6 Chapter 5: Vidi

Kallen spent perhaps a full minute just pointing at the girl on her bed. When she finally recovered her senses she acted on pure instinct. She slammed the door shut and tackled the girl.

"Who the hell are you!?" Kallen demanded. "I saw you die!"

"Did thou?" the girl said with an impish grin. She reached up and stroked Kallen's left cheek. "Hast thou enjoyed the gift bestowed unto thee?"

Kallen's eyes widened. "So that was you! What did you do to me!?"

The girl's outburst only earned her a chuckle. "Tis a troth most sacred betwixt thou and I."

"Troth!? What the hell is a troth! Speak normally!"

"Tsk tsk, such an ill-mannered rantipole, this be how thou greets a guest?"

Kallen's eyebrow twitched. "You're not a guest, you're a trespasser! Now explain why you're here! How you're here!"

"The why tis simple, I come to uphold my troth. The how equally so." The girl pointed at the window. "From yander window."

Kallen fought back an urge to strangle the mysterious girl, she needed her alive to answer her questions. Then again she had seen the girl die once already only for her to show up in her bedroom so maybe strangling her would not actually achieve anything. Besides relieving her stress that is. But it was clear the mysterious girl would not be giving up her secrets easily so Kallen took a different tact.

"What is your name?" she asked.

That infuriating grin again. "C.C."

"See, too?" Kallen glared at the girl. "Is that supposed to be a joke?"

"Thou asketh for a name, thou shalt receiveth an answer."

"Alright, fine, C.C.," Kallen said. "What do you want?"

"Must I repeat myself so? To thee I have plighted my troth and thus with thee shall I remain."

That troth thing again, Kallen ground her teeth in frustration. Okay, the girl was obviously not going to explain what that meant so she needed to figure it out herself. She was speaking in archaic terms so that word was probably English but long out of use. Kallen thought back to her classical literature course, they had just done Shakespeare fortunately. Had troth been a word that playwright had used? Kallen blinked.

"Truth?"

The girl laying under Kallen rolled her eyes. "I say, what hast thy tutors read to thee?"

"And what century are you living in?" Kallen retorted.

Apparently that was not it. Did troth have a secondary meaning? Wait. What was that line?

"Virtue's office never breaks men's troth," Kallen repeated from memory. "A pledge?"

The girl smiled. "Aye."

Kallen climbed off the girl, looking at her quizzically. "You, pledged an oath to me?"

"Aye," the girl said once more. "Till our contract be concluded, a troth be betwixt thou and I."

"What contract?"

The girl stared into Kallen's eyes. No, her eye. Kallen caressed her left eye.

"Quite," the girl said in satisfaction.

"What exactly is this?" the redhead asked.

"Tis the power of kings," C.C. answered, "the Geass."

"A, geas?" Kallen said, searching her memory. That sounded Gaelic. "A gift, or a curse, that comes with an associated taboo, the violation of which will result in death or dishonor."

"My, it seems thou art learned."

Kallen frowned. "So, what's my taboo?"

C.C. regarded Kallen for a moment before turning away. "Tis late, I shalt retire for the eve."

"Hey!"

The girl ignored her and began climbing under the sheets.

"Now wait just a damn minute!" Kallen cried, throwing aside the sheets and climbing back atop C.C.

"This be the conduct of a lady or a cad?" the girl said.

"Shut it," Kallen snapped. "We're both girls so if I beat you up no one's going to care."

Well, not entirely true but in this one instance being a girl offered her a slight advantage. Which was stupid since violence visited upon defenseless individuals of either gender by either gender should have been considered abhorrent. Double standards and all that.

C.C.'s eyes narrowed as she regarded Kallen. After what seemed an eternity of her staring silently she opened her mouth.

"I have a wish I seek fulfillment thereof," the girl said. "Time shall tell if thou art capable of meeting mine wish."

"Tell me what it is now and I'll tell you right away," Kallen said.

The girl smiled. It was not a pleasant smile.

"Impatience, a virtue it be not. Can thou see thy own wish fulfilled when full of such?"

Kallen growled at the girl but once more climbed off. "Alright, but you better not take too damn long with your wish, I've got stuff to do."

"And in thy own endeavors shall I rendereth aid," C.C. said, "until our contract be fulfilled."

"And just what makes you think you'd be of any help to me?" Kallen retorted.

C.C. regarded her one eye again. Right, stupid question.

"Fine, fine, be that way."

The girl dove under the sheets again.

"But we are going to have a talk tomorrow," Kallen said.

"And a good night to tee," was the response.

Kallen grumbled. "And you will not be sleeping here every night."

In point of fact Kallen did not particularly want C.C. to be sleeping here tonight either. But she was tired, it had been a long day, and she did not have the energy to figure out where to stash the girl instead. That was a problem for another day, after a preferably full night of sleep.

The morning meeting had gone well enough, the bureaucrats accepting the changes to Area 11's regulations grudgingly but still accepting them. From all indications those subordinates that managed to find positions with direct access to her brother Clovis tended to be those that did not openly disagree with him. That sort of mentality could be very dangerous Euphie knew, which was why her own search for replacements took on a new urgency.

"Your highness, Baron Rochester has arrived."

"Please show him in."

The secretary bowed before retreating. Mere moments later the door opened once more to reveal a tall, well-built man. He bowed upon coming into the Princess' presence.

