//------------------------------// // Act Xl: Nareina Continued // Story: Code Geass: Stryker of the Equus Rebellion // by Skye Mist //------------------------------// "What are our losses?" Decas asked. "I've only got a signal from 20% of our forces." Decay's eyes widened. "20%? Our command structure can't sustain this." "This is the Maskra unit. I can't raise General Aeces. It looks like the second division has been wiped out!" Greymane turned to face Gear. "What's going on?" "Hmm, it's very unnatural." "Unnatural?" Greymane questioned. "There seems to be an unconfirmed report that the Black Knights have appeared." Gear said. "Zero..." Greymane grimaced. "Congratulations, this is our chance." Gear exclaimed. Greymane widened his eyes. "Gear!" "You're so rash." Azure said, smacking him with rolled-up newspaper. Gear rubbed his head. "Why is that?" Azure smiled innocently. "Would you like a detailed explanation?" Gear turned away. "Eh... no, I'll pass... Anyway, while the high command's still gathering data, all we can do is play by ear, right?" Masquerade narrowed her eyes, but held her tongue as the battle progressed. "Is the viceroy safe?" One of the drones asked. "Yes, she was outside the mud flow. But the units guarding her flank were lost. That means she's totally isolated." Another chittered. "Then, what the bloody Tartarus are those purebloods doing?!" Masquerade exploded, unable to keep silent any longer. The drones all exchanged worried glances. Princess Masquerade had a rage that was rumored to be as sudden and venomous as a cobra's bite. The forces had better quickly turn the tide... Kiquy's Sutherland began breaking down because of the Radiant Wave Surger. He pulled the controls, but none worked. "C'mon, move! I can't lose to Elevens. I am a Nymphian!" "Lord Kiquy!" Ember exclaimed as the Sutherland exploded. "All right. Guren Mk-II, move to planned point. We'll break through the rest of their line and take Chrysalis." Stryker commanded. "Right." Sirocco nodded and broke off from the group. "Got it. Let's pull this off." The rest continued on their route. "Fight to the death!" Ember yelled, taking command of the purebloods. They fired on the Black Knights. Torpid's Burai lost its leg. "Ugh...Ahh!" "Torpid, you okay?" Eclipse asked, stopping. Torpid opened his hatch. "Yeah..." Left and right, Black Knights and Nymphians sustained injuries. Stryker narrowed his eyes. 'That's right. Move swiftly. If you survive this battle, you can call yourself a true warrior. And afterward...' Masquerade and the three soldiers listened as the report came in. One chittered, "The purebloods are holding their ground?" "Yes sir. Under Lady Ember's command." "Then use the moment for the viceroy to retreat. Send air cover." He commanded. "No, wait! Something's approaching the viceroy from behind!" Masquerade exclaimed. "All units, are you ready?" Taiyang asked. "Yes sir." The Four Holy Swords answered in unison. Taiyang grinned. "All right. Deploy the custom Burais." "Deploy." "Listen carefully. If this landslide was artificial, it should allow us to hit Chrysalis from behind. Capture Chrysalis now. Take revenge for what happened seven years ago!" "Yes sir. By the honor of the Four Holy Swords!" "What?" Chrysalis turned around to see Taiyang's Knight-Mare. "Protect her Highness!." Mandible commanded. Taiyang and the Four Holy Swords slashed through the defense. "Surround them." Taiyang said. "The Japone Liberation Front?" Chrysalis said. "Slash and encircle!" Taiyang ordered, cutting down a Sutherland. "Right!" "These are not just any Burais." Taiyang smirked. Arques laughed. "This reminds me of seven years ago." "But it's different now. This time we have Knight-Mares as well." Cyeas said. "Your highness, leave them to us. Please, you have to withdraw for now." Mandible said, clashing sword and lance with Taiyang. "Very well. I know a way to turn this around. Mandible." "Yes?" "After you drive them back, meet me over at point nine." Mandible narrowed his eyes. "Nine? I understand." "Chrysalis!" Arques and Slit charged at her. "You weaklings!" She drove her lance forward, creating enough of an escape route for her. "All right. Keep this up and crash Zero!" Ember said as the purebloods kept firing. Zero and a few Burais took cover behind boulders. "Maybe we should get Sirocco over here." Eclipse said. "No, if we break formation now, our plan is ruined." Stryker said. 'This is turning grim. If it goes on we'll be fighting her royal guard next.' "Zero, Chrysalis is under attack down below." Sirocco clocked in. "What's that? Which team made the move?" Stryker asked. "It's not our group. Looks like the JLF." 