Disclaimer: This is a fan-made crossover story. All non-original content belongs to the current IP owners.

In retrospect, Lelouch had no idea how they had talked him travel by Orbital Drop. After all, it was basically a polite way of saying that you're about to be shot out of a cannon and towards a planet. To be honest, it didn't sound even remotely safe. Yet, in a few short moments, it would be how Suzaku, Nunnally and he would return to planet Earth.

Setsuna had told the children about his plan: They were to return to Earth until further notice, while C.C. and Xingke remained in space. Setsuna wanted them to see the world they had agreed to protect, and – to a certain extent – give them a normal life.

When Setsuna told them, he and Lelouch argued about it for the best part of an hour. Unfortunately, Suzaku and Nunnally had no such reservations: and Lelouch couldn't let them go on their own, could he?

So it was that he found himself in one of Celestial Being's smaller hangers, with Nunnally, Suzaku, C.C. and Xingke. It was almost time to leave, but there were still words that needed to be said.

Nunnally was in tears. She was sobbing as she desperately clung to C.C.. The woman in question was also being more emotional than usual, hugging Nunnally back and saying,

"Hush, Nunnally. It will be alright, I promise. I'll make sure to visit, I promise."

"Buh-But I'll miss you!"

As a misty-eyed Suzaku slowly tried to detach Nunnally from C.C., Lelouch made his way over towards Xingke. The man in question was by the children's designated vessel, looking over it. Lelouch announced his presence by saying,

"You're being awfully quiet, my good sir."

The solider wasn't surprised, but he did find his train of thought to be irrevocably lost. He sighed and turned towards Lelouch. He looked the boy in the eye and said,

"You four were here for two years before I arrived. You're a family, and not one that I'm part of."

"If that's what you believe," said Lelouch, "Then you're not as intelligent as I thought you were."

Xingke raised his eyebrow at the brat, so Lelouch continued, "Among other things, I remember how you reacted during Suzaku's little... accident. You reacted without thinking."

"T-That's what soldiers do," said Xingke.

"But," said Lelouch, as he spoke over Xingke's protests, "You reacted without thinking. That's not the action of a soldier does, it's the action of a friend. It was obvious to me, and to C.C."

This second part caught Xingke off guard, "C.C.? How can you tell?"

The boy smirked, "She isn't hiding it. I mean. Have you seen her lately?"

Xingke shook his head, "Not yet. I've been busy."

Lelouch sighed. He closed his eyes and said, "Well, she doesn't flirt with just anyone. Trust me, she sees something special in you."

Xingke blushed and went quiet. The silence hung over the two for a moment, interrupted only by Nunnally's sobbing. Eventually, Lelouch turned away and said, "I'm going to console Nunnally. Join us or don't, it's up to you."

He kicked off and drifted towards his friends, leaving Xingke to his thoughts. He couldn't really disagree with Lelouch's words, as much as he hated to admit it. He couldn't exactly go and see his mei-mei whenever he wanted to, either; the media circus following his disappearance had nipped that prospect in the bud.

Was it so bad, wanting to call another place home? Was he betraying his Tianzi, bonding with other people? Would she forgive him?

The man sighed, and turned to face the happy family. Lelouch was now consoling the sobbing Nunnally, soaking her tears into his shirt. Suzaku traded a look of thanks with the boy, then turned to face Xingke. He looked over towards the man, and Xingke knew what he had to do.

Mentally pledging to tell his mei-mei then next time he could, Xingke kicked off towards his friends. After all, he guessed, he'd always had a soft spot for children.

Quantum Shift
Interlude: Operation Peries

There were a great deal of words that could be used to describe Fereshte Tower, and 'subtle' is not one of them. It loomed over the skyline, like a colossal turret. It wasn't just tall, either – it was one of the broadest buildings in Pendragon.

All this meant that when Allelujah was looking for it, he didn't have to look long. Despite some less-than-scrupulous miscreants, he managed to extract the directions and find the place. Originally, the plan was that he, Marie and the children arrive to visit Lockon together. They'd got separated at the airport, and Allelujah had been told to continue onwards.

So it was that Allelujah entered the Fereshte tower alone. As previously stated, it wasn't exactly subtle – high ceilings, commemorative pieces from assorted projects, the hustle and bustle of everyday routine...

And a massive plaque reading, "'An angry wife is a bridge too far' – Billy Katagiri, Head of Krung Thep Division."

