Chapter 09 – The Final Dance Begins

Chapter 09 – The Final Dance Begins

Looking over the Britannian forces that had been assembled, the Black Knight units had joined up with Schneizel's loyalists, with the Damocles floating in the center of the line. Schneizel, like Lelouch, gave a speech to inspire their forces before the fighting could start. “Lelouch claimed the throne through deceit, blood, and treachery. To create his twisted vision of what Britannia should be, no trick, no death is too far for him. Even now, he proves himself no better than our father; not only has he found a means to turn even the Guren against her people, but he had forces ready to act so soon soon.”

“As the enemy of true peace, he and all those that support him must be wiped out. It is time for us, Britannians and Black Knights, to cast aside the grudges of the past and work side by side to see this tyrant toppled before any more lives can be lost. I hope this battle will be the last one mankind will ever have to fight.” Schneizel’s words carried throughout their lines, from the depths where Nunnally sat with the FLEIJA launch key to their forces in the field and even to the Black Knights.

On the left wing of their forces, Gino piloted a newly upgraded Tristan, one equipped with a weapon forged from the remains of the Galahad's Excalibur blade. However, while he knew the battle's importance, his attention remained on the Lancelot and now the Guren. “First Suzaku, then Kallen? She would have never…I guess I have no choice but to believe in geass.”

His hands tightened on his control sticks, as he had been skeptical about that power. Still, he knew Kallen-not closely, but enough to understand a little of her soul. She soundly rejected her Britannian blood and chose to fight for what she believed in as a Japanese fighter. It seemed impossible that she would just…betray them like this and side with a monster like Lelouch; at least, it would be impossible if she had any say in it.

While he felt wrath forming in his gut, Anya was devoid of such emotion; she merely looked through pictures she had taken of Lelouch while he was at Ashford and the many shots she had of Suzaku. Placing it away, she turned to the coming fight. “I’ll make all of you…into records on my hard drive.”

On the bridge of the floating fortress, their forces were on screen, represented as dots of varying size to differentiate between knightmares and small and large ships. Kanon’s attention was on the dot he knew to be the Modred. "Are you sure that Anya will be all right in the battle? I know you promised to restore her memory, but-"

Schneizel interrupted him. “We need every bit of manpower we can get, especially when our foe fields the only two 9th-generation machines in the world. However, don't misunderstand. I have every intention of researching a means to follow through with my promise. Though regrettable, it could take years before it bears fruit." Of course, she most likely believed he had the means to do so directly after the battle, but she didn’t need to know the details.

Their conversation was interrupted when they were an alarm, not of danger of a communication attempt. “Oh, an open channel?” Schneizel mused. Only one person would be trying to contact them now, especially using that line.

"Your Highness?" One of the staff on hand turned from the screen towards him, awaiting orders.

“Patch it through.” He waved his hand, with the staffer doing just that. The screen that once showed the battlelines shifted to show a live feed of his brother seated aboard the Avalon on the throne he once occupied. He would admit this: Lelouch stuck a good figure on the throne. The crown jewels looked quite appropriate on his head, while his eyes weren't the same as they used to be. He had grown, but not grown enough to match him.

“Greetings, Schneizel.” Lelouch started, Schneizel catching that he didn't address him by his royal or former official title as prime minister.

"Lelouch, if you're going to surrender, now's the time,"  Schneizel replied, Lelouch's attention shifting from him to take in the rest of the room. At his brother's side was his aide-de-camp, which he had expected, but he hadn't expected Diethard to be there. He had heard from Kallen that he had left with Schneizel, but he was seemingly given this level of trust.

Diethard noticed his gaze and smirked, shameless in his betrayal of him and the Black Knights, but Lelouch had bigger fish to hunt than him. This was proven when Schneizel continued to talk, the pause having been no more than a second or two. “We have an arsenal of FLEIJAs ready to launch.”