"Your highness."

"Baron Rochester," Euphie replied with a smile. "Please, have a seat."

"Thank you highness."

There was a noticeable tension leaving the Baron's face as the invitation was extended. Imperial protocol had many nuances and informal rules but the one about seats was fairly straightforward. One either was invited to sit at the start of the meeting or one stood throughout. That Rochester was granted the privilege right away indicated the Princess wished to deal with him in a cordial manner. That she herself remained seated instead of standing to greet him indicated that a distance yet remained and the Princess was not going to be going out of her way to shorten it. Equal or greater effort would be required on the Baron's part for that.

"And how may I be of assistance to you, highness?" Rochester asked once settled in. It really was a comfortable chair, which the Baron took to be a good sign.

"It is my understanding that you have acted as one of the primary liaisons between the Empire and the Numbers Administration Council."

Rochester nodded but said nothing, waiting for Euphie to ask a specific question. Good, the man was not one to waste words.

"Tell me Baron, what was the rationale for leaving the major industries, especially the sakuradite operations, in the hands of Elevens?"

The Baron raised an eyebrow but answered the question nevertheless. "They had the expertise, your highness. Bringing in our own people to take over the mines would have likely resulted in production plummeting and remaining depressed for years as we learned the ropes. Since then they have kept production efficient without any major disruptions." A frown appeared on the man's face. "I hope you are not suggesting that this arrangement be terminated, highness."

Euphie regarded the Baron quizzically. "And if I am, Baron?"

"It would be a mistake, your highness," Rochester replied immediately. "The councilmembers may not be Britannians by blood but they have thus far been very cooperative in their dealings with the Empire. Furthermore they provide a pillar of stability for the native population and an example for those same people to emulate. Removing them after they have, served, the Empire loyally for so many years would send a clear message to the general population that we Britannians lack any sense of loyalty to even those that willingly adhere to our society's laws. Such a message is almost certain to incite further unrest."

Euphie said nothing for several moments before finally cracking a smile. The Baron had spoken his mind with frankness and clarity and without any visible fear of retribution. That suggested Rochester was either confident enough in his own position to be willing to risk offending a member of the Imperial family, or more likely in the Baron's case, he held a strong conviction in himself and would not lie simply to appease his social betters.

"Your assessment has merit, Baron," Euphie said.

Once more Euphie noted a slight relaxing of the Baron's features. The man may have believed in himself but he was also smart enough to know that one did not make enemies with members of the Imperial family lightly.

"I have no objections to the current arrangement with the Council," Euphie said, "but neither do I know any of them personally. My brother seems to have kept them at arm's length, barely acknowledging their existence despite the important role they play in the social stability of Area 11. Though I loved and still love him dearly, I believe that to be a mistake."

This time it was Rochester that regarded Euphie intently. After a brief hesitation the man nodded, indicating his respectful agreement with the Princess.

"You on the other hand, Baron," Euphie continued, "have had substantial interactions with the Council and know them personally as well as professionally. That being the case, I would like your personal opinion of them, both as a collective as well as individually."

"Of course your highness." Rochester took a few moments seemingly to collect his thoughts before going on. "At present the members of the Council are all from Japanese noble families claiming to trace their lineage back centuries, to the days of the old Imperial court in Kyoto. There is considerable intermarriage between the families and all are related to each other in one way or another. Publically they adopt a collaborationist political position, which has allowed them to retain substantial amounts of their personal wealth. Privately I would not be surprised if they feel some resentment for the Empire's occupation of their homeland, but they seem pragmatic enough to understand that active resistance would be futile and would only result in their own executions and the seizure of their assets."

"And what of passive resistance?" Euphie asked.

Rochester shrugged. "I would not be surprised if they retain some contacts within the Japanese Liberation Front due to their past association with the former Japanese government, but on the whole I have seen no indication of outright defiance. The closest would perhaps be the humanitarian aid they provide to Elevens that refuse to become Honorary Britannians, but that act of magnanimity has done little to reduce the resentment the general population feels towards them and so would not be terribly useful as a vector for rallying people to them. Conversely the aid they do provide offers a small but measurable safety net that helps keep tensions from rising completely out of control and so I would advise against trying to restrict it."

"Duly noted," Euphie said. "Please, continue."

The Baron nodded. "The current leader of the Council is Taizou Kirihara, an industrialist whose wealth comes primarily from sakuradite mining. Before the war he held a great deal of behind the scenes influence in the Japanese government. Sir Kirihara was one of the first members of the former Japanese elite to offer cooperation with the occupation authorities and for this he is considered a pariah by many of his own people.

"The other councilmembers are mostly of the same vein, save for their youngest member, a girl named Kaguya Sumeragi." The Baron paused thoughtfully. "I believe she is your junior by two years, highness."

"So young?" Euphie said quizzically.

"I am not clear on the nuances of her appointment," Rochester said, "but she at least appears competent. It may well be that there are no other eligible heirs to the Sumeragi family, though that may be giving Dame Sumeragi too little credit. From what little interaction I have had with her, she has been level headed and displayed considerable knowledge about her family's business interests."

"I see," Euphie said with a nod. "Though I must note Baron, that what you have told me thus far are all simple facts." The Princess offered a sly smile. "What of your own opinion on councilmembers?"