After a moments pause, Allelujah approached the reception desk and asked the young man behind it, "Excuse me. If it isn't too much trouble, I have an appointment."

The clerk looked up at Allelujah, gave him a quick look and said, "Really? What business do you have here, Ching Chong?"

Allelujah sighed – he'd almost forgotten how racist the Britannians could be. He looked the boy in the eye and said, "I'm here to meet an old friend of mine about..."

The receptionist snorted and waved a hand towards the door. Almost immediately, two burly men had appeared either side of Allelujah.

"Sorry, but I don't believe you. Now, will you leave quietly or do we have to force you out?"

Allelujah closed his eyes and considered the situation. Fortunately, before he had to make a decision, he heard a voice from across the foyer crying, "Daddy!"

The guards started to back off, and Allelujah could see why. Accompanying his daughter and wife was Lyle Dylandy, Head of Fereshte and – perhaps more pertinently - their boss.

The CEO looked at the clerk and said, "I take it you've been keeping Allelujah busy while I was trying to track him down?"

The poor boy at the desk nodded, to which Lyle replied, "Excellent. I'll be busy for the next hour or so. Kindly tell my secretary to clear my schedule."

The clerk nodded again as Lyle started to walk away. Just before he was out of earshot, however, Lyle shouted, "Oh, and Charles?"

"Y-Y-Yes, Sir?"

"Treat my guests like that again, and I'll fire you!", Lyle shouted back, with a grin on his face. He turned away, and shepherded his friends into one of the lifts.

Once safely inside the closest lift and heading for Lyle's office, the CEO looked over to his friend and said, "Sorry about that. I probably should have warned you about that."

Allelujah raised an eyebrow and said, "You mean the xenophobic receptionist? Or that you were going to track down my family?"

"That too. Mostly, I was actually thinking about how I was setting Charles' racism to get him into trouble. He's not a bad kid, he just needs to... learn."

Allelujah just sighed. It wasn't the first time Lyle had used him to test his employees tolerance, and he doubted it would be the last. Really, it was quite a clever ploy. He just wished he wasn't a part of it.

Ignoring this, Lyle turned to face the youngest member of their little group. Virtually tied to Marie's leg was a young teenager, no more than thirteen, with golden eyes and beige hair. As Lyle looked at her, however, she seemed to edge further and further away from her mother.

Lyle, however, was not to be deterred. He bent down a little and looked the girl in the eye. Softly, he said, "Hi, I'm Lyle. I'm an old friend of your father's. What's your name?"

The question was pointless. Lyle already knew the girl's name, age, birthday, school grades and even her blood type. After he'd heard what Setsuna had planned for her, Lyle had decided that learning out a bit about her was the least he could do.

The girl, however, seemed oblivious to this. She said, "I'm Aiday, xiansheng Dylandy"

Even if the CEO didn't know Chinese, he would have been able to tell what Aiday had said from her tone alone. She was, to be honest, terrified of him. After all, he was one of the richest men on the planet. But there was something more than just that. A kernel of respect.

Lyle smiled and said, "Well, it's a pleasure to met you, Aiday. Have you had a good journey?"

She nodded enthusiastically and said, "Yes, xiansheng Dylandy"

The man chuckled and said, "Please, call me Lyle. If you want, I'll show you around after I've talked to your dad."

The girl's eyes widened for a moment before replying, "Thank you, xiansheng Dylandy."

Marie chuckled and said, "She takes after her father. All the flying and the..."

The girl blushed in embarrassment and said, "Mama, buyao wo nankan!"

Lyle and Allelujah chuckled at this display, before the lift doors swung open. Stepping out, Marie and Aiday were greeted by a rather friendly Anew, who all but dragged them away while Lyle and Allelujah entered the former's office.

Lyle's eyes glinted of a rippling gold as he said, "Setsuna's right, you know. She's a child of the Aeolia Principles, through and through. You've raised her well."

"Is it bad that I wish she wasn't?", asked Allelujah, with a heavy voice, "I don't want her to become a part of our world."

"Celestial Being? Tough shit," said Lyle, "Even if we keep her in the dark, she'll end up searching for us. Besides, no greater an authority than yourself referred to her as an excellent pilot."

"I know that!", snapped Allelujah. After a moment of quiet, he sighed and said, "Sorry, Lyle. It's just, I don't want my Aiday to end up like Lichty or Christina. You'll understand, one day."

