "and the people of the world."
"Dammn him," Cornelia cursed under her breath as she and Gilford watched Prince Schneizel continue on with his speech.
Outside Princess Cornelia's warship, the Avenger, a battle raged between her KnightMare forces and those of the Russian Confederation.
"I hold in my hand the power to bring peace to the whole world." Schneizel lifted up a metallic ball-shaped device the size of an orange. Upon the top of this device was a red colored switch. Schneizel ran his finger over the top of the switch.
"Now what deviltry has my elder-brother concocted?" Cornelia scoffed as she watched the worldwide transmission with distain.
Gilford said nothing.
"Behold the power of peace," Schneizel smiled on the screen.
In an instant a green light washed over the Britannian and Russian KMF units in front of Cornelia's aerial armada; the machines dropped to the ground like lead as their power was drained from them.
"A Gehjun Disturber!" Gilford exclaimed in awe.
"So Schneizel, I see the acorn does not fall that far from the tree," Cornelia sneered.
"Milady?" Gilford inquired with a befuddled look.
"Schneizel is no different than my father was," She looked out at the mass of fallen KnightMares, "He's not interested in how he wins the world, so long as he wins. Just like Charles, he fails to see the bigger picture. That was how the Black Rebellion gained its impetus and why so many countries flocked to the UFN. The people hated us for crushing them and then persecuting them afterwards. Schneizel clearly thinks he can con people into believing him a man of peace by shutting down the military forces of warring states as if weapons are the reason people kill one another; his thinking is simplistic and childish. KnightMares don't kill people of their own accord it takes the will of the person inside it to pull the trigger, and that desire to kill will remain if we don't prove ourselves worthy of ruling this planet. The trappings of the old world order, where an elite few rule over the masses, is over! Lelouch ended it, but he failed to fully implement what must come afterwards due to his foolish arrogance."
Gilford looked outside to see the flashing light of smallarms fire amongst the fallen KMFs. "I see what you mean Princess. Even without their Frames our men are still fighting the Russians."
"Not just our men Gilford. Both groups of warriors understand why people go to war," Cornelia stared out at the melee as Schneizel rattled on over the viewscreen about his New World Order of peace. "They war for freedom, wealth, status, power, and for a chance at something more in life, they war to be masters of their own destinies. Peace may be a beneficial side-effect of war and conquest for the elite few who govern and gain power because of war, but it is hardly the natural state of things when peace is nothing more than the lack of all resistance to tyranny."
"If his goal is world-domination then what is Prince Schneizel playing at by pushing a message of peace?" Gilford enjoyed it when Cornelia expressed herself and her newly acquired ideals.
"He obviously has an inferior number of forces at his disposal, otherwise he wouldn't need to expend the enormous power required to create such a massive Gehjun field. I suspect he's systematically knocking out the power systems of all of the KMFs on the planet in order to give him the upper hand when he launches his attack against the homelands of the leading world powers."
"You think he intends to attack them all at once?" Gilford was awestruck.
"Yes, and we've paved the way for him by crushing all of Europe and the Mediterranean powers." Cornelia lamented.
"What shall we do my Princess?" Gilford asked distraught by the implications of Schneizel's plan.
Cornelia assessed the battle below them, "Send out recovery teams to collect our men and their KMFs. This battle is pointless now."
"Are we withdrawing?" Gilford queried her.
"Yes," She answered. "And order the fleet to set course for Japan.
"Japan?" Gilford was confused by her order. "May I ask why Princess Cornelia?"
Cornelia smiled at him, "Because Japan still holds 55% of the world's supply of Sakuradite and we need it to repair our KMFs."
Gilford gave her a perplexed look, "But why would the UFN help us?"
Cornelia tittered at his expression, "Because the only person Tohdoh hates more than me is Schneizel."
"Is this war really necessary?" Nunnally asked Jason as they sat together in the large observation room of the Argos sipping tea together.
Jason gave her a weak smile, "I'm afraid there have been political problems within our own governmental structure that have caused this unpleasant situation."