In the face of the threat of annihilation, Lelouch let out an amused chuckle. “Quite presumptuous for you to assume that I'll be the one to surrender. As for your little wonder weapon, I don't suspect you have then, but I do suspect you won't.”

“Oh?” Schneizel replied, hardly surprised while keeping poise.

“The UFN rushed to release that statement condemning the FLEIJA and the attack on my capital, the wanton slaughter of my people." Again, Lelouch emphasized me, deliberately excluding them from Britannia-his Britannia. However, he was right as he had heard about it that previous night, as the UFN had continued their meeting at Ashford for hours before they made their press statement.

Lelouch’s amusement over the situation seemed to match only by his fury at them. “The fact they can stomach working with you is as far as they can do, and after that debacle of yesterday, well, they must surely be watching things closely. You launch even a single one, and they'll pull the Black Knights from this fight, leaving you like a lamb to the slaughter.” But then his fury abated as if it was never there as he carelessly waved his hand.

“Of course, you're neither a party to the UFN nor a supporter of it. So whatever decisions or opinions they make would have no bearing on you, would they?”

“Quite right, I can just destroy you in a single shot and be done with it," Schneizel replied, only for Xingke to join the call, looking displeased with him so freely considering using his primary weapon.

“Schneizel, you can’t.” Xingke wished he had stayed off the call, especially as it would have given the impression that his resignation was a sham not even 24 hours earlier. Still, he couldn't let Schneizel so freely break the terms of their agreement. 

“You understand how illogical it is to stand in the way of the most practical solution, don’t you, Xingke?” Schneizel reminded him that the military man's gaze narrowed just a bit at the slight against his competence as a soldier and commander.

“We aren't blind to the situation, but there needs to be lines in the sand that can't be crossed, and the UFN was clear on that. should you fire even a single one, we've been ordered to apprehend you immediately and retreat from the field.” Xingke reminded him but also made it clear to Britannia that despite how complicated the situation, they were not a party to the FLEIJA, nor would they choose to be.

After all, even if Lelouch was defeated here, and Nunnally did take the throne as the 100th empress of Britannia, she couldn't be expected to be able to control the government or masses anywhere near as well as her brother could. They'll cry for blood against the UFN, and even an absolute ruler couldn't ignore the will of their people forever.

He had little faith in the blind girl's ability to lead, her time as Viceroy of Area 11 being far too short to expect her to run the empire, especially when he didn't trust her older brother to genuinely consider her wishes in aiding her to rule. No, Schneizel reminded him far too much of the eunuchs who used the empress Tianzi as a tool for their goals and benefits. That said, they could at least create a situation where they could keep peace between their fractions, uneasy as it would be.

Schneizel hummed, thinking about this little debacle before he offered a suggestion. "Well, if that is the case, we'll fight with a handicap. So I propose that I be put in charge of our forces."

“We’re up against Lelouch.” Xingke reminded him, but that only made Schneizel all the more confident.

"Exactly, I've never lost-to even to him. I know him far better than anyone else on this battlefield; I won't pretend it will be an easy victory, but it will nevertheless be a victory." Schneizel wondered if they had even played a chess game at Tianzi's wedding reception. His now-deceased elder brother, Zero, hadn't taken the victory, but the defeat proved how his pride wouldn't let him take a victory if he didn't think he earned it. That pride had been a flaw he had even as a child.

“Understood.” Xingke didn't complain but didn't need to as Schneizel picked up his unhappiness with the arrangement.

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On the bridge of the Ikaruga, Xingke stood to his full height. “Deploy the Shen-hu, transmit the command structure to all forces.” Once he heard a response to his orders, he quickly left to get ready to take to the field. As he sped down the halls of the ship, he couldn't help but grind his teeth at how they had surrendered even more power.

‘Once more, we play into that blonde snake’s hands. I just pray that our contingency plans remain in play as I suspect that if he sees a weakness, he’ll take us out along with his brother.’ Xingke thought to himself as if Schneizel's goals indeed were to kill Lelouch and install his sister as what he was sure was a puppet monarch, it would make sense to eliminate the Black Knight's high command here, to paralyze them and the UFN and allow Britannia time to either solidify its position under its new monarch or force the UFN into massive concessions.