'Someone else understands my intent? How excellent. They'll hold off the royal guard, which is just what we need.' He smirked. "Sorry for the late arrival, general." Taiyang said, checking in with the JLF. Kytus exclaimed, "Taiyang! We've been waiting." "General, please send all remaining units to join me here." "Can you beat them?" Kytus asked. Taiyang nodded. "Yes. But only if we can hold off their main force. We have a chance now to turn the entire war around." Mandible gritted his teeth. 'I've heard Colony 11 has a formidable commander, their shining knight. Is this him? Taiyang?' "Fine. Let him try me." He said, his Gloucester taking up a attack stance. Several JLF tanks began firing at Decas and his remaining forces. "Gah... at a time like this?!" "What do we do?" "Fall back! We have to find a way to link up with Viceroy Chrysalis." Decas commanded as they fired back. "But sir. Their main base is right in front of us. And if we're hit from behind, we'll be wiped out!" "You fool! If Princess Chrysalis is taken by these Elevens, this entire battle is lost!" "Y-yes sir." The mountain crumbled beneath the Knight-Mare's feet. "Whoa!" "Sub-Viceroy Masquerade, you must act now to prevent disaster. Send in the G1!" Masquerade shook as she choked out a single word. "No." "But Commander Mandible is completely pinned down. He can't get to Chrysalis. Her life is at stake here!" "You think I don't know that?!" She bared her fangs at the drone, who flinched in fear. "We just can't. There's a field hospital right here and civilians. They've been evacuated from all over the area and brought to this point. Besides, the G1 base is a command center. The viceroy ordered me not to move it, no matter what. If it weren't for the number of civilians here, I would've done so a long time ago, orders be damned!" The drones gaped at the princess. The screen suddenly received a message from Gear Spring, breaking the tense silence. "Well, hello there. The ASEEC crew reporting for duty." "Insolence!" One of the drones bared his fangs. "You are irregulars. Your orders are to keep silent and observe." Azure dipped her head respectfully. "Yes sir, normally we would but-" "But all of this waiting around is boring." Gear said with a wave of his hoof. "Sub-Viceroy Masquerade, I beseech you. Please order us into the battle." Greymane said. "How transparent. You just want the glory of rescuing the viceroy." One of the drones sneered. "Our whole army is out there. You think one unit is going to change things, with an Eleven pilot?" Masquerade frowned. Gear replied, "Right, right. But what's the harm in trying? Since it's just one unit it won't look bad for you if we lose, right?" Masquerade gasped as Greymane mouthed something to her. "Are you listening?" Gear asked. 'Mirage...' "Yes, I understand. Please do it." She nodded, her decision made. The drones snapped their heads towards her, their eyes wide. "We got it." Gear smiled. "Thank you very much." Azure bowed her head. Greymane nodded. "Right. I won't fail." Taiyang backed off to recover. "Damn. He's fierce." Mandible threw a chaos mine up. "Scatter!" Taiyang said. "Lieutenant Colonel, what about Chrysalis?" Caeca asked. "If Zero's the pony I think he is, he's moving into position right now. We've got to trust him." "What? Zero's on the move?" Mandible exclaimed. "Right. We'll keep going and come over and back you up." Ember said. "Never mind that now. Just track Zero." He said as he blocked a sword with his lance. "Yes sir. This is his projected course." Ember said, his screen tracking the movement. Mandible's eyes widened. 'The princess was trying to trap Taiyang. Now there's a Knight-Mare waiting for her.' "Princess Chrysalis!" He exclaimed through the hivemind. Chrysalis's Gloucester stood in front of the Guren. "...I got the message, Mandible." "Advanced weapon system Z01 Lancelot. Utilize sand-panels to climb liquified slope at max combat speed and rescue the viceroy." Azure said. "Yes, understood." Greymane replied. "Greymane, there's one thing I want to ask you." Gear asked. "What's that?" "More than anything, you hate when creatures die. Yet, you are in the military. Why is that?" "I'm in the military to stop creatures from dying." Greymane said. "And that self-contradiction will get you killed someday." Azure grabbed his lab coat collar with her magic. "Uh, sorry?" She smacked him with a hoof before releasing him. "Lancelot, now launching..." The Lancelot shot out and headed to point 9. "Chrysalis!" Sirocco yelled, charging the viceroy. "Lowborn scum!" Chrysalis thrust her lance forward, only for the Guren to jump behind her. Sirocco tried to grab her with the Guren's right arm, but Chrysalis used the slash harkens to pull herself upwards. "Grr!" Sirocco growled. 