"Sooner than you think."

It took Allelujah a few moments to unpack that statement. Eventually, though, he realised what it meant.

"You mean you and Anew..."

"Nay, me and your mother. Of course it's Anew! She's probably telling your wife right now."

"I... Well... Congratulations, Lyle!"

The man in question smirked and said, "Frankly, Tieria's the only reason it didn't happen sooner. Innovade and Innovator cross comparability and all. Honestly, I was thinking I might die before I had children."

Somehow, Lelouch had managed to make it through the Orbital Drop without dying or humiliating himself in the process. In fact, it had been decidedly less terrifying than he had expected. As he always said to himself: Hope for the best, Expect the worst.

So it was that Lelouch, Suzaku and Nunnally had found themselves once again on Planet Earth. After floating around in the sea for a bit, they had been retrieved by a group of Fereshte loyalists and takes to Mass Driver 02: Pacific. There, they'd been given temporary accommodation for as long as it took to smuggle them back into Japan.

It was there that Lelouch first met the she-devil that he would be forced to call a co-worker.

He had been minding his own business, in his quarters, during the incident in question. He'd been in his living area, looking at some footage on his laptop. Mrs. Mannequin had given him several old Celestial Being battles, to 'dissect the tactical decisions and evaluate their effectiveness against a technologically inferior foe'. In other words, watch giant mecha being blown up by Gundams. Best. Homework. Ever.

It was while he was doing his that he had first heard... her. There was a thunk-a-dunk coming from the the room's primary ventilation duct, and went to investigate. Lelouch, ever the curious soul, took his chair and stood on it, peering into the vent. His curious gaze, however, did not meet the insect or small rodent he expected. Instead, he saw a pair of mischievous blue eyes staring right back at him.

This would have been enough to surprise Lelouch. However, his mysterious air vent invader apparently decided to take it a step further. With a purring noise, she opened up the duct and slithered into the room.

It was only through countless hours of training in proper manners and etiquette that kept Lelouch from either screaming or laughing. Honestly, he didn't know which one seemed more appropriate at this point. Nevertheless, as his room-invader finally exited the vent and fell flat onto the floor, he looked over and said, "Good evening, Miss. Can I help you?"

With a noise that sounded disturbingly like 'meow', the thing in Lelouch's room slid upright. It looked at him and said, "Lelouch Lamperouge, I presume?"

Lelouch frowned. The girl in front of him seemed familiar, but he couldn't place his little home invader. He'd probably met a relative or two of hers at court. Nevertheless, the blond hair, blue eyes and full figure were all unfamiliar when placed in concert. He looked at her and said, "I am indeed Lelouch Lamperouge. In that respect, you appear to have me at a disadvantage, Miss..."

"Ashford," she purred, "Milly Ashford, milord."

Lelouch offered a gentle smile and said, "The pleasure is mine, Miss Ashford," trying to suppress his inner thoughts of, 'Oh God, what have I gotten myself into?'. Somehow, he managed to remain passive as he asked, "So, may I ask why you were spying on me from my air vent?"

She smiled and said, "Well..."

"Wait," said Lelouch, "On second thoughts, I don't think I want to know. What are you doing in the middle of the Pacific, anyway?"

Milly smirked and said, "It's because my dad's here to smuggle you into Japan, and I tagged along."

Understandable, thought Lelouch – and for the only time, in relation to Milly Ashford. He decided he ought to change the topic, and said, "Say, Milly, what's life like at Ashford?"

The girl laid down on a nearby sofa and said, "The boring front we put up or the awesome secret stuff?"

Lelouch nodded as she referenced Celestial Being, and said, "The latter."

"Say the magic word, milord."

He sighed, "Please?"

The girl chortled at the boy's defeated tone, "If you must know, we've got a whole bunch of stuff hidden away under the academy. There's a computer dad calls a 'Link to Veda', and a bunch of cool robot simulators, and a..."

Lelouch smiled lightly as he toned out the excited ramblings of the twelve year old. It would seem that Celestial Being weren't leaving their newest members completely unprepared. Once Milly had finished her exhaustive list of supposedly secret tech, he said, "That sounds cool. What about the boring stuff? It sounds like a nice enough place."

The girl chuckled and said, "Wow, how out of the loop are you? I mean, I heard about the space thing, but this is ridiculous!"

Lelouch barely managed to avoid grinding his teeth, and said, "I apologise if I've turned this into Twenty Questions, but I'd like to know what's happened to the world while I was away."