Rochester returned a wiry smile of his own. "If the Princess believes my own personal opinion will be of assistance, then I am honored to share them." The man's face returned to a composed expression. "I believe that the councilmembers ultimately have their own self-interests at heart, but I also believe that they recognize that they only possess authority if others recognize that authority. To that end they seek to play both sides, working to maintain their historical position with the Elevens while ingratiating themselves with the true power reigning over Area 11, the Empire."

"Hence the likely contacts with the JLF," Euphie suggested.

The Baron nodded. "While I do not wish to be accused of baseless speculation, it would not surprise me if their relationship with the JLF were not deeper than simply maintaining an open channel."

In that Euphie shared similar thoughts. The Princess regarded the Baron. Rochester was obviously an intelligent man and he even possessed a bit of imagination. He also did not seem to possess the xenophobic prejudices so many other Britannian nobles had considering his ability to maintain a cordial working relationship with the Council and his willingness to support their continued stewardship of large parts of Area 11's economy. Part of that was almost certainly due to self-interest since as one of the intermediaries between the Empire and the NAC the Baron was likely able to engage in some side businesses to line his own pockets. But that was par for the course in the Empire and so long as the Baron did not abuse his position Euphie could live with a little moneymaking on the side.

At the same time the Baron was not completely blind to the realities of the Area, seeing as he suspected his erstwhile business partners' contact and perhaps even discreet support for the Japanese Liberation Front. The JLF was the most organized and well equipped of the various resistance movements and the only one that stood any chance of actually standing up to Britannia's military might. Not a good chance but still a chance. If they really were getting support from the NAC the danger they represented increased exponentially. The question was how to convince the NAC to rescind their support without having to destroy them outright. One other thing the Baron was right about, the amount of chaos that would result with the collapse of the Council would effectively gut Area 11's economy for years, something Euphie could not afford to have happen on her watch. But that was a problem for another day. Right now however Euphie beamed the Baron a wide smile.

"Congratulations Baron."

The man looked back at her in confusion.

"I have been seeking a new industry minister since my appointment," Euphie said. "Sir Friedman may be an excellent economic theorist, but I am afraid his academic leanings means he often fails to grasp the practical realities of industry. You on the other hand have been heavily involved in Area 11's industry for years now and have demonstrated a thorough and nuanced understanding of its inner workings."

Rochester blinked. It took him a few seconds to muster a response.

"I-I'm honored, your highness, truly. I-I had no idea this was some sort of interview for a position in your cabinet."

"If you had been aware it would have defeated the purpose of this meeting," Euphie said with a playful smile. "That you answered my questions frankly and openly indicates that you have a firm presence of mind and the confidence to execute any policies that my administration generates. The only remaining question is, do you accept?"

"Of course I do," Rochester said immediately. "It is an honor to be of service to you in this capacity, your highness."

"I am glad to hear it," Euphie said with a solemn nod. "Your first task will be to arrange a meeting with Sir Kirihara and Dame Sumeragi."

"Your highness?"

"As Sir Kirihara is the leader of the Council I feel it would only be appropriate as the new viceroy of Area 11 to make his acquaintance," Euphie said. "I also intend to adopt a more engaged policy with the Council for the continued development of this area's economy."

Rochester pursed his lips and Euphie watched as he struggled with himself. It was obvious he wanted to ask a question but his curiosity warred with his instinctive deference to Euphie's stature. Ultimately however his curiosity won.

"And Dame Sumeragi, your highness?"

Euphie smiled gently to let the man know she did not mind indulging his inquisitiveness. "You yourself said that she appears quite competent. If that is the case she represents the next generation of Area 11's native leadership. I would like to see and judge her character for myself." The Princess shrugged. "And besides, it should be interesting to meet someone around my own age with a similar set of expectations and responsibilities on her shoulder."

Rochester seemed to think over the response before offering his own. "I believe I understand, your highness."

"I trust you do," Euphie said with one final nod. "I thank you for your time today, Baron Rochester, and I look forward to working with you in the future."

"Thank you highness," Rochester stood and bowed at the dismissal. "I will endeavor to live up to your confidence."

There was a noticeable upbeat step to Rochester's gaunt as he left the room, Euphie noted with amusement. The Princess looked over at the display showing her schedule of appointments for the day. One down, far too many to go.

"Umm, I'm not sure this is really necessary, Cécile-san," Suzaku said halfheartedly.

"No complaints," the woman said sternly as she adjusted the boy's suit. "You're still a minor and an education is very important. If you're going to advance in life you at least need to finish your secondary schooling."

"But is it really necessary for him to be going to school?" Lloyd asked. "Couldn't we just tutor him here at Camelot and be done with it?"

"Social interactions with his peers is also important," Cécile countered. "The only way he'll get that is if he goes to a proper school instead of you trying to cram crazy ideas into his head."

"Crazy…you really are too harsh, Cécile," Lloyd protested.

The young woman ignored her nominal superior and gave Suzaku a wide smile. "I've already taken care of the paperwork and you'll start at Ashford Academy tomorrow. For today though you have an important mission."

"A mission?" Suzaku said, tilting his head to the side.

"Princess Euphemia has some business at Ashford and you will be accompanying her," Cécile said.

Suzaku's eyes went wide.