'What's this? That's not just a customized unit.' Chrysalis thought wildly. She whipped her head around as shots were fired from the opposite direction. Stryker pressed the intercom button. "Can you hear me, Chrysalis? This is checkmate." "Zero." Chrysalis growled. "Yes. Should we cerebrate our reunion? Of course, you'll have to surrender to us first. And after that, there are a few questions I want to ask you. And in case you're wondering, your reinforcements won't get here in time. I win, Chrysalis." Stryker narrowed his eyes. "You are a fool, Zero." She turned to the Guren. "This one. If I take this one out, I'm free and clear!" She fired her Knight-Mare gun at it. The Guren dodged them with ease. Chrysalis fired a slash harken. The Guren grabbed the wire and cut it. "You've got some moves!" Chrysalis said, using her lance once more. "Hm." Sirocco grabbed the lance with the Guren's right arm, and used the Radiant Wave Surger. "Huh?" Chrysalis let go of the lance, letting it fly into the Guren. As soon as she did however, bullets were fired from behind, destroying her gun. "Ugh! Coward! Attacking from behind!" "Really? And your own attack methods don't show acts of cowardice?" Stryker sneered. Chrysalis gnashed her teeth together. "Ugh... They've launched a pincer assault before we could regroup. I'll never be able to reach the Princess now." Decas exclaimed as tanks fired them from front and rear. Ember and the purebloods were easily cut down by the JLF. She ejected, but the others weren't as lucky. Mandible held off Slit. "Lieutenant Colonel, we've crashed the enemy reinforcements." Slit reported. "Right. Switch to Spinning Life Or Death formation." Taiyang nodded. "Yes, sir." The Four Holy Swords answered. Slit backed off from Mandible. Mandible gritted his teeth. 'If this goes on, Princess Chrysalis will be-' "Mandible." His eyes widened at his princess's tone. "Mandible, my knight. You and Decas protect Mirage." "Your highness!" Mandible exclaimed. "I won't surrender." The Lancelot raced to get to point 9. "As an imperial princess, I'll fight to the last." Chrysalis said, eyes narrowed. "Princess Chrysalis!" Mandible exclaimed. "Hm. She's so predictable." Stryker said contemptibly. A blast shook the ground and stirred dust everywhere. "Huh?!" Stryker and Sirocco exclaimed. The dust settled to reveal the Lancelot, the VARIS in its hand. "Oh my!" Azure exclaimed. Gear chuckled. "As reckless as ever, eh? He's used the VARIS to clear the obstacles in his path." "Viceroy, are you all right? I came to help, your Highness." Greymane said. "Special Core? Who authorized you?" She asked. Mandible heard the commotion and sighed. 'He can get her out of there. If it's the Lancelot unit.' Eclipse asked, "Hey, isn't that Knight-Mare...?" "Yeah. The one from Shineighku and Lake Kawagaitchi." Rough Boulder said. Enraged, Stryker yelled, "Again?! It's him again?!" He raised his Knight-Mare gun and fired. The Lancelot put up its shield. "Mk-II, destroy that unit immediately! It's interfered with us enough!" "Right." Sirocco nodded. The VARIS fired three shots at it, but the Guren dodged with great speed. As it got closer, the Lancelot tried to kick the Guren. The Guren blocked it with its right arm as it activated the Radiant Wave Surger. "Huh?" Greymane's eyes widened. He released the sand-panel and backed up. "You handle that thing. I'll take out Zero." Chrysalis said. She fired her slash harkens; one decapitated Rough Boulder's Knight-Mare arm. "Now, you'll pay for Shineighku!" Sirocco yelled. The Lancelot kicked it back and fired the VARIS again, but the Guren swerved to its right. Dodging and coming closer, it prepared its right arm. Greymane exclaimed, "Huh? It's as fast as the Lancelot?!" "If I could take it down..." Sirocco growled. The Lancelot sent the other sand-panel at the Guren, which swatted it away like a fly. The Guren leapt over the Lancelot, aiming for its legs, but the Lancelot jumped away, firing its slash harkens in the process. The Guren blocked it with its right arm. "Is that all you've got?!" She yelled. The Lancelot and Guren got closer to the edge. The Lancelot swung its swords, but the Guren grabbed one of them and used the right arm to explode it. Now in close range, the Lancelot fired the VARIS. The right arm of the Guren activated the Radiant Wave Surger, clashing with the attack. Greymane gaped. "Blocked?!" The edge of the cliff could no longer support the weight, and it crumbled, the Guren falling down. Eclipse and Boulder jumped down to help. "Hey, are you okay?" Rough Boulder asked. "I