2 Chapter 1

Amongst those directly involved in the Empress Euphemia's ascension the most colorful is almost certainly Lady Kallen Stadtfeld-Kouzuki. The daughter of a Britannian noble and a Japanese commoner, the story of how Lady Stadtfeld-Kouzuki began as a Japanese freedom fighter and went on to play a pivotal part to the elimination of the then-Princess Euphemia's rivals for the throne can and has by itself filled entire history texts. Much like the Empress, Lady Stadtfeld-Kouzuki entered the conflict fully after the death of her sibling, in her case that of her elder brother Naoto Kouzuki. Despite her young age at the time the Lady Stadtfeld-Kouzuki was already a superb knightmare pilot and capable warrior, talents that would play major roles in her rise. Rumors however persist to this day of her grace possessing another, almost preternatural ability to sense every detail of her surroundings. While such stories are likely exaggerations fueled by the distortions of the passage of time, it is widely accepted that her grace possessed a frighteningly canny situational awareness that served her in good stead as a knightmare pilot. It was also as a pilot that the Lady Stadtfeld-Kouzuki earned her many appellations such as the Crimson Lotus, the Red Knight, the Red Queen, and finally the Knight of One.

-Toward a New Dawn: The Rise of Euphemia I

Chapter 1: Fortitudo

Euphie yawned, stretching her body to try to stave off the sleep it was craving. She would be turning in soon enough, there was just a little bit more work to be done and she was loathe to leave it until tomorrow. Whether it could be called diligence or obstinacy depended on who discovered the girl during her late night work sessions. Or rather how many times they encountered Euphie up so late. Her old governess would probably still be proud, even as she chided the girl about neglecting her beauty sleep. She was a princess of the realm after all and had to maintain an image.

"Your highness."

Euphie looked over to the figure standing on the doorway. "Ah, Dorothy, good evening."

The maid bowed. "It is nearly time for a good morning, your highness. Please, you should turn in."

Euphie smiled slightly. This maid was obviously not one of the admirers of what she politely termed the princess' dedicated drive. Not entirely surprising seeing as she was responsible for preparing Euphie for her daily routine and ensuring a good night of sleep was a prerequisite of that.

"I'm almost done Dorothy," Euphie assured her maid, not that the older woman believed her for a moment.

"Your highness, you are scheduled to breakfast with Prince Schneizel tomorrow. Or should I say today?"

Looking at the clock Euphie saw that it was indeed past midnight. Perhaps her maid had a point after all.

"Alright Dorothy, you win," Euphie said as she stood. "I'll get to bed."

The maid bowed. "I have prepared a robe and nightgown on your bed, your highness."

"Thank you," the young woman said with a nod.

A deeper bow as the maid retreated, her errand complete. As Euphie watched her leave she sighed. Perhaps she should stop staying up so late seeing as she was forcing her attendants to also pull these late night shifts. Their work could be difficult enough seeing as they had to keep this massive estate running smoothly. Either way that was a promise for another day, as were the numbers for Area 11's development budget. For now she needed sleep.

The next morning as she breakfasted with Schneizel Euphie was genuinely glad her maid had chased her off to bed.

"You have been well, Euphie?" Schneizel said with a seemingly genuine smile.

"Well enough, thank you brother," Euphie replied with one of her own. Hers looked just a bit more natural.

"I know you try to be diligent with your work but it would not do to exhaust yourself in it."

"I will be fine brother," Euphie assured her sibling. "Though if the lot of you would generate less work for me, I would not complain."

Schneizel chuckled. "Clovis being a bit too free with his money again?"

"No, well, kind of," Euphie said thoughtfully. "He's spending a lot of it, and I'm having trouble figuring out where exactly it's all ending up."

The prince raised an eyebrow. Euphie's intuitive grasp of numbers was quite the wonder by itself. When applied to something that was otherwise mundane such as accounting the young woman could discern patterns and flows that eluded even Schneizel. For that reason alone he valued his sister's input on a diverse range of topics. Conversely Euphie knew well how useful her siblings, not just Schneizel, found her and used that utility to ply certain favors from them. In Schneizel's case that favor had been a formal, albeit discrete, position of auditor in the Treasury where she examined the Empire's finances for signs of graft or waste. Not even members of the Imperial family were safe from her scrutiny, even if their positions shielded them from the more direct consequences of their extravagance. Indirect consequences were another matter entirely.

"From which budget is Clovis drawing heavily from?"

"He's, not actually," Euphie said. "It's just that there are sums unaccounted for across quite a few requisitions and funds. By themselves they're at best a few percentages but on the whole we're talking about millions of pounds, perhaps even tens of millions. In the grand scheme that isn't a lot of money, but it is still significant."

Schneizel found himself in agreement with his sister. The total gross national product of the Empire stood at nearly 17 trillion pounds and the combined budget of the government itself was approximately 3 trillion. Against such vast sums one or ten million pounds was a trifling. Yet in absolute terms ten million pounds did represent a significant amount of money, especially in an economy as depressed as that of Area 11.