"Think of yourself as her unofficial bodyguard for this outing," the woman continued. "We're not expecting anything to happen, but better safe than sorry and with you around the Princess will have another person watching her back, albeit discreetly."

The boy nodded firmly. "Yes ma'am."

"But at the same time you are also going to get registered as a student, don't forget that."

A sigh. "Yes ma'am."

Half an hour later Suzaku found himself sitting across from the Princess in her limo. He tried his best not to fidget and keep his composure but found it impossible not to sneak peeks at her. Euphie on the other hand seemed focused on the papers in her lap, flipping through them one by one, crossing this out or jotting down a note there. The Princess never seemed to cease working. She was, in a word, incredible. The boy blushed at the thought and looked away again. When he snuck another peak the Princess thankfully seemed oblivious to his anxiety.

It was with some relief when the car came to a halt. The driver opened the door and Suzaku exited first, scanning the surroundings to make sure there were no readily apparent threats. It seemed unlikely any terrorists would be able to penetrate the campus but the boy was not taking any chances. Something told him that Princess Euphemia would be the one to restore hope to Japan and her people. He would not let her, even if he must serve as her shield. No, it would be a privilege to be her shield. The area looked clear, the only people present were the Princess' own security detail and representatives of the school. The old gentleman standing at the bottom of the steps must have been the headmaster and the students standing behind him the members of the student council. They all looked like decent people, even if they were giving him curious looks. That was not unexpected seeing as he was Japanese and wearing the Ashford uniform. Cécile had insisted on that and he had found himself unable to disobey the woman.

"Private Kururugi?" Euphie asked from inside the car. "Is something wrong?"

"Apologies your highness," Suzaku said quickly. "I just wanted to be thorough."

Euphie offered a slight smile. "Thoroughness is to be commended, but we should not keep our hosts waiting too long."

"Of course highness, my apologies once more," Suzaku said with a slight bow before stepping aside.

As the Princess stepped out of the car the elderly man came forward and bowed. The students behind him emulated the motion.

"Your highness."

"Ruben," Euphie said a smile. "Please, no need for such formality, especially from you."

The old man straightened and smiled kindly at the Princess as she walked over and embraced him.

"I am glad that you are well, your highness," Ruben said.

"And I you as well," Euphie said as the two parted. She glanced up at the students waiting up the steps. "Hello Milly."

Milly flashed her trademark smile even as she herself bowed. Not even the student council president would be able to make a curtsey look good in that skirt.

"It has been a long time, your highness," the girl said.

The Princess giggled. "Just Euphie is fine. Your grandfather I can understand, but there is no way I'd ever be used to you being so formal with me."

Suzaku regarded the Princess in surprise. She knew the Ashfords? And she was allowing them to be so familiar with her?

"Whatever you say Euphie," Milly said with a grin. "But come in, come in! I'm sure your guards will breathe much easier once you're under cover."

The Princess smiled demurely. "Yes, I suppose I should take pity upon them. The head of my security looked rather askance when I informed him of how light a detail I was restricting him to for my ride here."

"I see you haven't changed at all," Milly said cheerfully.

The smile on Euphie's face turned more forlorn. "If only that were true."

While Suzaku was not sure what the Princess meant the girl named Milly seemed to and a sorrowful look appeared on her face for a moment before the girl forced a smile to displace it. There was a shared history between the two girls, something that happened in the past that they both felt regret over. It was not something between them, but something they both experienced. But what? Suzaku had no idea, but perhaps Cécile or Lloyd might know.

As the group entered the building Suzaku made sure he was before Euphie, once again sweeping the premises. Out of the corner of his eye he noted the headmaster regarding him with amusement and, was that approval? At least someone here did understand the importance of good security. All of them eventually ended up a large conference room and Ruben pulled out the chair at the head of the table.

"Please, your highness."

"You have my thanks, Ruben," Euphie said, gracefully accepting the invitation.

The elderly man took a seat on the Princess' right while Suzaku maneuvered himself to stand slightly behind her.

"Private Kururugi, I believe for this discussion you may have a seat," Euphie half suggested and half ordered.

Reluctantly Suzaku nodded. "Yes, your highness."

Once everyone was actually seated Ruben got things rolling.

"You and Milly are already acquainted, your highness, so let us get the rest of the introductions out of the way."

The old man glanced at the other students who all shot up instinctively.

"I'm Rivalz Cardemonde," the only boy in the group said with a bow, "vice-president of the student council here at Ashford."

The girl next to him bowed next. "Shirley Fennette, I'm the secretary."

And finally the bespectacled girl. "N-Nina Einstein, I'm the treasurer. It's an honor to meet you, your highness."

Euphie regarded them all with a genuine smile. "Well, though it may be redundant allow me to introduce myself. I am Euphemia li Britannia and it is a pleasure to make your acquaintances."

She glanced over at Suzaku. The boy interpreted it as a signal for his turn. He stood and bowed.

"I am Suzaku Kururugi, I will be attending Ashford Academy starting next week. A pleasure to meet all of you."

The girl with glasses, Nina, actually seemed to flinch. Suzaku did not let it bother him. Only patience would win him acceptance.

"Suzaku is a member of the Camelot research organization," Euphie lent a hand.

Ruben nodded. "Of course. I have already received the paperwork from a Captain Croomy. All seems to be in order for you to begin attending class, Private Kururugi."