That was what it was always about, wasn't it? He had only moved to free the empress once Schneizel brokered a deal to sell his empress and county to Britannia without a fight. A plan that only failed because another prince stepped in. Their battle to liberate Area 11 could easily be called an extension of that duel between the two scions of Charles. Even now, he wouldn't be surprised if the history books recalled this day as just the final chapter of a Britannian civil war between Lelouch and Schneizel through Nunnally.

‘How much does history boil down to schisms within royal families?’ China had been much the same in so many ways, with so much bloodshed, all because one son, daughter, or distant cousin wished for the mandate of heaven. But that was matters for another time, should he have the time to ponder this.

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“Then shall we proceed, Schneizel? One last game between us?” Lelouch asked moments after Xingke had left the call.

"Indeed, and it shall end like all the others," Schneizel assured him before he ended the call. Turning his gaze to his right-hand man, he couldn't help but smile. “Kanon, it’s just as you predicted."

“And now total control has been rewarded to your hands.” Kanon bowed to his lord.

“Let’s not waste this chance. Transit pattern Omicron to all forces.” He ordered the order and its details to be transmitted to their forces. With Lelouch, he saw the moment of the enemy units on his tactical screen.

“Enemy fleets are in potion, deploying into a wide multi-fanged battle line.” Cecile, who had been directed from aiding Lloyd and Nina to help control things on the bridge, reported. According to their readings, they could see that the enemy forces were splitting into smaller groupings with their capital ships at their corps; Lelouch suspected it was done so that at least 2 groups would bear down on his elite pilots, with the wings, manned by Kallen and Suzaku, to get triple that to account for their raw skill and power.

“They’re using conventional forces. As I thought.” Lelouch noted. “Stretch our wing, assume crescent moon spear formation.”

“Yes, your majesty.” Cecile relayed those orders, and Suzaku and Kallen, who made up the spear points of his flanks, followed them.

Seeing this, Kanon was worried about the two 9th-gen machines, but he also saw an opening, as that many units moving meant that gaps formed. “Their main wings are undermanned.”

"Have Gino and Anya's advance; don't let their wings expand further," Schneizel ordered.

“Yes, Your Highness," Gino confirmed the order as he and Modred matched their counterparts. Gino's eye stayed closely on the Guren while Anya eyed the Lancelot.

Lelouch tapped a finger on the armrest of his throne. “Checking my move, as expected. Pull back our wings.”

“But that would break the formation.” Cecile looked back at him, worried about such a move, but he didn't share that concern.

“Do it.” Despite her misgivings, she followed his orders. Upon receiving the new orders, Lancelot and Guren obeyed without question. Both understood that Lelouch, for all his faults, was a tactical and strategic mastermind.

“Gino, Anya, halt.” Schneizel, seeing the mess of the enemy lines, didn't take the easy chance to strike while they were in confusion.

“But why? We should strike while they're in disarray.” Gino's question was good; if one just looked at how the enemy units were behaving at the moment, it would be the logical move to take advantage of it.

But Schneizel didn't just look at the moment, but at their previous actions and potential counters; after all, the enemy center had remained unchanged and could easily react. And that ignored any surprises those same 'disorganized' units could have. “It’s a false opening, I’m not falling for it.”

As if the two were sharing a conversation over a chess board as they had done in days long past, Lelouch replied to Schneizel's words. Faintly smiling. "I doubted you would. Switch our battle plan to Canis Minor formation.” With his order, Leila commanded their maritime units. She ordered their forward destroyers to advance, their guns loaded and missiles primed to launch. At the same time, Lelouch's flying forces continued to pull back as a group, leaving their surface as an unconventional forward line.

“6th Unit, follow Anya and head to the northwest. Elevate 40 degrees." Schneizel, understanding having the high ground wouldn’t necessarily give them an edge over those ships, reacted accordingly, shifting his one wing.