"You believe he is hiding something."

Euphie nodded. "I'm pretty sure it's all benign, for all I know he's just stuffing cash for some future project, but it is nagging me a bit."

Schneizel was not sure he shared his sister's sentiment. Then again he doubted Euphie herself was actually that blasé about all the missing money. If there was one thing that kind, gentle Euphie could be said to hate, it was the abuse of power and wealth that ran rampant in the Empire. Clovis might have been a beloved brother but not even he would be immune from her wrath if she decided he really had been misappropriating money meant to improve Area 11.

"Shall I have a word with him the next time we speak?" Schneizel suggested.

"Actually I think I should be the one to talk to him about it," Euphie said. "If you asked him, he might panic and think he's in big trouble."

That last line was delivered with a perfectly disarming smile. Schneizel allowed one of his own.

"Fair enough. Then I leave the matter to your discretion."

"Thank you brother."

"You are most welcome, Euphie."

Oh yes, useful indeed. Schneizel just prayed that he never gave Euphie reason to pry into his affairs.

Euphie was not one to waste time and upon returning to her estate she arranged for a line to be established to Clovis. It was already afternoon, almost evening, in Japan so she did not have to worry too much about the inconvenience of the time. When Clovis appeared on the screen he certainly did not seem to mind the sudden call at all.

"Euphie," he greeted with a wide smile. "How are you my dear little sister?"

Euphie returned the greeting with one of her one. "Fine, dearest brother. I hope that all is going well in Area 11?"

"If only," Clovis said with an exaggerated sigh. "The Elevens are being their usual uncooperative selves, constantly seeking to undermine our efforts to restore the country into a productive land."

That did not surprise Euphie in the least though the girl kept her peace. One thing Schneizel and Cornelia had managed to teach her over the years was to pick her battles with care and to never fight on two fronts at once. Today she would deal with this little bookkeeping error. Tomorrow was another day after all.

"But I'm sure you didn't call to hear me gripe about my governorship, to what do I owe the pleasure?"

"Business I'm afraid," Euphie said, still smiling sweetly.

Clovis, for all his theatrical gestures, was not a fool. None of the Emperor's children were outright stupid, at least none that still retained any standing at court, and a viceroyalty over an Area required quite the standing indeed. The prince kept his composure, retaining his genial expression.

"Oh? Please, do share."

"I have been reviewing the finances for Area 11 and noticed a large number of minor discrepancies. Individually they do not amount to much but combined the sum is substantial."

Clovis pursed his lips. "That is, disturbing, Euphie."

"Indeed. After all, with all the difficulties the people of the Area have been given you, the last thing you need is for your efforts to be further undermined by graft or sloppiness of your subordinates."

Despite her wording Clovis knew fully well what his sister was getting at. Or rather at both points the young woman was trying to get across. Euphie hated waste and corruption but she did care for her brother and so she was making clear that she was assuming the best, that Clovis himself was not party to the misappropriation of funds and that she could trust him to remedy the situation. Clovis sometimes wondered just when his dear little sister started becoming so devious. Schneizel's influence no doubt. Still he forced the smile to remain on his face.

"You have my word Euphie, I will look into the matter and put an end to this shameful oversight."

"I have no doubt you will brother."

"If you could please forward the specific details to me directly? Knowing where these discrepancies are would be most helpful."

"Certainly, I'll have a secured message dispatched immediately."

"Thank you," Clovis said, his smile widening. "When events are less dramatic here in Area 11, you must come visit. You'll feel right at home in the Tokyo concession and I think you'll enjoy the garden villa here at the palace."

"Oh, I heard you modeled it after the Aries Villa," Euphie said wistfully. "That, takes me back."

"I as well," Clovis said softly before shaking himself. "Would that I could share it with them."

Euphie nodded, knowing that her brother genuinely meant this and was not trying to distract her. Amongst their siblings Clovis was likely the next closest to the children of the Empress Marianne before their, passing.

"Well, I shan't keep you from your work any longer brother, or your dinner."

"I always have time for you, Euphie," Clovis assured her, being at least mostly honest. "Till we speak again."

"Goodbye brother, and I will pray for your success in Area 11."

Euphie really meant it too. Clovis was family after all and one thing the princess had learned to cherish was family.

As the feed terminated a scowl appeared on Clovis' face. His anger was not directed towards his sister, he loved her dearly and knew that Euphie was simply trying to look out for the best interests of the Empire and its people. That she had called him directly about his concerns indicated that she did not suspect anything and if Clovis had it his way she would go right now suspecting nothing. Of his siblings Euphie's good opinion was one he was especially loathe to lose on a personal level even of losing Schneizel's confidence could be more dangerous politically.

"Get General Asprius here immediately!" Clovis snapped.

One of his attendants bowed before making a hasty departure. Clovis however was not a patient man and by the time the general arrived there was a noticeable dent on the armrest where he had been drumming.