Milly threw up her arms and said, "Very well, milord. If you must know, the academy's a boarding school for nobles. Nothing more, nothing less. Although...", she frowned, "The Japanese don't make it easy, sometimes. They never officially lost to Britannia, and a bunch of their leaders escaped execution. There's a proper resistance movement and everything."

Lelouch frowned, "Sounds like it's changed since I was there last."

"Oh," said Milly, suddenly a lot more interested, "You were in Japan before? When? No, better yet, why?"

The boy sighed yet again; this girl was incorrigible. He dreaded the day when someone took the time out of their schedules to explain the birds and the bees to her. He'd have to take a loooong holiday on that day. And take Nunnally with him. And Suzaku.

He opened his mouth to reply, but the door to his quarters opened before he could actually speak. At the doorway, there stood an ageing man in a business suit, alongside Nunnally and Suzaku. He scanned the room for a moment before setting eyes on Milly, and said, "Milly? Why are you... How did you get here?!"

Milly chuckled, "Hi, Dad. Fancy seeing you here."

"Wait," said Lelouch, "I thought you said you came here with him!"

"I never said that he knew I was with him."

"What's this? …Lelouch", said Nunnally, "Have you started to take an interest in the fairer sex?"

"What? No! Never!"

The room descended into bickering and taunting shortly thereafter. And, while no-one noticed, Lelouch had a smile on his face the whole time, the likes of which hadn't graced his features since Nunnally's leg surgery. For a moment, he was almost like a normal child of his age.

Despite what the nobles of Britannia say, conquering a country isn't easy. As any decent soldier could tell you, it's actually pretty hard. Yet, it was only after two years of war and tens of thousands dead that Cornelia li Britannia truly realised this.

Of course, the actual war for Japan (no, Area 11, she corrected herself) hadn't lasted long. The new bread-and-butter of the Britannian army, the Knightmare frame, had seen to that. No, it was the war to keep control of the so called 'Area 11' that had provided the problem...

Unfortunately, Britannia cared more about taking territory than actually keeping it. No matter how many rebels and terrorists that Cornelia tore apart in Lelouch and Nunnally's names, she knew that she'd be reassigned, and soon.

Ergo, it came as no surprise when Cornelia and her squad were ordered to return to the Britannian mainland. A simple telegram that read,

"Spearhead Company to make full return to Mainland. Details to follow."

Despite much procrastination and deadline dodging, Cornelia had eventually returned to the Capital with her team. The entire squad had been given a couple of months of leave, which suited her just fine. After all, Cornelia hadn't seen Euphie since she'd left for Area 11, too long ago.

Thankfully, the time without Cornelia had been good for Euphie. Apparently, the Emperor had tried to bury her at some menial position in the Ministry of Arts, out of sight and out of mind. It had come to everyone's surprise just how quickly she'd risen through the ranks and taken over the place. Apparently, Euphemia was quite the administrator.

It wasn't all good, though; Euphie had become quite good friends with the good Mister Dylandy since she'd left. Honestly, Cornelia couldn't understand how her sister could stand the man. Whenever she asked, all she'd get back was a calm,

"You know, I don't know how you can hate Mister Dylandy. He can be a bit sarcastic and carefree, but he's good company."

Cornelia still couldn't understand, but she let the matter slide. After all, Lyle Dylandy would be a valuable political ally for her sister. With all that and more in mind, Cornelia could safely say that she was proud with how far Euphie had come on her own.

Unfortunately, those halcyon days ended when Cornelia was called before the Emperor to receive her new orders.

Now, it must be understood, this was a big deal. A private audience with the Emperor normally took months to arrange, even for royal brats such as Cornelia. Being called upon in such a way was virtually unprecedented. So it was that Cornelia and her second in command, one Captain Guilford, ended up waiting around for over an hour in the hall of Pendragon Palace. Just to make sure that they were sufficiently early.

As they entered the audience chamber, Cornelia let out a low whistle. While she'd been gone, the Emperor had apparently had some work done: higher ceiling, less lighting, brutal, cold pillars, and much more. It really embellished her father's image in her mind. This train of thought was thoroughly derailed, however, when she heard a voice in front of her,

"Good Evening, Cornelia. And to you too, Captain Guilford."