“Have the Orion and Perseus prep for anti-air combat. Order the Tyndareus and Menelaus to have their knightmares launch.” Aboard the two carriers, pilots aboard their machines started them up while crews outside went through the last steps for them to launch before they cleared the way for them.

“Anya, stop there, climb 200m and stabilize. Gino, extend another 120m and descend 80m.” Schneizel reacted swiftly to the change in the board. However, while the two commanders did, not a single shot had been fired, which, to many, only elevated the anxiety.

"What the hell? No one's fighting." Tamaki complained. He wasn't the smartest, and despite his bravado, he knew that. But he had been in enough fights, before and after the invasion, to know that when someone was this cautious about the other guy, it didn't increase his odds of winning.

“You’re wrong. Contests between two masters are decided instantly.” Tohdoh replied. That was true since the early days of organized combat when groups were no fewer than a few dozen, and positioning your troops in the best way could spell victory or defeat.

“Right now, an invisible war is raging between them.” Xingke was of that mindset, but then the only question was who would fire the first shot and if taking the initiative was ideal.

As this went on, Nina, Lloyd, and the handpicked group of scientists Lelouch had managed to find with expertise related to the topic worked to finish Nina's admittedly rushed and experimental solution to her opened Pandora's box. “We have to hurry; they’re going to attack each other any moment now.” For once, Lloyd offered no witty comeback, the typically oddball as jovial as a rock.

"They're surrounding us," Cecile reported, as Schneizel's forces had managed to expand faster than they did and were now closing in on their flanks. If things didn't change, they'd be attacked from both sides.

Lelouch paid more attention to Schneizel's units in his center, directly in front of his Damocles. “Counter, have Jeremiah and Ashley’s units advance in a duel forward thrust. Hold at combat speed 3, and have the 4th and 9th Knightmare platoons join them.”

Seeing Lelouch’s response, Schneizel chuckled. "You haven't changed, Lelouch. You'll prefer to strike at my weakened center than defend your flanks. This gives us a small window, " he stated before contacting two Black Knights: Xingke and Tohdoh. Move to meet the enemy advance, but don't engage."

"He's already incorporated our skill levels." Xingke could admit that he was impressed by that as he drew his blade and advanced, joined by Tohdoh and their personal forces. Schneizel and Black Knights's lines formed into a large inwardly curved spearpoint, heading for the central prong of Lelouch's trident formation.

"The enemy center is advancing," Cecile reported, but Lelouch smirked when he saw which units were advancing.

"Sending close-ranged units against my ranged fighters…you're showing your shortcomings, brother," Lelouch stated before he decided it was time to begin the fireworks and contacted two of his knights of the round. “Ashley, Jeremiah, destroy them.”

“Yes, Your Majesty!” Jeremiah, aboard his Sutherland Sieg, aimed his weapons before letting loose a volley of missiles, which was joined by a shot from his cannon as his personal forces joined him, targeting the incoming Zangetsu and forcing the close-quarters machine to dance just to avoid the volley of fire, slowing its and its other units to a crawl in their advance.

“Can do, let’s see what this baby can do!” Ashley, with an eager smile on his face, aimed his machine's secondary set of massive hands towards the unit before pulling the trigger and, from its barrel-like fingers and thumbs, fired 10 hadron cannons into the enemy lines, several units being too slow to avoid them and were hit. His forces joined him as the Black Knights and Schneizel returned fire.

Xingke, unlike his counterpart in Tohdoh, didn't have the same weakness. It was true the Shen-hu wasn't built for a ranged engagement, but that didn't mean it wasn't equipped for it; as he evaded their fire and pulled back the control column, activating its greatest weapon as its chest shifted and shifted, the charged particle cannon flying. Most of the Britannian units dodged, but a ship in their lines wasn't so lucky, as the energy beam plowed into its hull, exiting the other side and causing a fiery explosion that sent the ship falling into the ocean.