"You called for me, your highness?" Bartley said with a bow.

With a wave of his hand Clovis dismissed the servants who were only too relieved to be out of the prince's presence. The nervous energy he had been exuding had not been good for anyone's nerves. Bartley himself was now the sole object of the prince's attention and finding said energy to be equally nerve wracking.

"General Asprius," Clovis said. "What progress on Code-R?"

"Umm, well, there have been no significant developments since my latest progress report to you last week sire," Bartley said nervously. "We are continuing to analyze the subject, but there have thus far been no anomalies from previously observed patterns."

"How long has it been since I placed you in charge of the project, general?" Clovis asked.

"Umm, six months, highness."

"And in those six months, what have we learned about the subject?"

Bradley swallowed. "We've gathered a considerable amount of raw data, sire, but much remains to be done. The subject is, unnatural in many respects and we are still determining what limits, if any, its abilities have. I apologize for the slow pace of the work, highness, but there are simply too many unknowns, unknowns that we will only be able to unravel with more time."

"More time," Clovis said bitterly. "Do you know, general, just how much your research has already cost?"

Bradley frowned. "Highness?"

"Money general, I'm talking about money," Clovis snapped.

"I'm, not sure of the exact number, sire," Bradley said nervously, "but I could conduct an audit if you-"

"Don't bother, Euphie's already done one and will be forwarding me the results."

The general frowned in confusion at first, trying to work out just how the Third Princess was involved with all this. And then he recalled certain rumors that had been floating around about the Princess Euphemia's hand in the dismantling of Toronto Arms. He blanched.

"Yes general," Clovis said as he watched the other man's reaction. "Euphie has noticed the funds being diverted to your project. In fact she called me not half an hour ago to have a little chat about them. She's giving me the benefit of the doubt by assuming that it's just some subordinates stealing from the official budgets, but if she is given cause to dig deeper she may well find where that money is going."

"But, the money was diverted in such small amounts!" Bradley protested, momentarily forgetting in whose presence he was. "How could she have found them!?"

"Euphie's always been good with numbers," Clovis said, his own agitation distracting him from the slight disrespect of the general's bluntness. "Ultimately it doesn't matter how she found out about the diversions, she knows, and if she knows, Schneizel knows. We must secure Code-R until this blows over."

"Highness?"

"You will remove Code-R to a secure and remote location," Clovis ordered. "I will provide the funds necessary from my personal accounts. Once the relocation is complete, your only responsibility will be to keep the subject locked down and prevent any attempts at escape. Until I can arrange for a new source of funding, one that will not show up in any of the official or unofficial books, you are to halt the experimentation."

"But-"

"Am I clear, general!?"

Bartley shut his mouth and reluctantly nodded. He knew that tone, when Clovis was incensed the prince's temper knew no bounds. The disruption to the project's timetable this would cause would be considerable, with significant amount of work that would need to be redone once they could resume the experiments. But the prince was right, the last thing they needed was to have other members of the Imperial family sniffing around. Better that they suffer a minor delay than to have the entire project scrapped. Bartley bowed.

"I will see to this immediately, your highness."

"Good," Clovis said and waved. "You are dismissed."

The general hurried out of the room, leaving Clovis to sulk. Bad enough that the Elevens were still causing grief for his rule now his own family was meddling in his affairs. He tried not to be too annoyed with Euphie, she really was trying to look out for the family interests. Unfortunately when a family had as many secrets as the Britannias she was almost bound to stumble upon something one of them did not want discovered. It was just Clovis' unfortunate luck that he was her first unintentional victim. The prince sighed. Things were getting complicated but the situation was still salvageable. If things worked out, maybe he would be able to make good on that invitation to his sister. How he would enjoy the uncomplicated nature of a simple family visit.

Tamaki hated being on stakeout duty. Patience was not one of his virtues, a self-admitted flaw that in theory should have seen him removed from consideration for such jobs. Unfortunately with the cell's lack of manpower everyone was pulling double duty and so Tamaki found himself loitering outside of the building they suspected of being a chemical weapons factory. Damn the Britannians, first they stomp on Japan and her people and now they were planning on gassing all of them. Well this was something they were not going to get away with. Tamaki yawned. So long as he could stay awake long enough to make sure they did not move the gas. Damn night shifts, why did he have to lose the bet?

A truck turned the corner and Tamaki quickly slid into the shadows. From there he watched as it pulled up to the main gate. Another truck appeared, then a third. The gate rose and the vehicles hurriedly drove in. Peeking out, Tamaki saw several men hop off the truck. They all looked military and interestingly were not carrying anything. Was this it? Were they preparing to move the gas? Was he finally going to get a chance to do something? Tamaki pulled out his cell. Only one way to find out.

"Are you sure?"

Kallen perked up. Ohgi's voice sounded strained and serious.

"No, I'm sure you saw what you did. What? Okay, okay. Keep an eye out, I'll get us into position if this is really it."