Suzaku bowed again. "Thank you headmaster."

"Shirley, Rivalz, the Private will be in your class, I trust the two of you can lend him a hand where needed?"

"Sure thing," Rivalz said.

"Of course," Shirley said with a smile.

Suzaku relaxed slightly. Those two at least did not seem to have any issues with his heritage.

"Thank you," he offered with a smile of his own, "but please, at school just call me Suzaku."

"No problem Suzaku," Rivalz said as Shirley nodded, her long hair bobbing up and down.

Ruben chuckled and regarded the Princess once more. "While I am delighted to see you again, your highness, and what a lovely young woman you have grown into, I doubt this is purely a social visit?"

Euphie giggled playfully. "No reason not to mix pleasure with business. I am here to also enroll in Ashford Academy and there was a, private matter that I wished to discuss with you."

Gasps sounded on the other side of the table though Ruben himself did not visibly react at first.

"We would of course be honored to have you as a student here, your highness, but, I presume you had a specific arrangement in mind?" he said after a few moments.

The Princess nodded. "That is correct. Due to my responsibilities as viceroy it would be physically impossible for me to actually sit classes. As such I would like to make an arrangement wherein I am provided coursework equivalent to what is done at school. Once completed I would return the coursework to Ashford for evaluation. I am of course prepared to come to Ashford to sit any tests."

"That will not be necessary," Ruben said with a smile. "I have faith in your integrity, Princess, and so long as you give me your word that any tests you sit will be with the appropriate restrictions, you may take them at the viceroy's palace."

Euphie returned the smile. "Thank you for your consideration, headmaster."

"And there's no reason you can't attend some of the school activities if you do have time," Milly chipped in. "We've got lots of festivals and fairs that I'm sure you'll have a blast at."

The Princess giggled. "I see you take after your grandfather in that respect as well, Milly."

"But of course," the girl said proudly. "It's an Ashford's duty to make sure everyone feels welcome and has a good time."

The Princess glanced ever so subtly at Milly but the other girl immediately picked up on it.

"Speaking of which, Suzaku," she said, "why don't we show you around the campus? That way you won't be completely lost on your first day here, the place is pretty big?"

"Eh? But I should stay with her-"

"I will be fine, Private Kururugi," Euphie both assured and commanded at the same time. "Go."

Reluctantly the boy stood and bowed. Still he could not help but give the Princess a parting glance as he stood at the doorway. The smile Euphie gave him only made him more anxious but he obeyed her tacit order and allowed Milly to hustle him away.

"An interesting young man," Ruben said as the door closed.

Euphie shrugged. "He is earnest, that much can be said."

The old man chuckled. Despite the Private's obvious infatuation with the Princess it did not like Euphie would be reciprocating any time soon, if ever. But to business.

"What did you wish to discuss in private, your highness?"

Euphie clasped her hands together before her. "Before that day at court, the Ashfords were an old and respected noble family."

Ruben's eyes flickered. Both of them knew which 'day' the Princess was referring to and even now it was too painful to bring up directly.

"Your family owned a successful technology company, one that promised to revolutionize the Empire's armed forces."

The revolution did indeed happen, but the Ashfords had not seen any benefit from it after the fallout of that day.

"Publicly many blame the failure of your family fortunes on your extravagance and profligacy. You and I however both know that those slanders were simply added on after the fact to try to obscure the true reasons."

One said reason being the Ashford family's support for Empress Marianne. Support that ended up causing their downfall when another faction at court decided to make a direct power play and assassinated the Empress and her only daughter. Well, officially assassinated her only daughter, Ruben thought darkly. And if he had it his way Nunnally vi Britannia would remain officially dead. If the world ever discovered the identity of the girl he considered his own granddaughter then it only became a matter of time before the bastards that attempted to take her life would try to finish the job.

"The ultimate truth however is that you are a skilled administrator, Ruben, who pays careful attention to detail and is assiduous in his work. Those are talents that I am in desperate need of, so I come before you to beseech your help."

Ruben regarded the girl. All trace of humor was gone from the Princess' face and her eyes shone with a clear determination. There was even a slight hint of desperation.

"Your highness," Ruben said slowly. "My disgrace has resulted in considerable distance between my family and the politics of the court. That distance, the relative obscurity we enjoy, offers a measure of security for us. My family, my granddaughter, is important to me, your highness. Were we to attempt to bridge that distance, I cannot but fear that what safety we presently enjoy will vanish."

"I understand completely, Ruben," Euphie said. "And I cannot even promise that what security my patronage would offer would match what security you have now by staying in the shadows. And I know that there is not much else I could offer you, your family is doing quite well after all financially."

That elicited a raised eyebrow from the old man. Euphie chuckled wirily.

"I did my homework before calling on you, Ruben," the Princess said. "You have hidden your family's assets well, but a rough estimate of the stocks, bonds, and other financial instruments your family holds puts their value at several hundred million pounds. Oh there is no need to worry, I have no intention of revealing this to anyone and I was very discreet about my own inquiries. I just want you to understand that I know I cannot bribe you with anything as mundane as wealth. I may not even be able to ever offer your family your noble status back. What I can offer is more, abstract."

"More abstract than a noble title, your highness?" Ruben said in an almost playful tone.