Seeing this, Jeremiah frowned as their center started taking losses. "They're punching through."

"Well, then, let's hit them even harder!" Ashley laughed as he continued to fire streams of boiling red death into the Black Knights' lines. Sure, he couldn't tag that pesky Shen-hu, but he sure as hell could take out his men.

Despite the optimism of the former Euro Britannian knight, the situation wasn't ideal for Lelouch. His center was being pushed back while the enemy gained ground, with even Kallen and Suzaku tied up, engaging the enemy flanks and leaving them open. This fact was made all the clearer when a missile flew right for the Avalon and would have hit if not for the shields.

Unphased by the blast shaking the flying ship, he looked toward Cecile. "Shields?"

"No issues, " she replied, as while it would make things uncomfortable, the Avalon's shields would be able to withstand fire like that. But she worried because Schneizel would know that and also know that a large enough attack or a sustained one could overwhelm the shield generators.

Lelouch remained collected, as while his center was taking losses. They were being forced to retreat to retain their battle formation, he had planned for such a situation as his flanks tore into the Black Knights as the Lancelot made use of its MVS blade and Super VARIS to fly through the enemy lines, slicing off limbs or otherwise bisecting enemy units, if not blowing them to pieces. The Guren wasn't slacking off either as its near inhuman speeds allowed Kallen to zip through the enemy lines; her radiant wave surger and newly upgraded arms meant that even if she wasn't close, it wouldn't save you.

They were checked when Suzaku pulled back to save himself from being hit by the Morded's Stark Hadron cannon. When he tried to attack the heavy unit, Anya responded by firing off proximity missiles. He kept him back as he threw up a shield to catch any missile he didn't dodge. Kallen pulled her knife to block a slash harken fired by Gino as the former Knight of 3 shifted his unit from its jet form into knightmare move, pulling out his new duel blades to fight Kallen.

On the water, the Britannian units were faring just as well as their flanks, shifting about to avoid direct cannon fire. Still, Leila proved herself an exceptional commander, moving their ships in ways that meant that any attacks that got close were handled by CIWS or knightmares that had launched but remained on deck. Under the water, teams of Portmen, which she had ordered to dive as soon as the first shots went off, gave the UFN ships absolute hell as they fired barrages of torpedoes and missiles.

Anyone wasn't strong enough to sink a warship. Still, they could damage one, and several fired at single targets could doom any vessel. Ans Leila took full advantage of this, directing knightmares that had expended their payloads to return for a quirk rearming before they were back into the water. "Have the Portman IIs made contact?" Leila asked.

“They’re 30 seconds out, my lord.” The ship's captain replied as she focused her attention on the map before her, ignoring the explosions and flashes of the battle around them.

"Remind them that they're to engage the enemy right wing, force them to be overextended to allow Charlie and Echo teams to move in and pick them off." Beneath the waves, those same Portman evaded the depth charges and anti-submarine torpedoes launched at them, but despite their skills, those pilots felt the vibrations even in their cockpits as those depth charges and torpedoes went off near and far from them, at times, the IFF signals from their comrades.

“Gino, I was hoping we wouldn’t have to fight," Kallen said, though she didn't lower her guard.

"Well, you hoped wrong. I know what I fight for, and that's a better future." Gino shot back, his hesitation and confusion gone. He wouldn't let this be a repeat of Pendragon, so he swung his blade towards the Guren, who tried to block with her dagger. The dagger proved no match for the larger, stronger blade as Kallen quickly abandoned it before he could damage her hand.

“I’m the same!” Kallen retorted, flying both her slash harkens him, which Gino just barely evaded, the two anchors smashing through two Akatsuki's that had come to lend aid; only one cockpit flew out of the smoke of the two explosions.

"And what future can be made under a monster like Lelouch, who twists everyone around him to his cause like a twisted puppetmaster," Gino yelled, the two getting lost in a high-paced 1v1.