The two soldiers looked up the central reservation of the room to see the Emperor, in all his glory. Cornelia and Guildford bowed to His Majesty, as the ageing man rose from his seat. Standing large, he towered over the both of them. He gave them a look over and asked, "So, Cornelia, how was Area 11?"

Cornelia nodded and said, "Things are progressing excellently, My Lord. Aside from some... minor issues with resistance, the effective subjugation of the majority of the populous has reached an acceptable stage."

The larger man frowned at this. He loomed over her and proclaimed, "Cornelia, I've been conquering Areas since before you were born. I have no wish to play games with you. Now, tell me again, how was Area 11?"

Cornelia winced at the man's command. The situation in Area 11 was... less than ideal. Even after two years of suppression efforts, there were still riots on the streets. There were still terrorist activities against the new government, and there was still the need for a heavy military presence.

Personally, she blamed Genbu Kururugi. The former Prime Minister of Japan had the good sense to die in front of a camera: one hooked up to a live news channel. Then, like idiots, the ground forces had only gone and made a martyr of him. Then they let him die slowly, on live television, telling his people to never surrender...

It had taken the Britannian army the best part of two years to render Area 11 suitable for Britannian colonisation, what with the obscene levels of resistance. It hadn't helped, of course, that the Japanese government had gone into hiding. No matter how hard they tried, the Britannia army had never been able to pin them down and kill them: technically, Japan never lost the war.

Nevertheless, Cornelia had to answer the man looming over her. Her throat tightened, and she choked out, "It's... fine, Milord. Just an exceptional amount of resistance, nothing serious."

This appeared to placate the man, as he backed down a little. Instead, he turned to Guilford and said, "You're Captain Guilford, correct?"

"Y-Yes, My Lord!"

The Emperor gave the boy a once-over, before nodding slightly in approval. The elder told him, "I have heard exceptional things about you. Do not disappoint me."

The man's words sent shivers up Guilford's spine. Nonetheless, he replied with a simple, "Yes, My Lord."

"Excellent," he replied, smiling a little, "If that is the case, then I have something for you."

The Emperor reached into his ornate jacket and pulled out a pair of small golden pins. With his right hand, he presented one of them to Guilford. It wasn't much – a small, golden crown – but it signified something much greater.

"Congratulations, Major Guilford," announced the Emperor, to no-one in particular, "May your leadership bring your followers Fortune and Glory!"

Guilford could barely maintain his composure. He looked to be on the verge of tears as he tenderly plucked the pin from the Emperor's hand. He stared at it for all of five seconds before he started crying. Guilford bowed down and sobbed, "T-Thank you, My L-Lord!"

The Emperor merely smiled as he turned to Cornelia and said, "Oh, and congratulations to you too, Lieutenant Colonel li Britannia," as he offered the second pin, a small golden diamond-star shape.

Cornelia bowed and thanked her father as she took the pin. For a moment, she could swear she herd someone complaining about her not being as fun to watch. Nevertheless, both of the soldiers adjusted their uniforms to match their new ranks. Once that was done, the Emperor told them, "As much as I would like to, I did not bring you here just to hand out promotions. I must discuss with you the details of your latest assignments."

Cornelia and Guilford both went stiff at this. They looked at the Emperor with undivided attention as he told them, "Both of you are being sent to Europe. A campaign is being organised to secure more land in the Middle East, and I wish to reinforce our supply lines. To that end, you're being sent to the Baltic regions to..."

The discussion went on for some time, but the gist of it had been delivered within those first few sentences. Securing supply lines, reinforcing positions and even a little bit of invasion. Even if it wasn't bloody vengeance for her favourite half-siblings, Cornelia was excited to move out.

Eventually, the Emperor ended his tirade, "Any further details will be sent to you at your civilian accommodation," he told them, "Dismissed."

After a quick bow, the two twenty-two year olds scurried out of the room. The Emperor watched them go, and watched the door shut behind them. After a moment, he said, "You can come out now, Marianne."

From behind one of the more distant pillars, there emerged a small girl. She was no more than nine years old, with long pink hair and red eyes. 'Marianne' slowly walked up to where the Emperor was standing, looking at the now closed doors.

"Did you need to prattle on so much, dear?", said the girl, "You know I can't possess poor little Anya forever."

The Emperor hummed an acknowledgement before telling the girl, "So, what do you think?"

'Marianne' looked contemplative for a moment, before saying, "...Like rabbits, dear. Like rabbits."