"Quite," Euphie said with a smile before her face hardened. "I offer change, Ruben, so that the likes of Empress Marianne's murder will never happen again."

Ruben regarded the girl levelly. The subtext of Euphie's proclamations were blindingly obvious. It was also incredibly dangerous. The girl had all but declared she intended to tear down the cutthroat political system that dominated the Imperial court, the very system that had the approval and one would even say encouragement of her father, the Emperor. The Princess was asking him to sign on to what was literally a coup in the making. Could he really put his family at risk like that? Could he risk Nunnally's safety? But the potential rewards, not just the material rewards if the Princess succeeded, but the societal ones. The upper crust of Britannian society was a snake pit, filled with self-interested nobles that were slowly tearing the Empire apart. If the EU and the Chinese Federation were ever defeated, the nobility would turn on the Empire's own people once an external enemy no longer existed. It might take a decade or a century but eventually the Empire would collapse and the people, his people, would see unfathomable suffering and destitution.

The Empire's condition reminded Ruben of a series of paintings by the artist Thomas Cole. It was in Ruben's opinion Cole's greatest series of works, though the artist himself was forced to repudiate the work after the completion of the last painting. The series was supposedly destroyed but in reality the paintings were split up and disappeared into the hands of several private collectors. Two of those paintings were in Ruben's own collection now and the Ashford patriarch was aware of the location of two others. The Course of Empire captured quite accurately, in Ruben's opinion, what could happen to any nation that succumbed to decadence and vice. To arrest such decline required not only iron will but great power, power that the Princess Euphemia was obviously trying to marshal. The question before Ruben now was did the Princess actually have a great enough chance at succeeding for him to cast his lot with her? Or was it too late and the Empire's future lay only in what Destruction and Desolation promised? The silence was only broken after a very long time.

Ruben watched from his office as the Princess' motorcade pulled out of the academy grounds. As its lights disappeared in the distance the door opened and his granddaughter invited herself in.

"Whew, well that was quite the roll coaster," Milly said with remarkable cheer. "I wasn't expecting Euphie to enroll herself, even if she won't actually be attending class."

Ruben's reflection nodded, the old man still staring out the window. "What do you make of the Kururugi boy."

Milly shrugged. "He's a bit passive, doesn't seem to want confrontation but isn't afraid to stick up for himself. He'll probably catch some flak from the other students but he should be okay in the short term, at least enough to graduate. If things get out of hand I'll intervene."

That was his granddaughter, direct and the take charge kind of girl. Ruben smiled proudly.

"Have you considered what you will do after you graduate?" he asked.

The girl shrugged again. "Not really. Got to parties, dodge marriage interviews. I suppose I should look into universities. Or I might just flunk my exams and get held back a grade."

That elicited a sigh from the old man. "For the good of my heart Milly, please do not do that."

Milly gave a pout before smiling again. "Alright grandpa, seeing as how you're twisting my arm like that."

Ruben chuckled. "Have you thought about a job in government?"

All humor disappeared from Milly's expression. "Did Euphie make you an offer?"

"She invited me to become her chief of staff."

Milly's eyes narrowed. "Did you accept?"

"I promised her an answer by tomorrow."

The girl let out a long sigh. "You're going to accept."

"The Ashford family is once again in the sights of the Imperial family," Ruben said. "We cannot remain hidden in the shadows anymore."

"I know," Milly said, "and if it was going to be anyone that was dragging us out into the light, I'm glad that it's Euphie doing it. But her standing at court isn't that high, she has Princess Cornelia backing her but that's about it."

"I am not so sure," Ruben said. "The hand of Prince Schneizel also seems to be involved."

"Prince Schneizel? What makes you say that?"

"The Camelot research institute is patronized by him," Ruben said.

Milly cocked her head thoughtfully. "Huh. Euphie has the Prime Minister's backing. Now that changes the dynamics."

"Indeed. For the better or worse however I cannot yet say."

"So is that why you're going to accept? To see where Euphie really stands, and to see if she has any actual influence?"

Ruben nodded again, still facing away from his granddaughter. "I would like you to accompany me."

"Hence the government job."

Her grandfather chuckled. "I am not as young as I once was, Milly. There will come a time when you must take the reins of the family. At least this way I can pass on some of my lessons in a more active environment than the school. And besides, it would also allow you to gauge your own opinion on how much the Princess has changed.

Milly hummed thoughtfully. "I still haven't graduated yet."

"There is time yet for you to make your decision," Ruben said.

The girl clasped her hands together. "I'll think about it, grandfather."

Ruben nodded and Milly made her exit. But he knew, just like Milly did, that there could only be one decision. For better or worse the Ashfords would once more become entangled in the politics of the court. Perhaps this time they would do a better job of protecting those dear to them.

Milly had canceled the student council meeting for today, something Kallen was grateful for. At present she was headed towards the border between the Concession and the ghettos with C.C. in tow, futilely trying to keep the girl on a tight leash. It was not working, but the strange girl at least had enough common sense to tone her antics down when police officers or patrols of soldiers crossed their paths. The other girl fortunately was of a similar size to Kallen and so could wear her clothes, though the redhead still felt irritated at the unnecessary comment about the looseness of the chest area. In a way that was a compliment but Kallen was in no mood for such nonsense.