Nunnally eyed him cautiously, "You're not happy with this whole thing are you Captain?"
"Please Empress, call me Jason." He gave her a warm grin, "and no, I do not like any of this. It seems to me that we could have negotiated with the world for the resources we needed rather than ally with Schneizel and indulge his desires for world domination."
"Something has been troubling me about Schneizel that perhaps you can answer Jason," Nunnally looked directly into his deep-blue eyes.
Jason softened his expression as she did so, "You may ask me anything you like Empress and I will answer to the best of my knowledge."
Nunnally asked her question more impatiently than she had wanted too, "Do you know how Schneizel was able to break the Geass my brother put upon him?"
"A device we possess called a Dispeller," Jason told her as he pointed to his headband. "All Champions and gods wear one."
"Gods?" Nunnally asked.
Jason chuckled, "Yes...well...not actual gods I suppose, but it's what we call Champions, which I believe you call Geass-users, who've achieved immortality by obtaining a Code."
"I wasn't aware that a person could have both a Code and Geass," Nunnally was sure that someone had once told her a person lost their Geass power when they obtained a Code.
"A person looses their power of Geass only if they take their Code from the one who gave them their power in the first place," said Jason. "People who take their Code from an enemy or are given it by an immortal who is not the one that gave them their power are able to obtain a Code. The other way one gains both is to be of a particular bloodline and thus once Geass is given to them they automatically acquire a Code by natural means."
"I see," Nunnally said. "Where did the Code and Geass originate?"
"A noble question milady, certainly worthy of an oracle of this age," Jason answered. "Originally the Codes were made first in order to give mankind the means to travel the vast distances of space without being limited by the mortal restraint of a lifespan, food, water, and the like. Sadly the experiment was not a complete success."
Nunnally was perplexed, "How did it fail?"
Jason took a sip of tea to wet his throat before replying, "Food, water, and the basic necessities of life are still needed for the body to endure without dying repeatedly. Thus even with a Code the immortal must have the normal sustenance that mortals require."
"And Geass?" She ventured.
"Geass is a side effect of the genetic alteration of man. It, like the Code, changes the vibrational frequency that our atomic structure vibrates at and allows the person to connect with the very fabric of reality. The ancients called it the Eden Vital. Each person manifests their Geass differently as each individual connects to the fabric of reality in a variety of ways; usually based on some strong emotion or need that helps mold the creation of their power."
Nunnally was intrigued, "You mentioned that the Code was made for space-travel, does that mean there are Geass users in space?"
Jason's expression became grave, "Yes milady."
"You have done very well Medea," Sthenno said as she embraced the dark haired woman that walked off of the gangway of the Ithaca.
Medea hugged her back, "Thank you Sthenno."
"We now have the means to fully power Tartarus," Sthenno smiled.
"And crush all those who oppose us," Medea snickered. "We shall be invincible."
Sthenno raised an eyebrow, "Indeed, why should we leave this world when we can keep it for ourselves?"
"Does this mean you plan on using the Apollyon?" Medea inquired. The woman was visibly apprehensive about the device.
"I do," Sthenno told her with a cold expression. "We lack the troops to properly conquer this world by any other means. Once we've leveled a few of their cities these mortals will bow before us willingly."
"What of Schneizel?" Medea was curious as to what would become of this man Sthenno had put her faith in.
"I shall have my revenge upon him," Sthenno hissed.
"So your Hakodeshim were totally unaffected by the Gehjun field?" Rakshata asked the Red Dragon and Suzaku as they stood within the hangar of the Ikaruga at the feet of the large battlerobots.
"Apparently," The modulated voice of the Red Dragon answered through her mask.
"Do you think you can figure out why they're immune Professor Chawla," Suzaku asked.
"Well in all honesty I already know why," she waved her pipe towards the Gabriel. "The simple answer is that they're not powered by Sakuradite; exactly what powers them is a mystery in and of itself. Whatever the power source of these machines may be, it gives them the ability to self-repair which is nothing short of incredible. Where did you say you got them again?"