am." Sirocco replied. "Boulder!" Stryker said. "Yes?" "How's the Guren Mk-ll?" "The right hand is wrecked. We've got to fix it." Boulder said. Stryker gritted his teeth. "Grr... Retreat!" "Huh?" "All Black Knights move to your escape points. This has become a war of attrition. Retreat!" His Burai used its slash harkens to climb the ravine and retreat. Chrysalis's Gloucester tried to follow, but its power levels were depleted. The Lancelot came up. "Viceroy?" "Go after Zero." Chrysalis said. Greymane blinked in surprise. "But-" "My energy filler is just drained. Go!" She ordered. Greymane nodded. "Right!" The Lancelot turned and sped off. "Ugh... I'm hating this retreat thing." Eclipse said. "We thrashed 'em. But if we kept pushing..." Rough Boulder trailed off. Eclipse scoffed. "Face it. We left the JLF there as bait, but we ran away." Sirocco grimaced. "I hate it when you say it like that but..." Rough Boulder narrowed his eyes. "Yeah, but creatures aren't just pieces in a chess game." Stryker glanced back to see the Lancelot on his tail. He fired at it, but it easily dodged. "Zero wouldn't think like that. If he did, he'd end up using us as pawns, too." Boulder grimaced. The Lancelot fired the VARIS, and it destroyed a leg. He shook his head. "I don't believe he'd do that. His rage is real." Stryker transformed and grabbed his mask as the escape pod ejected. "He hates Nymphia as much as we do. I think a creature who knows rage also knows sorrow." Rough Boulder finished. Zero stood before the Lancelot, the wind blowing his cloak as the only sound. Stryker's slitted pupils shrunk as he breathed unevenly. 'What can I do now?!' Greymane spoke into his earpiece. "Special Core head trailer, found Zero. Going in for capture." 'Zero, I owe you. I know that you've saved a lot of creatures. I know there're lots of Elevens supporting you from the shadows. However, your methods are... very wrong.' He pointed the VARIS at Zero. Stryker gritted his teeth. Both widened their eyes when a familiar face flew down. Greymane gasped. 'That's... Is that the alicorn from the capsule in Shineighku?' S2 hovered in between the Lancelot and Zero. She narrowed her slitted eyes. "Stop now. Don't even think about hurting him." "S2?" Zero said. "She's working with Zero?" Greymane said. S2 lit her horn and closed her eyes. "Wait. What are you doing? You're challenging a Knight-Mare?" Zero exclaimed. "It's a problem if you die. It'll be indirect contact, but it's worth a try." She said, her aura growing red. She opened her eyes wide; white light streamed from them. A Geass symbol on her chest, previously veiled by her cloak, glowed. Greymane took a short intake of air. He felt like he was falling through space. Several scenes flashed by. And at last, he stopped. But what greeted him was not pleasant. His eyes widened as the lone figure in the room turned. "Father. You're dead. That's impossible." He began to take steps back as his father stepped toward him. "No, I didn't mean to... No, I, I just..." Zero flew up to S2 with his leathery wings. "Hey, are you using Geass on him?" Her eyes still streaming white and her horn still glowing, she answered, "I'm just feeding him some shock images, I can't tell what he's seeing, though. Anyway, you've got time to get away now." "What about you?" He asked. "I can't move yet. You go first." "Don't be foolish. I can't keep owing you favors." He put a hoof on her shoulder. His eyes widened. S2 exclaimed, "No, not now!" Her aura began turning a splotchy black and blue as her eyes began emitting a wispy, purple smoke. Stryker passed through a scene of a mob. "What? This is different." A shadowy figure: King Sombra. A dark forest. Two other alicorns, both with slitted eyes. He recognized the older one from ponylore: Nightmare Moon. The younger's form flickered. Stryker's eyes widened. "That's..." Tears streamed from S2's now closed eyes. The smoke and aura didn't stop. "Stop. Stop it. Stay out of my mind." A young S2, in the ruins of a castle, crying. A changeling nymph with the Geass symbol on her chest. "Stop it. No, I'm not..." The tears kept flowing. Two phoenixes with her, laughing, playing, helping... "You're unveiling me." She squeezed her eyes shut. "I had to do it." Greymane exclaimed panickedly. Stryker gasped. The Geass symbol, the restless undead, the subconscious of creatures... S2 snapped her eyes open. A giant surge of dark magic exploded from her horn into the sky, snapping Stryker/Zero into reality. The Lancelot suddenly began firing the VARIS everywhere. "What's happening to him?" Zero asked, regaining his senses. She yelled, "Idiot. Get away now!" She gasped as a stone edge pierced