Once outside the Concession they turned after the first block. Ohgi was already waiting with his car and he regarded the green haired girl warily. Not surprising seeing as Kallen had claimed to witness said girl getting shot in the head. The man said nothing however until after they were deeper into the ghetto. Even then he simply asked Kallen how she was doing. It was only after they were in the relative privacy of the apartment he was sharing with Tamaki that Ohgi addressed C.C.

"Kallen tells me you're the one who gave her that power."

"Tis so," C.C. said. "I have giveth a boon upon thy comrade. Until the time cometh for our contract to be fulfilled, I shalt render what aid she desireth."

Ohgi frowned, doing his best to parse the strange speech the girl used. Kallen let out a sigh of exasperation.

"She says she has a contract with me, one she won't explain properly, but until I can fulfill whatever my end of it is she'll hang around and help me," Kallen translated into Japanese.

"I, see," Ohgi said a bit dubiously. "But, you said she won't explain what the contract is?"

"No, beyond saying that there's some wish she wants fulfilled and that she's waiting to see if I'm capable of fulfilling it."

"And that doesn't sound the least bit suspicious to you?"

The two looked over at the girl who was poking and prodding the various things cluttering the living room.

"I don't think she's lying," Kallen said, "and we should be able to test out if she's really serious about helping us soon enough. Assuming you've found us a new target?"

Ohgi sighed. "It's still too soon, Kallen. Security's still tight within the Concession and-"

"And what about the ghettos?" Kallen cut him off. "Since the Prince's death a bunch of Britannian thugs have been crossing over to beat up innocent people. Shouldn't we stop them?"

The man sighed again. "That's not exactly easy to do. The gangs pop out of nowhere, beat people up, and then retreat before a response can be mustered. We don't have the manpower to do some kind of wide scale stakeout to catch them in the act. And even if we did, you certainly would not be part of it."

"Why not?" Kallen demanded.

"Because you have a cover to maintain which requires you go to school, not spend days on end out here in the ghettos." Ohgi shook his head. "I'm sorry Kallen, I know you don't like sitting around, but the fact that you have free access to the Concession is a lot more valuable than you realize."

In point of fact Kallen did understand just how important her access was. The girl still hated sitting around doing nothing however.

"If tis a hunt you desireth, then tis a simple matter to findeth prey," C.C. spoke up, reminding the two of her presence.

"What?" Kallen said.

"Have thou a map of thy city?"

Ohgi looked over at Kallen nodded. The man ended up pulling out several maps. Tokyo was huge after all and really reach district was its own little city.

"And where have these vagrants appeared?" C.C. asked.

With a pencil Ohgi marked the spots of the reported incidences.

"And what be the times?"

"Umm, I'd have to look those up," Ohgi said as he noted a few down. "These are the ones I remember off the top of my head."

C.C. snatched it from him when he was done and circled another point on the map. Kallen and Ohgi leaned in to take a closer look.

"That's one of the checkpoints into the ghetto," Kallen said.

"From whence these vagrants entered to shew their caddish manners," C.C. said.

"Why do you think that's their point of entry?" Kallen asked.

"The times and measures both align," C.C. answered. "But not half a lieue from any point."

Lieue, that was French, Kallen was certain of it. "League?"

C.C. flashed a smirk. "Yea, tis so."

Not that that helped, a league was historically an amorphous measure of distance. But looking at the map Kallen was able to make a rough translation. Not half a league C.C. had said, whereas all of the reported attacks were within two kilometers of the checkpoint.

"We can work with this," Kallen said. "Once you dig up the specific times we might even be able to find a pattern. Then we can actually stake out that checkpoint to see if there's any suspicious activity."

"Yeah, you're right," Ohgi said. "Huh, that was some pretty quick thinking."

"To fight thy enemy one must know where thy enemy be," C.C. said.

"True enough," Kallen conceded before straightening. "Alright, C.C., you'll be staying here the night."

Ohgi's eyes widened while the girl's narrowed.

"My place is by thy side," she said.

"Are you sure that's a good idea Kallen?" Ohgi asked nervously. Then he blinked. "Cee, too?"

"That's what she claims is her name," Kallen said before looking back at the girl in question. "You don't have any papers yet so I can't get you back into the Concession easily. I'm in the process of getting you some forgeries though but they're not going to be done until tomorrow. And quite frankly you can't stay at the Stadtfeld estate even if you did have papers, you're way too conspicuous and if anyone found you I would not be able to cover for you."

The other reason Kallen was so valuable to the resistance cell, her relative wealth made it possible for her to get much better forged entry papers into the Concession than most other resistance movements could afford. In fact they were not even actual forgeries, just filled with falsified information.

C.C.'s expression did not change.

"My place is by thy side," she repeated. "Maketh what arrangements thou needeth with thy coiner, but my place is by thy side."

Coiner? What did a, oh, that probably meant counterfeiter. Kallen ground her teeth. The girl really could be stubborn. Both in her speech and her intentions.

"Kallen, I think uh, C.C., has a point," Ohgi said, surprising the girl. "She's obviously not Japanese and having her stay here long term could cause some serious problems for me. I really think you'll need to make arrangements to have her either stay at the Stadtfeld's or someplace close by."

Kallen massaged her temples. "Alright, fine, I'll think of something. But today you ARE staying here, C.C. I wasn't kidding about not being able to get you back into the Concession without papers, not with the heightened security, and tomorrow is the earliest I'd be able to get them done. Much more likely that it'll take two days."