"From a friend of ours who's...how should we say...a bit eccentric?" The Red Dragon shrugged and turned her mirrored mask towards Suzaku.
Suzaku smiled at her, "Yeah, he's a weird guy, but his heart is in the right place."
"Huh?" Rakshata was confused. "Did I miss something?"
Suzaku was staring at the Red Dragon with a dreamy eyed expression when the Red Dragon responded to Rakshata, "No Professor," she giggled, "Suzaku's still a bit light headed from his experience on Hawaii."
Kururugi snapped out of his daze, "So Professor Chawla do you think you can find a way to insulate the other KnightMare Frames from Schneizel's Gehjun disturber by examining the Uriel and Gabriel?"
"I'm afraid not," Rakshata lamented. "Their design is too advanced for me to even begin to tinker with them. However, I may be able to garner something from the Greek machine we recovered on Kaminejima Island. I noticed that the casing for their Energy Filler is lined with a Lead alloy. Lead is a dense material that might be able to repel Gehjun particles."
"How soon do you think you can duplicate the Lead-alloy?" The Red Dragon asked. She was anxious to get the UFN forces back up and running again so they could rescue Nunnally.
"I'm afraid I'm not much of an alloy expert." Rakshata sighed. "I'll need Lloyd's help on this one which is why I asked you here Suzaku." She smiled, "You know Lloyd as well as anyone does, he won't listen to me on this, could you ask him to analyze this material for me?"
"Sure," Suzaku replied with a smile. "I'll ask him when we return to the Avalon."
"That reminds me," The Red Dragon said. "How soon do you think we'll get the okay to go back?"
"As soon as Zero clears you I think," Rakshata said with a tip of her pipe. "In fact I believe he'd like to see you two as soon as I'm finished with you....which I am."
"Then we should probably be on our way down to see him," Suzaku said with a wave to Rakshata.
He and the Red Dragon made their way our of the hangar deck leaving Professor Chawla to stare in wonder at the two machines before her.
"We need to get out after Gino NOW!" Kallen barked at Zero and Ougi. "Who knows what that little wench is doing to him?"
"We don't have the ability to do so Kallen," Ougi tried to calm her.
"Our current priority is to recover all our KnightMare Frames." Zero told her with a wave of his hand, "Then we can get underway after the Duchess."
"You're letting her get out a ways from us aren't you Zero?" Kouzuki asked with a scowl. "Gino was what she wanted all along and you knew it."
"Of course, and now that Evita has her prize she'll let her guard down and no doubt lead us right to Schneizel. Her fleet didn't set course for Britannia; they're headed for the South Pacific."
"Major Nu," one of the bridge bunnies called to Villetta who was silently observing the argument between Captain Kouzuki, Zero and Ougi.
"Yes?" Villetta asked.
"We've recovered Cmdr. Weinberg's Type-21J and the person who stole it. Shall I have him thrown in the brig Ma'am?"
"One moment," Villetta walked up the stairs to the mezzanine where the argument continued to ensue.
"HE'S NOT EXPENDABLE!" Kallen pointed an accusing finger at Zero, "When are you going to learn that?"
"To save the world from the totalitarian rule of Schneizel, we are all expendable." Zero told her calmly.
"You're as bad as Lelouch was!" Kallen didn't wait for him to retort, she turned and stormed off the bridge.
Ougi's eyes went wide as he choked down the urge to blurt out a laugh; he coughed heartily to clear his throat.
Zero simply watched her leave.
"I hate to interrupt," Villetta said as she walked onto the command platform. "But I need to know what you'd like me to do with the pilot that stole Gino's Samurai."
"Have him report to my personal quarters," Zero said to Villetta's surprise.
"As you wish Zero but..." Major Nu started to say.
"Don't worry," Zero put his hand up in a dismissive gesture. "I'll deal with him myself."
"That Son of a b!tch..." Kallen cursed out loud to herself as she walked towards the Devicer's lounge; she needed a nice strong drink to calm her emotions.