Ohgi closed his cell and looked up to see Kallen waiting expectantly. He grimaced.

"Tamaki says he just saw a bunch of trucks enter the building with a lot of men. This might be it."

"I'm ready," Kallen said immediately. "Let's go."

"Kallen," Ohgi began.

"I know what you're gonna say Ohgi," Kallen cut him off. "I'm coming. I'm the best pilot you've got and if you want to have any chance of pulling this off you'll need my help."

Ohgi grimaced. "I know. But when we're out there you need to follow my orders, no running off on crazy stunts. Are we clear?"

Kallen nodded stiffly. "Of course."

"Alright. Then let's get going, we're not going to have much warning if they really are moving the gas now."

Kallen dashed after Ohgi, trying to keep a lid on her own enthusiasm. Ohgi was right, this was not just a simple smash and grab, if they were careless they could end up unleashing the gas in a heavily populated area and kill countless innocents, Japanese and Britannian alike. The girl wanted to avenge her brother, yes, but she knew that she would never be able to face him if in the process she triggered a greater catastrophe. Yet her anger and passion remained hard to reign in. Kallen prayed that she did not end up doing something rash.

A new day had dawned and Tamaki was still at his spot waiting for something to happen. The only good news right now was the sun was slowly warming the air, helping him shake off the chills from the night before.

"C'mon you bastards, get a damn move on it."

The gate rose. Apparently he was about to get his wish. Tamaki readied his cell. Out from the building rolled the trucks, the one in the center slightly larger and heavier if the depression of the wheels was any indication.

"Bingo."

The man hit speed dial and waited impatiently as the phone connected. One ring and the man on the other side picked up.

"Status?"

"They're on the move," Tamaki said. "Headed towards Shinjuku."

"Alright, fall back to the rendezvous point and get armed. We'll need backup once we jack the truck."

"On my way," Tamaki said, already making a run for it.

He pocketed his phone without another word. If he hurried there might still be some leftovers when he met up with the others.

The new day started much as any other, the denizens of Tokyo rising and going about their routines. Students headed off to class while adults made their way to their respective place of work, whether it be an office, a factory, or simply their own homes. Few were expecting anything exciting to happen, the past few weeks having been relatively quiet. There was a heavier than usual presence of police and even military out and about but no one could fault Prince Clovis for his caution, what with the recent bombastic grandstanding of the terrorist elements seeking to undermine Britannian authority. Still, it was not like the terrorists actually had the power to seriously threaten the Tokyo Concession where full-fledged citizens lived so everyone went about their day as usual. And yet there was that rising billow of smoke off in the distance. Was its source a fire? Or something more ominous?

"Damn it Tamaki, why can't that guy ever follow a plan!?"

The man spun the wheel, sending the truck careening around the corner as he tried to put some distance between himself and his pursuers.

"No time for complaining now," Kallen said as she reloaded her pistol. "Keep driving!"

The girl leaned out, firing off a few shots. One actually managed to hit the window of the chasing police car but besides a brief about of swiveling the driver quickly recovered.

The radio on the dashboard crackled. "Nagata, you there?"

The driver grabbed it. "Ohgi, we've got cops on our tail and coming in hot!"

"I see you, take the next left and keep going straight for five more blocks, then a right. We've got the Glasgow set up in an alley, Kallen just needs to get to it."

"Roger!"

The truck swerved hard again, almost tipping over but landing back onto all four wheels with a thud. The moment they were level again Kallen leaned out to open fire again. A few shots actually punched through the hood of the lead car and it began to slow.

"Yes! I got the engine!"

"Great, now please do something about the other two cars back there!"

Kallen ejected the clip. "Got any more bullets?"

"How did you go through that many clips!?"

"By trying to keep us alive here!"

Nagata's response was to throw the truck into another sharp turn before slamming down n the brakes. Kallen threw her arms around her seat to avoid being bounced about and shot the man a dirty look.

"Out," Nagata shouted, "there's the Glasgow, take it and go kick some real ass!"

The girl needed no further urging, bailing and running into the alley. Ohgi waved frantically at her and Kallen wasted no time climbing into the knightmare. The cockpit closed around her and the machine hummed to life. Her comrades had already started the thing up so mere seconds passed between her strapping in and the knightmare charging forth into the street. Her timing was impeccable, the police car's less so as it slammed into her. The mech barely noticed it, the car saw its entire front end flattened. The other police car swerved, trying to get around the knightmare. Kallen raised the mech's arm and fired off its harpoon. The spear slammed into the car, skewering its engine and sending it crashing into a building. A quick jerk freed the spear from the wrecked vehicle.

"Threat neutralized," Kallen reported.

"Not just yet," Ohgi's voice said over the radio. "I'm hearing noise over the civilian channels about Britannian military units being dispatched. We need to get that gas under cover into Shinjuku now."