The girl tilted her head, her hair swaying with the motion. Finally however she nodded.

"Tally not then, my patience hath limits."

"And what about mine," Kallen muttered before sighing and turning to Ohgi. "Let me know when you've got a pattern worked out for those jackasses. I want to be there."

"Kallen…"

"No buts Ohgi, you only got the idea because of C.C. and I'm the one she's helping."

The older man sighed and held his hands up in defeat. "Fine. But you are going to need to wear something to obscure your face. I am not letting you get identified."

"Fine by me," Kallen said.

"Alright, I'll get you back to the Concession now," Ohgi said, grabbing his keys.

"Oh right," Kallen said, reaching into her bag and pulling out a few slips of paper. "Gas ration tickets. These should tide you over for a bit."

The man smiled. "Thanks Kallen. These help a lot."

"No problem. Might as well spread the wealth around how I can." Kallen glanced over at C.C. "Behave."

The girl offered a wide smile. Kallen was not reassured in the least.

End of Chapter 5

I'm already regretting C.C.'s speech pattern. Ahem.

Alphonse Pierre Juin is a real person. He was the last living holder of the title Marshal of France. He also died shortly after the time period Code Geass is supposed to take place in, but then again most of the famous officers of WWII would have been very old at this point. So, not a made up French name. Unless one is referring to Lamperouge, which while one who knows the language can make sense of, I do believe it is a made up name.

I meant to say this last time, but there are distinct and specific limits to the powers of each girl. They'll be explored in more detail, but those limitations are why Kallen didn't recognize Suzaku as the pilot of Lancelot. One way of thinking about it is, was Kallen specifically trying to identify said pilot?

I had considered a Euphie x Kallen pairing and even went through a few mental exercises to see how that might be portrayed tastefully and convincingly. It certainly would have been an interesting challenge to do it realistically but I ultimately discarded the idea. I just did not see a rationale for it considering the two women's personalities and also could not see a way it could be used to advance the plot that other, less contrived mechanisms wouldn't be more suitable for. So, no yuri pairings are planned. And I don't really count Nina's one-sided crush on Euphie a yuri pairing. Not that I'm confirming or denying that it'll happen in my fic.

To be frank I'm something of a newcomer to the Code Geass fanfic community. The anime came out long after the point where I did any extensive reading of fics for any of the franchises I'm a fan of. It also came during a time when I was still learning the art of prose fiction and I doubt I could have done anything like In Tune or A Code Calculus in a convincing way. That being said I have taken peeks at more recent fanfics to get an idea of what the state of the fandom is. The peggy-sue trop seems to be just as prevalent in the Code Geass fandom as it is in the EVA fandom and the quality equally as uneven. Then again that could be said for all fanfics across all franchises.

Those of you who have been following my EVA fic In Tune will likely have noticed that for that fic at least, I have an obvious plan and I move the fic forward at a deliberate pace. Sometimes it's fast, other times it's slow, but the plot as a whole does advance with every chapter released. The reason is because I am extremely wary of plot fatigue, both on the part of my readers and for myself. If a story drags on too long the risk becomes not only readers having trouble maintaining interest but the writer also losing interest. Dauntless for example is fairly well written characterization wise but at 90+ chapters and over six hundred thousand words it feels like the wider story plot is at a standstill. Progress is being made in the arc plots, but lack of progress in the overall story plot itself is still problematic. Not that I'm claiming Dauntless is bad (though I do take issue with some of the portrayal of military matters, but when the source material itself is so sloppy to begin with there's not much I can do but shrug when the same issue crops up in fanfics), but if I actually hit 600k words with this story I damn well better be nearing the end, otherwise I'll probably be too burnt out to ever actually finish the story, which I consider a disservice to my readers.

Anyway, that long spiel above is basically an assurance from me that I do have a plan for how the story will progress, I do have a plan for at what point the story will end, and said plan is set up to try to maximize the probability of me actually finishing A Cold Calculus. I had a similar plan for In Tune when I first started that fic and at 300k words it is close to 80% (well, probably closer to 70%) complete after five months, so I think I have a pretty good shot at keeping this fic on track. As one writer to another my personal recommendation would be that before starting a fic one knows what one wants to write and have at minimum an ending in mind. I presume a significant number of us are here to improve our craft as much as have a little fun.

Anyway, leave a review if you've enjoyed the story thus far or if you have questions. I generally try to remember to answer them in my author notes. If I don't for several chapters it's probably because answering it would spoil something that I want to keep under wraps. Despite the spoilers in the chapter openings. And I am intentionally not answering questions about a certain ex-prince. WinkWinkNudgeNudge.

Addendum: *Reads comment regarding the Six Houses*French expletives*Checks Code Geass wiki*

Well lovely, the wiki is incredibly sloppy about terminology as well and doesn't actually specify if Britannia knew about the name "Six Houses of Kyoto" or not. Merde. I don't remember Code Geass, especially the first season, to the granularity that would allow me to recall exactly how much the Britannian side knew about the whole Six Houses thing. I'll however trust the reviewer that brought it up and in context it does make sense. The appropriate dialog and prose has been adjusted. And yes, I do know some French. Most of it swear words, that's about the only thing I really retained from taking the language in high school.