From Shadows

[Jeremy Hunter]

I nearly died that day.

As did we all.

---

One Day before Fallen Grace

Lelouch was on Orleanais. Watching the children play in the park, he was a respectful distance away as he lit a cigarette, taking a relaxing puff before relaxing back to watch the clouds. One even looked like a rabbit. He smiled a bit, enjoying the gentle breeze and the sound of children playing. But his quiet before the storm was cut short by the clipped sound of heels. Tense, he looked over...and his mouth went thin, his eyes narrowing, and one hand sliding down into his jacket. He was in the smallest, farthest, most isolated city on the goddamn planet, yet still.
"Relax, dear brother."

Emeline D'Aramis sat beside him, opening her makeup compact. "Relene told me where you would be."
"She would not betray me."
"Non. She did not. To betray you would mean that she wishes ill. And, dear brother, you attempt to entangle me with Duchess Ciel is quite amusing. But I believe you would rather our reunion be marked with a fall rather than a bed."
His gun pressed against her side. "How much do you know?"
She didn't even flinched, fixing her makeup. "Relene is quite the tigress in bed. To tame her must have been a challenge." She finally looked at him. "Relene trusts me. Will you? On the eve of your master plan, will you trust your lost sister, a sister who is tired of the dark and the damp and wishes to revel in a bit of fire?"
Lelouch was still, staring at her...then he withdrew his weapon, replacing it in his jacket. "What can you even offer me, sister?"
"The Morlaix is my command vessel. And you need a beacon for your plan, non?" She smiled, tilting her head at him. He took another drag of his cigarette. "...Why should I even trust you? Relene may very well be misguided."
"I did not choose to be his shadow. I choose to fall...so I may truly choose something."

Lelouch gave a mirthless laugh. "Coordinate with Eclaire." he got up, cigarette in his mouth. He put his hands in his pockets. "And dear sister? Next time you wish to offer help, do not wait until the eve, when nothing can go wrong."
"You have been watching me for years, Lelouch. You knew I would come."
"I would. After you chose to become the Succubus."

She was quiet. He took hold of his cigarette and gave it a last puff, before flicking it into a nearby trashcan's ash tray. "Don't lie to me again."

End of Recap Flashbacks

---

The Day of Fallen Grace

Eclaire stood on the bridge of the Eglantine, hands clasped behind her. All around, what little crew she had, that Lelouch could trust, was around her. In the desolate hangar a couple squadrons of snubcraft and four gunships were waiting, and a single cruiser besides the Morlaix was with them. Lelouch knew whose hearts were afire after the massacre that Bonheur had witnessed, and he had capitalized on their disillusionment with the Monarchy and it's tyranny. Already Crayterian forces were waiting in the wings, their prototype Kronos Battleships and Zephyr carriers at the ready, jump drives spooled up. All the Eclaire needed to do was hold position until the coordinate transfer was complete, and the Day of Fallen Grace would begin. Already the Crayterian's CIS and their Corse allies, backed by the 141 Task Force, were preparing the strike on the Chant du Cygne as the Vanguard's fleet was at ready.
Everything hinged on Morlaix, and Eglantine.

"This is the Montreuil. We did not expect the Eglantine within Ile-De-France space."
Eclaire took a breath. "We are here for the King's speech at Fontainbleau as extra security. The beachhead in Edinburgh is well-enough defended."
"Yes ma'm."
The line cut, Eclaire gripped the arms of the command chair. They had to wait for the data transfer...
"Ma'am, datalink opened with ONI cruiser Morlaix. Receiving spatial coordinates. Calculating our own...coordinates set for four klicks away from us, ma'am."
"Send them."

The Captain of the Montreuil was confused to why the Eglantine had barely moved out of the way of the gate, it's escort Cruiser holding a bit towards the lane.
"Sir, they're receiving data from Ile-De-France."
The Captain keyed the comms. "Eglantine, we're detecting a transmission heading for your ship, is there something we should know?"
Eclaire felt a bead of sweat start. She looked over at her Comms Officer, who was watching her own console...she looked over and nodded. It was time.
"Fire."

The Captain was about to demand again, when the Eglantine turned right to them.
"Captain! Their Warwolf has powered up!"
"What the hell?!" he shouted.

The first shot of Fallen Grace was the Eglantine's Warwolf, lancing through space and striking the Montreuil head on, it's shield flickering. The older Triomphant may not be the best match for one of the newest Richelieu class battleships, but it would put up a fight. The Eglantine's Cruiser escort fired two torpedoes, one at the not defending battleship, and one at the trade lane. Fighters began to launch at once as the Captain barked orders.
"Call reinforcements!"
"Sir, we can't! Our communications are down and multiple patrols were re-routed to Dauphine due to an emergency Council attack! They won't make it in time!"
He cursed. "Sacrebleu! What even is going on? Why are they firing on us?! We are allies! Launch all fighters, I want that ship disabled! Send a runner to Ile-De-France, and attempt to get one to Burgundy and request reinforcements from the Rocroi Cohort at once!"