Charles zi Britannia indulged in a small laugh at this, telling her, "That's what the spies said, too," he frowned, "But you know that wasn't what I was asking."

The girl nodded, "They're promising, to be sure. They might just be the right people for our cause. I'd keep an eye on them, see how they do in the east."

"You would tell an Emperor what to do?"

"Yes."

A coy smile played across Charles' features, "Death hasn't changed you a bit, Marianne."

The girl smiled, "Nor will it you, I have little doubt," although her face drooped as she followed through, "Although I'm not sure I can say the same for Lelouch and Nunnally."

Charles frowned at this, "Lelouch and Nunnally? I do not doubt that they have squirrelled themselves away in some cosy little corner of Area 11."

"I still worry. It's a mother's prerogative."

The large man leaned down, to the point that could almost be called eye-level with the girl, "Marianne, I will not apologise for sending them away. Even if they weren't at risk from V.V., they still needed to get out into the world. We pampered them too much, and it was getting I the way of the Ragnarok Connection."

"I know," the girl sighed, "But that doesn't make it easier."

A silence descended over the two for a moment, before Marianne said, "Well, since you spent so much time prattling on about troop deployments, I've got to get little Anya back in bed."

"Very well then," announced the Emperor, "You may go. I'll make sure everything proceeds as planned."

He smiled as he finished, "And I'll make sure Cornelia is ready to learn of the secrets of Geass."

It all began the day after Li Xingke disappeared.

At first, it had seemed like any other day. The sun had succeeded in the arduous task of rising, the birds were singing, and all had seemed right in the world. It was only after she had turned on the news that Lieutenant Colonel Zhou Xianglin had realised something was wrong.

Somehow, the news was on every channel. At the home of one Li Xingke, four dead bodies had been discovered. Thus, a nation-wide manhunt had begun for the 'vicious, bloodthirsty, monstrous' Captain.

Now, Zhou Xianglin took pride in knowing all the officers under her command. After all, as a member of the dwindling Loyalist, she always had to be on the lookout for new talent. She had known Li Xingke, and she knew a frame-up when she saw one.

By the time she heard a knock on the door, she was already dressed and armed. Nowadays, you couldn't be too careful. Slowly, she made her way towards the door – carefully positioned to one side – and called out, "Who's there?"

Zhou sincerely hoped that it was just one of her neighbours. She expected it to be that paparazzi, looking for some new scoop on the Xingke case. She feared that it was some malicious agent, hell-bent on eliminating that last of the loyalists.

She did not expect what she got.

"Zhou Xianglin," said the voice, "May I come in? I need a word with you, and I'm quite sure you Loyalists don't like talking out in the open."

That... did not sound good for Zhou. She pulled out her service pistol and, carefully, opened the door from the side. She let it slowly drift open, expecting some sort of reaction from her mysterious visitor. Instead, she got nothing, not even a word.

After a few seconds, Zhou made a decision. She quickly twisted herself into a position at the centre of the door-frame, gun raised and ready to fire. It was then she saw her visitor for the first time.

The first thing she noticed about him was his distinctly relaxed demeanour. For someone who had just leaked a potentially career-ending detail about her political affiliation, he didn't seem all that bothered about it.

The second thing she noticed about the man were his mismatched eyes – one gold, one purple. Both were fixed on her, as if boring into her very soul. After a moment, he said, "Good morning, Miss Xianglin. I am Allelujah Haptism. I have a message for you."

The soldier lowered her gun as she said, "The kind that needs delivering in person, I take it?"

Allelujah nodded.

"Who is it from?"

"Li Xingke."

And thus began Zhou Xianglin's long and prosperous business relationship with Allelujah Haptism. She invited him in, and he told her about what had happened the previous night. How Xingke had almost been assassinated, and Allelujah had helped him... disappear. But, perhaps most importantly, he told her of the promise he made, to make sure Tianzi was looked after.

"While this is all well and good," said Zhou, "I fail to see why you're telling me."

"No reason," asserted Allelujah, "And yet, for many reasons. You'll see what I mean, soon enough. Tell me, how does the post of Military Advisor sound to you?"

"Are you bribing me, Mister Haptism?" Zhou replied, with a coy smile.

"Not at all," said Allelujah, "I was merely pondering if you would like the chance to be a little closer to... shall we say... where the decisions are made."