"Che, alright, I'll provide cover for Nagata. You guys get to Shinjuku and prepare a warm welcome for the Britannians."

The sound of a car starting up carried through over the radio. "Already on my way. Be careful out there Kallen."

The girl grinned. "You know me Ohgi."

"Yeah," a resigned tone answered. "Yeah, I do."

What had started out as a perfectly normal day was turning out to be anything but for the student council of Ashford Academy. Milly Ashford, student council president, watched the newsfeed anxiously, hoping that there would be some hint as to whether the fighting might spread in the direction of the school.

"As you can see the terrorist elements have caused only minor damage to the outer districts of the Tokyo Concession before fleeing for the safety of the Shinjuku ghetto," a Britannian police public relations officer said as images of scrapped car parts were broadcasted. "We are already moving in to lock down the district to ensure that the terrorists do not escape. Once a perimeter is established, the Britannian military will move in to sweep the district and flush these cowards out."

The girl pursed her lips. If the military was really going to put boots on the ground in Shinjuku the area would turn into a bloodbath. Britannian soldiers were not known for their moderation and they would not care if innocent civilians were caught in the crossfire, especially when said civilians were Elevens.

"This is just awful," Shirley Fenette, Milly's good friend and secretary on said student council, remarked.

"Yeah, no kidding," Rivalz Cardemonde, another friend and vice president under Milly, agreed. "What were those guys thinking, launching an attack on the Concession?"

Milly gave her junior a tolerant smile and the boy clammed his mouth shut, knowing he had put his foot in it again. Rivalz was at heart a decent young man but he had grown up in relative privilege, safe and happy while the greatest hardship of life he knew of was missing out on his favorite TV episode or not having enough money to buy the newest issue of a comic series he liked. The boy was at least honest enough with himself to know he did not understand what an Eleven went through to scrape by a living out in the ghettos but from time to time his lack of sense could make him sound overly callous.

"Are all students accounted for on campus?" Milly asked.

"Umm, I think so," the treasurer Nina Einstein said, checking her terminal. "All students that live in the dorms are listed as checked in. Of the students that commute from home, looks like everyone's here-oh wait, Kallen Stadtfeld is absent. It says here that she's sick and is resting at home."

"Oh her," Milly said thoughtfully. "She really is absent a lot, is her body that weak?"

"Well I'm sure she'll be safe at the Stadtfeld estate," Rivalz said. "It's deeper in the Concession and this mess is taking place on the outskirts."

"True enough," Milly conceded. "Still, we should leave a message with them. I don't like the thought of any of my students being at risk."

"Oh, we're your students, prez?" Rivalz said with a teasing grin.

Milly flashed her trademark smile in response. "Well of course, all of you exist to carry out my bidding and whims. Now chop chop! That message won't deliver itself! Get on the phone!"

The boy groaned as he walked right into that one. Still as far as demands went this definitely counted as one of Milly's less outrageous ones. As Rivalz reached for the phone Milly turned her attention back to the news broadcast. Details were still thin and it was obvious the authorities were keeping some details back but right so far it seemed as if this latest crisis would pass Ashford Academy by. And that was just fine with Milly. For all the girl loved attention, she knew that some forms of attention were less desirable than others. Any that risked shedding light on her little sister would find itself to be most unwelcome in Milly's domain.

"I've got it!" The sound of metal clashing with metal echoed before a distinct crumpling noise followed. "Gah!"

Another enemy knightmare went down but Kallen had little time to be enjoy her victory. More charged toward her and something told the girl her next opponent would not be so easy. Her instincts were right, the Sutherland that now faced her moving far more gracefully and with a far deadlier purpose. Its harpoon came straight at Kallen and the girl just barely managed to twist the Glasgow aside. The danger was not past however as the Sutherland jerked its arm. Something slammed into Kallen from behind, sending her Glasgow stumbling forward right into the waiting blade of the enemy knightmare.

"Ah!"

Shifting her knightmare's posture Kallen just barely avoided having her cockpit skewered. Instead the blade sliced through an arm, destroying both it and the rifle it held.

"Crap!"

The girl sent her leg flying up, nailing the Sutherland and using it to push her own knightmare back into the tunnel. She raised her remaining arm and fired, sinking the harpoon into the concrete above. With a cry Kallen sent the Glasgow into full reverse, tearing away at the ceiling. Already weakened by the fighting, the concrete cracked and gave way, filling the tunnel entrance with rubble. A few holes still let in light but none were large enough to allow a knightmare through. Letting out a sigh of relief Kallen cut the harpoon's rope, leaving the weapon buried in the rubble, before beating a hasty retreat. The Britannians would find a way into the tunnel, there was little doubt about that, and Kallen did not intend to be around when they did.

Outside Jeremiah Gottwald regarded the collapsed tunnel with a slight air of amusement. The Eleven piloting the Glasgow was not bad, especially seeing as he had defeated several of the newer Sutherlands before Jeremiah himself entered the fray. Still, this little act of desperation would not be enough.