---

Lelouch, Acadia, Bernard, Ghyslain, and many others were waiting at set points around the King's speech. Taking up the majority of the great hall, his rousing, anti-Sirian, self-righteous speech grew cheers and calls for victory among the nobility, among those who saw only red. Lelouch tugged the strap on his body armor, Ghyslain loading all the rifles. They were to kill the King as Crayterian marines from the Vanguard would board. With communications disrupted, the Sovereign and her fleet would have the area secured within minutes and troops heading to Fontainebleau once the control room was taken. The same would be done for the assault on the Chant du Cygne, paralyzing the only other mobile asset that would be close enough to pose a thread...especially with House Ciel sequestered away in Anjou, cut off from communications and with a Brigand weapons platform set up on the lane to cause....further issues. A brilliant move by Logarus. Lelouch reached up to activate his comm - They had routed all communications through the Morlaix and the Eglantine, jury-rigging the ONI command bunker into a temporary communications hub for the operation.
"Status."
"The sky is shattered."
Lelouch took a single breath. "This is Black King. White King has entered...check."

---

Outside Fontainebleau, a cordon of Lynxes and Gunships were made, the Royal Shuttle currently docked. A single cruiser besides the Morlaix was present, currently sitting at the halfway point between Ile-De-France and Fontainebleau. Everything seemed calm and still within the Gallic home.
Then came the Vanguard. Appearing before the Gallics, the Sovereign's launch bays spat Nyx fighters and Pytho bombers out like a demon unleashing hellfire, a swarm of ships soon surrounding it. Unlocking from the Kronos' hull, a pair of Thanatos cruisers and four Hydra gunboats fanned out, the Cruisers immediately moving to assault the Obstinate standing guard as the gunboats followed the fighters in on an assault run against the security cordon. At first the Royalists hesitated, utterly shocked at it all...even more so as the Morlaix opened fire upon her fellow ship, catching it between the fire of three ships. it's shield collapsed under the barrage, it half-heartedly returning fire for a few moments before focusing on a Thanatos...for naught, as Emeline's cruiser unleashed a pair of torpedoes, which the cruiser had to turn to intercept, leaving it open for a pair of mortars to gut it's side in an explosive blossom, tearing off one wing. The assault left it unable to intercept one torpedo, which struck it's undamaged side and gouged out a gaping maw within the nose. Already Nyx and Lynx fighters traded fire, the Royalists awoken and determined to protect their home as Crayter was determined to gain revenge for the loss of Tau-44. The gunships were locked in a deadly dance with their Crayterian counterparts, leaving the Sovereign to turn it's main guns upon the Obstinate. It's fate sealed, the first barrages from it's main guns melted the armor, and then the heavy mortar fired, vaporizing the bridge as it tried to gain distance. It sat there, smoldering, as the Thanatos turned to engage the gunships. Suddenly outmaneuvered by the Crayterians and the traitors, the Security fleet tried to form some defensive formation as the Kronos' rear hangar opened, releasing a Celestra. Lances of fire were unleashed from it, clearing a path for the Marine vessel to head to the Residence. It passed by a pair of torn Lynxes, the overwhelmed Security Forces starting to falter. Many were praying the Montreuil would arrive to reinforce them.
Those prayers would be met with tachyon rage.

---

Montreuil barely was able to hold the line as the Vanguard's carrier Rubicon jumped in and released fighters. Able to reinforce them, the Eglantine's meager fighter wing was relieved by the Crayterian assistance. With it's cruiser escort currently heading off with a squadron of Nyxes to intercept a gunship squadron, the Montreuil was now suppressed...and the mission was going as planned. Even as a single fighter managed to slip away towards Anjou, it was set upon by Corse, torn asunder. No messenger would break through the blockade, not under the heavy guns of Eglantine nor slip by the Corse and their own line. With all objectives so far secured, it fell upon the Order and CIS to pin down the Chant du Cygne in Dauphine.

A job that started with a bang. Saboteurs onboard the Royal Flagship disabled the engines briefly. It would be seen as a maintenance issue, and none would be the wiser as people went to work. A simple one hour fix, one that could be blamed on any number of factions, but one hour without the main engines was enough. They had been scouting the edges of the Clelles Asteroid Field, and from the field now came a mass of ships.
"Marechal Lafayette, incoming contacts! Multiple snubcraft of all types, backed by gunship suppo - sir they're confirmed! Crayterian and...and Order! The Order terrorist organization has joined with the Crayterians!"
Lafayette cursed. "Launch all fighters! Take aim and engage at once! Send a warning to Command of Crayterian and Order forces within our sovereign space!"
"We can't sir, all communications are offline! We can't even contact Gap Station!"
Lafayette let out a string of curses. He had left Ile-Du-Palais not hours ago, heading for Burgundy in a loop to assist the patrols, to show strength. Now he was under attack and unable to contact anyone.
"Incoming torpedoes!" All across the Valor, blossoms of fire erupted, peppering the vessel. But there were too many, and the EMP torpedoes did their job in the end. The shield would fall at the sudden barrage, and a mass of torpedoes were not sent.
"Sir, incoming hostile freighters and gunships! Multiple of them!"
"They mean to take the Chant du Cygne! All hands, prepare to be boarded! Take aim and fire, take them all down or I will see you all hanged!"