Zhou closed her eyes and thought. It was true that a 'promotion' like that would place her closer to the Empress, and the Eunuchs. It would help the Loyalists a lot. But, she had duties, to her underlings and rising prospects. Eventually, she looked at Allelujah and said, "Do what you believe is right."

The man smiled at that, and said, "Wise choice, Miss Xianglin. I hope you can deal with the consequences."

And just like that, the man left. Like something out of a dream, leaving barely a sign that he had ever been there. At least, no sign until the following day, when a purple-haired man came down to her apartment, and told her of her 'unexpected' promotion.

But that was all years ago. She'd never seen Allelujah since, and even in her new position of Military Advisor, couldn't find any trace of his existence. Nevertheless, she was in a useful position. Half the time, she was expected to oversee training for promising young recruits, being bounced around the union. The other half, she was in the capital, being made to streamline the squabbling of the Eunuchs.

And squabble they did. Ever since that day, when Xingke disappeared, they'd wined and complained about how they were 'being sidelined' by the 'tyrant Empress'. Apparently, to them, 'being sidelined' meant that their lifestyles were getting more cushy at a slightly slower rate. Needless to say, no-one in the entire union was impressed.

So it was that Zhou Xianglin slowly built up some clout in the higher levels of government. With all the arse-kissing idiots that the Eunuchs normally surrounded themselves with, many found a loyalist ("I didn't know they still existed," she remembered one official saying) to be a breath of fresh air.

With all that said, it came as a surprise to very few when, after one Lin Biao stood down as the Empress's Military Aide, a summons was sent for Zhou Xianglin for 'confidential' reasons.

So it was that, three years to the day after the disappearance of Li Xingke, Zhou Xianglin found herself entering the office of Empress Tianzi. As she entered, the diminutive eight year old looked up at her and inquired, "Zhou Xianglin, I take it?"

The woman nodded. At this, the Empress told her, "I don't plan on taking long, not today. Please, take a seat."

Zhou did so.

"As I understand it," began the Empress, "You're in charge of the Loyalists. Am I wrong?"

"No, Milady."

The young lady giggled and said, "Please, if you're going to be so formal, call me Tianzi."

"Yes, Milady."

Another giggle, followed by a firm, "Great. So, I think you know why you're here."

"You want me as your new Military Aide."

"Correct," the Empress told the woman, "Do you want the job?"

The elder of the two sighed at the girl's directness. This wasn't the 'Puppet Empress' of yesteryear, it was clear, "Whatever you think best, Milady."

Tianzi sighed, "Call me Tianzi. Anyway, if you're going to accept, then you'll need to talk to my secretary. If there's nothing else you wish to discuss, then you may leave."

Zhou understood the meaning, and left without fuss. As the door shut behind her, the Empress sighed. Sometimes, she got tired of all the bickering and infighting amongst the Federation's leadership. Slowly, she walked to look out of the window. Night was beginning to fall, and slowly, surely, she could see the stars.

The Empress allowed the mask of composure to slide off her face. Today brought back memories, of a conversation I her bed-chambers, three years ago. The day she had decided to stop being the 'Puppet Empress', and take the reigns of state. Or rather, start preparing for a counter-attack against the Eunuchs.

The girl sighed and watched as the four symbols started to emerge. For all it's flaws, she thought, the Vermilion Forbidden City did have a beautiful night sky. Slowly, Empress Tianzi, born Jiang Lihua, looked out at the sky, and asked,

"Is this good enough, Da-ge? Would you be proud of me?" she started to sob. She remembered his words, . Just before she completely broke down, she quietly asked, "Am I even your mei-mei anymore?"

And, like the stars outside, tears emerged from the little girl.

Author's Notes: IT'S PUBLISHED! I'm sorry this took so long, but NaNoWriMo got in the way. Thankfully, though, I've had the chance to plan out the rest of the fic in more detail. I theory, this should streamline things a bit, but... I dunno. As always, please review and PM as you see fit: it really does help. Anyway, Armed interventions next chapter, I swear.

ALSO! Lyle's child hasn't been named yet. Feel free to suggest names for him/her in reviews or by PM. I'll make sure to credit the winning suggestion.

Writing Notes: This was a pain to write. The lack of action and excitement really stunts the pacing, but this chapter is more about world-building, anyway. I'm proud of how the second and third scenes turned out, though. As always, the title is a 00 reference - In this case, it's about the alternate nature of the world, and the split personalities of Soma Peries.

Next Time, Gundam will descend upon this World.