Chances

Diethard p.o.v

I was a man always searching for something more.

Life had always been stable and dull.

Lacking inspiration I left the homeland after college to work in TV to see the world and report on the events that shaped it.

What I got was the needless dribble and pointless stories manufactured by the Empire to appease the masses.

I had become a cog in the machine, with no say or choice in what I put out there.

Over the years, I settled for a head producer gig for a TV station in area eleven.

I worked closely with the late Viceroy 3rd Prince Clovis organizing his media appearances and events.

I hated every minute of it.

The Prince was a very terrible ruler and a fool who only spend his time on his parties.

While the area was wrought with corruption, terrorism, poverty, and segregation it made the settlement look like an ivory tower above a graveyard of the ghettos.

Then he even deployed the army to destroy one of the ghettos claiming something as laughable as urban renewal.

Then the report of poison gas, which did not make any sense, as it would mean the prince, was developing them since the terrorists stole it.

What was surprising to me was being approached by the Margrave turned temporary Viceroy to make the arrangements for a memorial service for the late prince.

I had plans in place for events when important figures died, so there was a template to follow, all I had to do was tweak it a little to fit what they wanted showing Prince Clovis as a martyr rather than an incompetent fool.

"You handled his highness's memorial rather well, a little too weepy for my tastes, though." The voice of the Margrave stated as he turned to look at me from his position behind the desk.

"Well, the masses tend to like tear jerkers, your excellency." I droned out trying to maintain my mask of indifference, as inside I grew tired of his smug and superior attitude looking down on me with his arrogant eyes.

"Spoken like a true TV man still I have to acknowledge the finesse you've shown with the short amount of time you had, almost if you had expected his highness demise?'

I resisted snorting at his casual accusation I gave a half bow the explained how I did it.

"It's not uncommon for memorial programs to be prepared in advance for important figures."

"So I wasn't important enough till now was it?" He was about to say more when a member of the purebloods ran into the room gasping for breath.

"Can't you see I'm in a meeting it had better be important." The Margrave growled out in giving the still recovering man his worst glare.

But as the man was about to speak another spoke over him.

"I believe he was alerting you to my arrival." Came a confident voice that caused all members of the purebloods to stand at attention.

Turning to see the arrival I was shocked to see the 4th prince of the empire here in area 11.

Standing tall walking through the door in all his glory followed by his personal knight Lady Mary Taylors as he strode up next to me and greeted me.

"Hello my name is Claudius the 4th prince of Britannia and who might be you be?" He said to me as he extended his hand which I shook still a little unsure of having a member of royalty burst into the meeting still it would be rude to not respond to a prince while ignoring the Margrave as if he doesn't care about him at all.

"Diethard Reed your highness I'm a producer from Hi-TV, who handled your brother's memorial. "

"Ah, a bit teary for my taste but well put together." The prince then shifted his attention to the still standing purebloods that were annoyed at the prince's action of ignoring them, and instead paying attention to me a lowly producer.

"Margrave Jeremiah I applaud you for your efforts in retaining stability, but I will be taking over as temporary Viceroy until a new one has been appointed, your services are no longer required."

He just dismissed the head of the purebloods like he was pushing away a distraction.

But the Margrave tried to fight the prince's orders by negotiating with the prince.

"Your highness, please reconsider, we still have the trial for your brother's killer." He was about to say more when the prince merely raised his hand.

Oh, I've heard of this trial of yours, merely a scapegoat to draw away from my brother's failures that lead to his death. Don't think I do not know what you and your lot are up to. "

The prince then walked in behind the desk and sat down forcing Jeremiah and the purebloods to the front where I stood, as I now backed up towards the door.

"You can have your little trial, but I'll be acting as the judge as I'm the highest-ranking member of the military being of royal birth."

To say that the purebloods were shocked was an understatement but the prince wasn't finished.

"Also, feel free to parade your scapegoat to the trial, but I think your case against him I might find lacking, you're dismissed now." The purebloods and their leader immediately left without a word but frustration clear on their faces.

When I was about to leave the prince waved me over, for what reason I didn't know.

"You were asked by that lot to organize a big show for their faux trial?" The prince asked, but I knew he already knew the answer so I said yes.

"I'm going to allow their little show to go on, but I want you to make sure that you follow the appropriate precautions as there is a high chance Kururugi could be a target for a rescue by terrorists during the transport." I had heard of the princes concern over the lives of innocents and civilians and did his best to avoid them altogether, so it made sense.

I agreed and bowed as I left, but I was curious about something.

Why did he think this was a fake trial, did he believe Kururugi was innocent, did he know who really killed Clovis?