her chest. "S2!" Stryker exclaimed. More and more rock was thrown up by the VARIS. "Hurry!" S2 shouted just before a stone knocked her on the head. Her wings stopped beating, and she began falling, blood still staining her chest. "Damn you!" Cyeas yelled as Mandible escaped. Taiyang ordered, "Don't follow! I have no idea what Zero is trying to do now. Our only course of action is to get to the General and get him out of here." "Your Highness, I'll be right there." Mandible said through the hivemind as he headed towards her location. "Mandible, relay this message to all units. Prepare to retreat." Mandible was about to protest before Chrysalis said, "There's no reason to waste the lives of any more of my soldiers. Stay in formation and fall back cautiously." Chrysalis sighed to herself, "We have to face facts. We've been defeated this time." The Black Knights cheered as the sun began to set. "You see, Nymphia sure had its hooves full just dealing with the Liberation Front." Eclipse said with a cocky grin. "Yeah, that gave us the chance we needed to escape." Rough Boulder said. Sirocco exclaimed, "Hey, where's Zero?" Boulder turned to her. "I can't raise his Burai. You don't think he's been captured, do you?" She frowned. In a nearby cave... Stryker, in his natural form, narrowed his eyes. S2 lay unconscious, her cloak and necklace cast to the side. 'This mare, she can't be just a pony. She recovers from wounds in ways that are beyond normal, even for an alicorn. Alicorns are just long-lived immortals anyway, not truly immortal. She was shot in the head in Shineighku and yet... Xirex confined her for his private experiments so she's not connected with Nymphia.' S2 began to murmur something. Stryker's eyes widened. "What?" He put an ear close to her muzzle. "Skye..." "...You finally called me by my real name." She smiled. Stryker fell back, his eyes wide in shock. "What...?" He whispered the name to himself, "Skye..." "So, Zero escaped again." Chrysalis grimaced. "The Japone Liberation Front hammered our defenses, and he slipped away in the confusion." Mandible said. "Despicable. Using someone else to cover his movements. ...Oh, what about Greymane?" She questioned. "He's safe now. We had to wait till his energy filler ran out to finally stop him." "Stop him? From what? Was there a problem with his unit?" Mandible nodded. "Apparently. It was going berserk." "A failure unworthy of my adopted cousin's forces." Chrysalis shook her head. Gear, Azure, and Masquerade all gazed at a still traumatized Greymane, the latter two in shocked worry and the former in mildly confused surprise. S2 stirred and sat up. Instantly, she put a hoof to her neck. Finding her necklace not there, her eyes darted around until she found it and used her magic to put it back on again. "I removed the shrapnel and cleaned the wound." Stryker said without turning around. She said coldly, "That wasn't necessary." "Apparently not." He shrugged. "So there was no point in protecting me at all. Your pride always gets in the way at the most ridiculous moments." He smirked and glanced back. "But then I learned something from it." "Skye." Her eyes widened. "That's your name, isn't it?" He asked. She tried brushing her momentary shakiness off by scoffing, "You have a bad habit of eavesdropping." "Well, it's a good name. It's a lot more pony-like than S2." "Oh, that's a joke, as if I want to be more pony-like. After all, I, I..." Stryker looked back as she faltered. "I'm nothing but a tyrant's daughter. A mistake. A-A freak... So what's the use of it? A name?" Tears fell from her eyes. Stryker turned around, but didn't meet her eyes. "It's a good time to say this. Yes, you saved me today. You did that before, and then gave me Geass." She looked at him in confusion. "That's why, I'll only say this once." He turned away again. "Thank you." Her eyes widened. "No one's ever thanked me before." S2, rather Skye, murmured. A battered Crescent limped in front of the researchers' trucks. "Ugh... Another soldier." A stallion groaned as they stopped. "No wonder our battalions fell apart." A nymph commented. "I swear I'm not Calico. Zero!" Crescent's eyes rolled back into his head as he fell. Stryker stood in his complete Zero outfit. "Looks like our ride's here." Sirocco ran in. "Zero, are you okay? The others went on ahead and- Who's that?" She asked, pointing a hoof at S2, who looked in peak physical condition. "Oh, you needn't worry. She's a, very important friend." Both S2 and Sirocco were surprised at that. Zero turned to S2. "S2, I don't know why snow is white. But I still think snow is beautiful. I don't hate it." S2 smiled understandingly. "I see."