"Sergeant, send a team into the tunnels to search for the enemy and then set demolition charges to clear the rubble," Jeremiah ordered.

"But, sir, the charges might cause further collapses," the soldier protested. "That would put our men in considerable danger."

The noble snorted. "Then send in some of your more expendable men. If we delay too long we risk losing the enemy. Prince Clovis has issued a direct order that these terrorists be apprehended and the item they stole retrieved. Do you wish to explain to the prince why we failed to achieve those two objectives?"

"No-no sir," the man stammered. "I'll get right on it sir!"

The man hurried offer, calling for several squads of infantry to assemble. Satisfied that his order would be carried out Jeremiah opened a channel to another of the knightmares.

"Villetta," he said. "Take Kewell to the tunnel entrance in sector 59 and begin a sweep there. If you hurry, you might be able to cut off the terrorists' retreat."

"By your command," Villetta replied.

As the two knightmares departed Jeremiah turned his attention back to the blocked entrance. Several soldiers were now squeezing through the few cracks. The Eleven pilot might have been good, but there was only one of him. Sooner or later he would be found, and killed.

After a few minutes of driving Kallen managed to catch up with Nagata. The man was examining the truck, seemingly at a loss. When he saw Kallen approach he began waving frantically. Kallen rolled to a stop and popped open her hatch.

"What's going on?"

"The damn engine's blown out," Nagata said. "We need to move the cargo to another truck, but there's no way I can lift that thing by myself." He regarded the beaten up Glasgow. "Not sure you can either now that I think about it."

"I'll think of something," Kallen assured the man. "Which truck should we use?"

The Japanese man pointed to a smaller freight truck. "That one, it's big enough to hold the gas and small enough that we can probably hide it. And switching vehicles is probably a good idea at this point."

"Alright, back it up to this truck and I'll handle it."

Nagata wasted no time doing just that and Kallen eased the container with the Glasgow's remaining arm out of one truck and into the other. It was slow going, at times requiring Nagata to lend a hand by providing leverage to get the heavy metal container through tight spots. Eventually however they got it transferred over, an eventually that was far too long in Kallen's opinion. An opinion that proved truth when gunshots began peppering the trucks.

"Shit!" Kallen cursed, snapping shut the cockpit.

Nagata rolled over to the other side and scrambled into the driver's seat. The sudden hissing of air however marked the puncturing of tires.

"Nagata, can you get out of here!?" Kallen called.

"Not easily, and definitely not with them putting holes in the truck!"

"I'll take care of them," Kallen said, moving to interpose the Glasgow between their attackers and the truck.

"Surrender!"

Kallen froze, not because she was seriously contemplating obeying but because the order had come in Japanese. Why would Britannians issue a demand in Japanese? Most Britannian soldiers stationed in Japan were too arrogant to even bother with that, instead taking advantage of any misunderstandings to justify massacring their enemies. Unless? Kallen's face twisted into a scowl. There had to be Honorable Britannians back there, racial traitors.

"You surrender!" Kallen yelled back.

In retrospect revealing her voice may not have been the smartest thing to do but what was done was done and Kallen readied herself for the attack to resume. Instead the standoff lingered as if the other side did not know how to respond. Kallen was starting to suspect that hearing a female voice was causing some confusion. Great, racial traitors and misogynists. Eventually however whatever was holding the enemy up seemed to clear up.

"Surrender and we will guarantee fair treatment!"

Kallen snorted. Did they think she was an idiot? No one who fell into the hands of the Britannian military got 'fair' treatment, more often than not they got a bullet to the head right then and there. If they were going to treat her like this she would return to favor.

"Walk away from this and I won't plaster the ground with your guts!"

Perhaps a bit over the top but Kallen felt satisfied that she was at least being honest with them. The resumption of rifle fire told her that the other side did not agree.

"Stop shooting you idiots!" Kallen screamed. "The thing in the truck is holding poison gas!"

The shooting stopped very promptly so either they believed her or had decided they could not risk it being a bluff.

"Nagata, can you get going?" Kallen asked.

"Maybe, but they took out both tires on that side. I'm not going to be getting far."

Kallen grimaced. "Then I better take these guys out and we can try another truck."

"Hurry, something tells me backup won't be far behind those bastards."

Kallen did not waste more time with words. She charged, plowing through the abandoned cars in her way and tossing aside the cover the soldiers were using. The shooting resumed immediately, all bets off as the soldiers fought for their lives. It was futile however. Even in her knightmare heavily damaged Kallen was more than a match for mere foot soldiers. Cries and screams filled the tunnel as she knocked bodies aside or smashed them into the ground. The girl tried not to look at the resulting gore, instead focusing on making her kills quickly and painless. No one deserved a lingering death, not even these men.

It felt like an eternity but only a minute or so passed before Kallen stood alone, triumphant amidst the bloody remains of her foes. It had not been a fair fight, far from it, but this was war and wars were not won by being fair.