“Mam, we can’t hut it, it’s too fast!” An Akatsuki fired blindly towards the white and blue monster. Still, the unit evaded the attacks like it was nothing, drawing close to impaling the unit through its chest, the MVS blade digging deep into the cockpit, killing the pilot. Akito, with the unit still impaled on his sword, held it in front of him for a moment as a shield against the enemy fire before he abandoned it and went back to the hunt, his blade taking many lives. At the same time, his rifle scored critical hits on many units that tried to surround him.

"I heard about those E.U knightmares, but to see one flying around isn't what I imagined, even so," Nagisa frowned at the sight of the modified Alexander tearing its way through their ranks. She wasn't happy that she wasn't close to her master, but she would still carry out her duty, which meant taking out this monster before he could kill more of them. “Keep your distance and target it with ranged weaponry. Leave it bogged down!"

Her shields came up just in time to block a sniper shot, but the knightmare next to her wasn't so lucky as a missile slammed into its right shoulder. The unit was damaged so badly that its auto eject went off.

Yukiya continued to fire on the enemy unit, using a knightmare sniper rifle to strike from the group's rear and keep the others updated on where and how many enemy units there were. “Akito, maybe you should have kept some of those guns on the thing.”

“I prefer blades.” Akito's response was classic Akito, with no humor or personality. Still, he swore he heard him smirk right as Alexander cut off both legs of knightmare before a single shot to the cockpit downed it. “Besides, I have you as a backup.”

“Damn straight.” Ryo laughed as he fired another rocket from his missile launcher. The rest of the squad gave the two ranged fighters cover fire or otherwise in the thick of it.

"The Lancelot and Guren are engaged in battle with the Tristan and Modred, but our flanks have progressed. They'll soon encircle the enemy's front line." Lelouch's eyes reviewed the battle lines, considering unit type, speed, position, capabilities, surroundings, and possible threats.

"Even so, we're taking greater losses than expected; at this rate, the central would be in danger of collapsing before we can strike." Cecile told him that as the parts of their lines connecting them to their flanks were growing dangerously thin, they'd need reinforcements to remain connected, but Lelouch refused to give the order and instead focused on pushing their fanks, which were much like fangs, deeper into the enemy's necks.

But he wasn't blind to the situation either. As he had come a long way from the brat he had been in Shinjuku, and with each IFFS, friend, or foe that vanished, he knew that life could have just been lost. It was tragic, but that was war. One he didn't even fight because of hate like he had once before. “I find myself in a conundrum, an undesirable one at that, as I built up the Black Knights, and for the rank and file, I bear little ill will, but on the other hand, my forces have motive.”

Across the battlefield, this was proven true as his forces fought with all they had, determined to see the hated enemies in the Black Knights defeated. Yes, but more than that, was the righteous fury to see Damocles crashing down. Evading enemy fire, Jeremiah turned his cannon on a Britannian vessel that had sided with Schneizel. “For his majesty! Hold fast and defeat every last one of them!”

His words were followed by his firing, and the ship's shields absorbed the blow, but they couldn't do much else with them.

“For the future, I want to see I'll defeat you, Anya!” Suzaku gave a similar war cry as he pulled out his second super VARIS and unloaded a continuous barrage onto the Modred, forcing the machine to throw up a full-body shield against it. Still, even then, Anya knew that her shields were being taxed, which was the same as her energy filler.

"I fight as I've always, with every ounce of my heart, to see a better tomorrow than the today we have!" Kallen was just as determined as the others, evading a swing from Gino as she countered with a kick, shattering Tristan's left arm at the elbow; Gino cursed as he pulled back and shifted into jet mode to avoid her follow-up.

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Yeah, this entire week has been a bit of a mess thanks to the events of last week. As a result, all the chapters I'm working on have a reduced word count so I can get them out on time, which is extra difficult as I already struggle to keep to the word count while telling the story. Next week shouldn't have any issues, provided nothing comes up.

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As promised, it is a short chapter. But next week's will be full-sized.