The turrets began to move, but the hail of torpedoes struck, and many of his turrets began to go offline. Lafayette's cursing only got worse as Supernova Antimatter shots began to strike at the hangar bays, blasting the doors apart with merciless precision. Enemy boarding craft and gunships locked on, many going to specific airlocks as if they knew where to go. Royal Marines took up positions as the airlocks were forced open, grenades followed by tear gas fired in. The Flagship was now under total attack, and all Goddard Lafayette could do was order what few fighters he had to attempt to run and get help. Marines already were setting up a portable barricade on the route to the bridge, ensuring that they would be able to hold the line. He watched on surveillance cameras as the Order and the Crayterians began to push in, not caring for the state of the ship. They all had EVA suits, meaning they could survive in vacuum. He slammed his hand down on the console. "Bastards! Damn every one of you bastards to hell!" He roared. "Get them off my goddamn ship!"
"Sir, Life Support is under siege!"
"Hangar bays one through nine are lost, torpedoes have vented them and everyone inside!"
"Sir, an Order shuttle has crashed in hangar twelve, Order marines are currently heading for one of the datacenters!"
"Cut them all off, stop th-" The entire ship lost power, before the backups went on, leaving them in dim red light. The screens were on safe mode, giving them minimal information. "Sir....sir someone cut the main generator. We need time to regain Engineering!"
"How did we lose it?" He demanded. "We sent three squads!"
"I...I don't know sir."

---

Fontainebleau ran with blood. The control room had been taken by surprise, the men placed by Lelouch storming it and cutting them all down. Bodies haphazardly piled in the center, the main hangar was opened up for the Crayterian ship, which landed and released dozens of marines, who began to swarm the opening doors. The entire Residence was now under dreadful siege, invaded by it's enemies...and the King was in danger. As he was evacuated from the Great Hall and towards the emergency shuttle, gunfire erupted as Lelouch launched his own attack. Royal Guards fell as two shoved the King into a side passage, the remainder opening fire and attempting to fall back. Lelouch's squadron continued it's attack, pressing against them with assistance from his other men, herding the Royal Guards and the King towards one of the larger residential areas. There they would be in the open and vulnerable to attack, and Lelouch would cut them down at once and show the Kingdom how mortal their King was. How weak.
Crayterian commadoes were already pushing towards them, Royal Guards and Marines attempting to hold them back...but a beachhead had been made with the Celestra, and they were already subduing the Security station. Once that fell, their communications would fall completely. With the plan being to take Security and the Armory at the same time, cutting off Communications and their weaponry and ammunition would begin to starve the Royalists, giving the Crayterians an edge, with the ability to use Gallic weaponry and take their ammo if needed. And already the Armory was set to fall.
Everything was falling into place. Everything. The Montreuil was suppressed, the Gallic patrols were too far or under attack, the Chant du Cygne was currently pinned down and the Vanguard had arrived to lend a hand. All that was left was to kill the King and withdraw those they could and let the chaos overtake, with secondary objectives being eliminate all heirs and ensure only one - Alice DeFrance - would be able to take over, looking promising.

Lelouch was in position. He had fanned out all his men, leaving only himself, Acadia, Bernard, and Ghyslain. Once the others had herded the King into the killbox, it would be a bloodbath. It would be the end of these wars. The start of a new dawn for his nation, for his people. This was his revenge. His victory.

But as he prepared to give the order to fire, watching the King enter the killzone...as he raised his rifle, hand to his ear...

A Conquerant class battleship jumped into Ile-De-France, flanking the Eglantine. Multiple fighter wings appeared on scanners for the Order and CIS, backed by a squadron of Marine boarding craft. The virus that the Corse had uploaded now was being quashed like a bug, as multiple different ONI systems fought back. The Corse line to Anjou was met by a Richelieu and it's cohort, and the Sovereign was suddenly finding itself facing six Obstinates coming from all sides.
And for Lelouch...gunshots behind him. He spun around to find Ghyslain already dead, and Bernard holding his side. Acadia didn't hesitate. She shot Bernard, his head jerking back before he went still. All around him was gunfire, as parts of his own men turned on him.

Acadia Celeste, his closest confidant within ONI, now leveled her rifle at him, her eyes glowing with a purple light.

---

May you ever walk in the Light, Shizune.