"Nagata, you okay?"

Silence. Kallen directed the Glasgow back toward the truck.

"Nagata?"

A single gunshot sounded, spurring Kallen on. She rolled around the truck to find her friend clutching a wound on his side with a soldier standing over him.

"Nagata!"

"Don't move," the soldier said in Japanese. "Surrender, and we can get your friend some treatment."

"Stop trying to feed me that line," Kallen snapped. "The moment I get out you'll shoot him and then try to shoot me!"

The soldier said nothing for several seconds, gazing silently at Kallen through his helmet. Then he reached up and pulled it over to reveal his face. Just as the girl had suspected, he was Japanese. A Japanese serving in the Britannian military. Kallen felt her blood boil.

"I give you my word that I will not harm either of you," the young man said. "Please, surrender. There does not need to be any more bloodshed today."

"Don't do it," Nagata said. "Smash this brat and get out of here with the gas!"

"And what will you do then?" the boy demanded. "Even if you got away, what good would having the gas do? Are you going to use it on the Concession?"

"Who the hell do you think we are!?" Kallen exploded. "We stole the gas to keep the Britannians from unleashing it on the ghettos!"

The young man winced. "They would never do that."

"Why the hell else would they have produced it in the first place!?" Kallen yelled.

"Just take him out already!" Nagata shouted.

"Please, shut up!" the soldier snapped.

His attention shifted for a mere second but that was the only opening Kallen needed. She swung Glasgow's arm, taking care not to hit Nagata. The soldier was fast however, leaping to the side and scrambling away. Kallen did not let up, swinging again. Again the soldier dodged, further frustrating the girl's attempts to squash him.

"Stand still and die!"

The third blow came crashing down, catching the side of the truck in the process. Once again the soldier rolled out of the way, but Kallen had managed to hit something. Something that she really should not have hit. The sound of hissing gas began echoing in the tunnel.

"No!"

Kallen was unsure who exactly cried out. It might have been her, it might have been Nagata, it might have been the soldier, hell it might have been all three of them. Not that it mattered now as the seal broke and the gas container began to open. The soldier scrambled to put on his mask while Kallen popped open the hatch, hand reached out to pull Nagata in. The BC protection on the Glasgow was probably compromised at this point but it was still better than being in the open. Strangely enough the soldier did not move to shot either of them. Kallen did not think too hard about it, hauling the larger man in and hurriedly closing the cockpit once more. She was about to turn and flee when Nagata placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Wait. Look."

Kallen did so, looking at the now open container. At its feet, apparently having fallen out, was a heavily restrained young woman with flowing green hair. The Britannian soldier was kneeling down examining her. After a few seconds he pulled off his gasmask and sniffed. His breathing remained normal.

"What's going on?" Kallen wondered aloud. "Where's the gas?"

"I don't think there was ever any gas," Nagata said. "I think, that container was meant to hold her. Whoever, whatever she is."

Kallen held her ground, watching as the soldier continued examining the girl. He checked for a pulse and poked at the restraints, apparently as uncertain of what to do as the two resistance fighters. He then looked up at the Glasgow.

"What's going on?"

"We don't know," Kallen answered. "We thought that container had some sort of chemical weapon."

The soldier looked back down at the woman. "She doesn't look like a weapon."

Kallen snorted and was about to mark a snarky response when the knightmare shuddered.

"Ah!"

"What was that!?" Nagata cried.

"AP weapon!" Kallen shouted. "We need to-"

Another explosion rocked the Glasgow, toppling the machine.

"Crap, we need to get out of this thing!"

"That guy's still out there!"

"You still have your gun?"

Nagata shook his head.

"Okay, when I pop the hood we'll charge him. The two of us together should be able to take him down."

"Risky, but not like we have a choice. Do it."

"Three, two, one, mark!"

The cockpit popped open and despite his wound Nagata was the first one out. He plowed into the solder, knocking him down and fumbling for his sidearm. The soldier tried to fight back but Kallen was right behind her friend and delivered a solid kick to the young man's head. He slumped down, knocked out but still alive. For now at least.

"Kallen!"

Nagata tossed the gun to the girl but as he did so more rounds sliced through the air. Some finally found their mark as the man shuddered before toppling over.

"Nagata!" Kallen crouched behind the wrecked Glasgow as more shots flew over her head. "Nagata! Can you hear me!?"

Silence. Kallen bit back tears as she leaned up and returned fire. She could make out two, three soldiers, one of them carrying the rocket launcher that had trashed her knightmare. Him, he was the one that had gotten Nagata killed. Before Kallen could exact her revenge more bullets peppered her position, forcing the girl to duck.

"Damn it!"

Was she going to die here? Alone in this damn tunnel, gunned down by Britannian's thugs? No, Kallen refused to go out like this. She still needed to avenge her brother, still needed to fight for Japan and her people. She could not die like this! Kallen blinked. Her eyes met that of the green haired girl. The strange woman was awake and staring right at her. The redhead hesitated for all of a second before lunging out and pulling the woman into cover with her. Taking out her knife Kallen quickly cut the woman's restraints.