And as I left to prepare for tomorrow I thought that this show was getting more exciting.

Kallen p.o.v.

After school, I went with Ohgi and a few others to Tokyo tower to meet the voice on the radio.

I had my suspicions that Lelouch could be it but getting a call from the real voice but unfortunately I was wrong because I saw Lelouch in the corridors which quickly dismissed that idea.

I was looking around until I was called by the receptionist to pick up a phone I didn't lose.

After retrieving the phone, I was given instructions to go along with Ohgi and the others on an outbound train that would circle the settlement.

When I got on the train where the unknown number contacted me again.

He asked me what I thought of the disparity between the views of the left and right of the train the train.

Being that of the ruins of our former capital, and the Britannian settlement that stole it away from us by building on top of our own.

Satisfied by my answer, the voice told us to come to the lead car on the train.

Once there we came upon a caped figure with his back to us.

"Was it you on the phone, well was it you in Shinjuku, was that ceasefire you're doing?"

The train then went into a tunnel where all the lights went out and the caped figure turned to face us while he was wearing a peculiar mask shaped like a chess piece.

"How did you like my tour of the settlement?" The mysterious masked figure that was the voice on the radio continued, "I wanted you to fully grasp the two, the settlement, and the ghetto."

"Yeah there is a harsh difference between them and us, that's why we resist them," Ohgi responded.

"Your wrong, Britannia will never fall to petty terrorism."

Fall he thinks he can defeat Britannia?

"It's little better than a childish nuisance, you should know your enemy it is not people, but Britannia itself, it is a war you must wage but not on the innocent, take up your sword and fight for justice."

I could barely stand his pretty words as I had the urge to scoff at the masked man's boasting.

"Oh please that's all easy enough to say isn't it, hiding behind that mask, why should we even trust you?"

The others then demanded he shows us who he was underneath that mask.

"Very well, I'll show you, but rather than my face bear witness to my power. If I deliver you the impossible, then I might have earned your trust."

Britannian high-security prison

Tokyo Settlement

Suzaku p.o.v.

Lloyd had just come to visit to tell me that Lelouch and that girl weren't listed among the casualties, much to my relief.

He said that my chances of living after this trial were slim to none, but I was okay with that if the system works that way I'll die with no regrets.

For if this is my atonement for my past wrongs then I'm ready to die.

That is until some men who weren't guards came into my cell and began marching me towards the elevator.

The strange thing was they weren't regular military or from the prison as the only identifiable feature of their uniform was a blue coat with a patch on the left shoulder of a Dragon biting it's own tail on it.

When we reached the elevator, we didn't take it down to my transport but up to the roof.

Could they be transporting me by air then it was a bit soon for it to happen unless they pushed up my court marshal?

When the doors opened up, I did see a military transport but it was powered down on the prison roofs helipad.

Stranger still was the moderate sized table that was packed with many different expensive and delicious looking foods illuminated by the evening setting of the sun.

Sitting at the table was a man with blonde hair dressed like a noble sipping his drink together with a black haired woman who was drinking from her own glass of wine sat on his left.

Noticing my presence the man beckons me over as I was released from the grasp of the guards who had undone my restraints on my straight jacket.

Approaching the table the blonde stranger spoke, "Please join us Suzaku-kun, it would be a shame to miss what could be your last meal."

This man calling me by my name surprised me, but his voice seemed familiar.

"I'm sorry my lord have we met?" I asked still unsure who was sitting there.

"Come now Suzaku we met in Shinjuku just the other day did we not?"

Suddenly the voice had a face, which originated from the man whose name was.

"Claudius?" I asked tentatively.

"Well, he does remember, at least, your memory hasn't been damaged by being knocked around by those purebloods, now sit and enjoy this meal with us." He beckoned to the seat on his right and I made my way over to sit down.

As I made it into the seat a waiter came and poured me a glass of water and asked what I wanted to eat, I just said whatever they were having, so the waiter gave a nod and disappeared to fetch the food from wherever it was being prepared.

"Ah, Suzaku let me introduce you to this lovely woman who will be joining us this evening, my personal knight Lady Mary Taylors."He motioned to the serious woman who was drinking a glass of expensive wine who nodded her greetings.

Still curious to whom Claudius could be to arrange me being let out of my cell and have a meal on the roof of the prison I was held on, he decided to reveal himself to me.

"And you know me as Claudius, which everyone calls me, but my given name is Claudius el Britannia 4th prince of the empire, it's good to finally meet you in person Suzaku Kururugi." The man named Claudius smiled as he spoke to me

I was shocked that Claudius was a prince of the empire sitting down at the same table as me the accused murderer of his brother.