Kallen walked past the open door of the hangar deck when she caught site of Gino's Type-21J and the man who had stolen it standing next to the KMF talking with the deck chief.
"Enoch?" She recognized the man almost immediately. It was hard not to. His skin had a distinct gold-tinge to it in the fluorescent overhead lighting of the hangar deck.
"HEY ENOCH!" Kallen called out to him.
"Oh hi Kallen, how are you?" He called back as he walked towards the elevators at the left hand side of the hangar bay.
Kallen ran into the bay towards him, "Wait up!"
He held the elevator door open for her. "Can I assist you in some way Captain Kouzuki?" He asked her with a smile.
Her desperate blue eyes met his amber orbs, "I need your help with something."
"Oh...what can I do for you?" He asked in a meek tone.
Captain Kouzuki gave him a narrow eyed look as she pushed past him into the elevator, "You can give me the truth."
"About?" Enoch inquired as the elevator doors shut.
"Zero," She replied. "How is it that you are down here with that KnightMare Frame and yet Zero was on the bridge with me only moments ago giving orders?"
"Someone is standing in for me," He refused to lie to her, but he knew better than to expose Lelouch...just yet anyway.
Kallen brushed her hair back and put her hands on her hips, "Who?"
"Usually C2," He smirked.
She raised an eyebrow, "C2? I highly doubt that C2 was the one calling the shots in this last battle and she certainly is not the person I was just arguing with a few minutes ago. Tell me who was on the bridge."
Enoch gave her a devilish grin, "Ougi, Villetta, the bridge crew, and Zero. Who else would be there?"
"Stop toying with me," She barked at him. "I want to know who the man behind that mask is!"
Enoch's expression became sad, "If you learn that Zero is the person you hope he is would that make the pain go away? Is that why you hope beyond hope for it to be Lelouch?"
Kallen blushed, she was acting like an obsessed teenager and she knew it. "No it's not that...it's just...I can't let go."
"What about poor Gino?" Enoch asked. "Are your feelings for a dead man greater than those for the love that's staring you right in the face?"
Kallen's expression softened, "I'm not sure if I feel anything other than friendship for Gino. He's my wingman... and a good friend...maybe my best friend right now...I do care about him a lot I admit, but I'm not sure it's love."
Enoch put his hand on her shoulder, "True love often starts with real friendship...and it's hardly ever a sure thing at first."
"Wha?" Kallen stepped back. "Are you trying to imply that I'm in love with Gino?"
Enoch smiled at her as he spoke softly, "No, I would never presume such a thing. Only you know the truth that lies deep down in your heart, but it is clear that he loves you very much."
She looked away from Enoch, "I know he does, but we're too different. His family was Britannian nobility and mine was only half that. I was a Black Knight under Zero, he was a Knight of the Round...I mean...at the end he did change sides and...he did save me in the last battle...but still, it wouldn't work out."
Enoch moved over to look her in the face with a grin. "Opposites attract you know and never doubt who you are Kallen. I come from very humble beginnings. Before my transformation I was a farmer." He pointed a thumb at his chest in a nonchalant gesture, "and look at me now!"
Kallen giggled, "Yeah? You're a pretty interesting guy." She smiled at him and leaned towards him, "You remind me of Lelouch in many ways."
Enoch backed away from her into the rear of the elevator and put up his hands defensively, "Hold on a minute there beautiful...let's stick to Gino and you."
Kallen frowned, "why? Has Pizza-girl got her hooks into you already?"
"No...C2 and I already gave that whirl a while back and it didn't work." Enoch said as Kallen moved in closer to him. "But, that doesn't mean I'm available...besides, I'm far too old for you."
Kallen laughed, "You're too old? You don't look more than twenty-four to me."
Enoch let out a nervous laugh, "I'm a wee bit older than that love."
Kallen gave him a distraught look, "Well how old are you?"
END PART 1
Message Edited by Kodai_Okuda on 10-24-2009 05:17 PM
AdultSwim.com is part of Turner Entertainment Digital which is part of the Turner Sports & Entertainment Digital Network.