"Who the hell are you!?" Kallen demanded. "Why the hell were you in that container!? Why are the Britannians so desperate to get you back!?"

The woman regarded her coolly with her golden eyes.

"Answer me damn it!"

"Doust thee wish to live?"

Kallen blinked. "Huh?"

"Doust thee wish to live?"

"Of course I want to live!"

The woman smiled. It was not a pleasant expression.

"Then I shall grant thee thy wish."

Kallen found that she could not look away. Something, something impossibly strong, kept her eyes locked on with that of the woman. She did not know how long they stared at each other but the next thing she knew the woman was rising.

"Behold for to thou do I plight my troth."

"What?"

A round smashed into the young woman's head and she crumpled, blood oozing out from the wound. Kallen screamed, pressing against the Glasgow in horror. This was not the first death she had witnessed today, she had even visited such carnage on others. Yet to see this woman whom she barely knew be so brutally cut down was too much.

"I'm going to die, I'm going to die, I'm going to die," the girl muttered.

Deep within her something stirred.

"I don't want to die!"

And then she saw it. She saw all of it. She saw the men closing in upon her, the vector of their approach, when they would pop around the corner to put bullets in her. Kallen's grip tightened around the pistol.

"I won't die!"

In one fluid motion the girl rose, gun aimed at exactly where the advancing soldier was without her even looking. She pulled the trigger, shifted her arm, pulled the trigger again, before stepping back behind the Glasgow just as a burst of bullets sliced through where she was a second ago. Kallen felt calm. She could hear the slow, steady beats of her heart. She counted them, one by one. On the fifth count she leaned out again and fired, just as the last Britannian soldier was peeking up from his own hiding spot. The bullet smashed through his head, turning it into bloody pulp. Silence fell upon the battlefield, the only sound the girl could hear being that of her own breathing. Slow, deep breaths. And then her strength left her as she crumbled to the ground. The gun fell from her hand, clattering as it hit the floor. Kallen barely noticed. In fact she did not notice anything. All she could see was the same thing playing over and over again in her mind, the approach of the soldiers, every footstep they took, every sweep of their guns as they advanced. And her, rising to meet them one by one, cutting them down with brutal efficiency. A chill ran through Kallen. A chill that came from the realization of the awesome power now in her possession. Unbeknownst to the girl a bird-shaped sigil burned in her left eye, a mark of that very same power, a gift and a curse.

End of Chapter 1

C.C.'s speech pattern is either going to get tiresome really quickly or provide lots of opportunity for humor. We'll see who gets sick of it first, my readers for having to parse it or me for having to figure out how to write archaic dialogue.

We are still in what is more or less the setup stage for the story. Some basic points need to be established so that people have a better understanding of how this diverges from the Code Geass canon. From there all of you can better speculate on where I intend this story to go. One major divergence has happened already. More will be coming of course. I have a pretty good idea of the direction I want the story to take and I have the plot mapped out to the equivalent of my end of season one. I also have some general ideas of what will happen in season two, but the ending itself is still somewhat amorphous. It basically comes down to who dies, why they die, if anyone dies, etc. I'm a personal fan of happy endings but the character dynamics are going to be so thoroughly tangled compared to the canon that what would constitute a 'happy' ending there does not necessarily translate over to this fic. We'll see how it goes.

One of my reviews seems to be stuck, insomuch as it isn't displaying on the site even though I have a copy of it sitting in my inbox. But anyway, two people have now raised a question about whether the vi Britannia children are really dead. I leave that up to interpretation based on the available text evidence in what I have currently published.

A couple of additional notes. I am going to attempt to craft a slightly more realistic world for Code Geass, both geopolitically as well as with terminology. Cornelia for example is not Chief General, she's a Marshal. I am something of a military history and technology enthusiast and some of the less than coherent military terminology in a lot of fiction have always felt jarring to me. That and oversimplified politics tends to rob some of the realism and believability from stories that I would otherwise enjoy immensely. So I will seek to minimize such disruptions in my own work unless it is absolutely necessary for plot advancement. Even then I'll at least try to come up with a BS in-universe rationale for it.

Finally, a bit of an advertisement but also a pointer for people reading this fic, if you want to get an idea of how I go about world building or the level of complexity that I like to inject into my fics, I would recommend checking out my EVA fic In Tune. It's still ongoing but is about two thirds done and has 31 chapters plus prologue out, so provides a pretty big sample of the type of writing I do nowadays. I'd like to think that it would at least give some hints at the twists and turns I like to build into my fics, which I think would be useful for, not exactly predicting, but more easily comprehending the mindscrews that I am going to be throwing into this one.

Anyway, leave me a review if you've enjoyed A Cold Calculus thus far. And if you have any guesses as to what the meaning of the title is.