Disclaimer: I don't own either of the Code Geass, Gundam Seed or Star wars franchises. This story is not written with commercial purpose in mind. I make no money from it. It is not for sale or rent.

A Black Knight Rising

=ABKR=

Prologue: The Lady of the Lake

12 March 2009 A.T. B

Near Lake Sibhayi

South Africa

"Please watch. You'll love this!" My "host" grinned at me and pointed at a portable TV set that was perched on a folding table. It was an old, white and black model, powered by a car battery of all things. I suppose that was to be expected considering we were stuck in a jungle somewhere in Africa.

I glared at the bastard, which amused him to no end.

My current situation was a disgrace, one I had to blame on politics back home in Pendragon… that or my luck had gone down the drain. Nevertheless, if I had to chose between those two options – which were the most likely ones, I would say that politics. That was the most likely reason why my plane was shot down over the supposedly neutral country of South Africa, before I landed in this mess.

My predicament wasn't something I've had the misfortune of suffering before. Being stuck into a wooden cage on the shore of a lake wasn't my idea of fun even if I knew of a few half siblings who might have enjoyed being in my place, the lunatics. The supposed rebels who were holding me for ransom – which was highly unlikely to be ever paid, were well cultured and fit looking. All had faint European accents too. In fact they were too fit, clean and disciplined for run of the mill 'freedom fighters'. Those were my first clues in how deep shit I was. Their Euro Sphere accents and the fact that most of them were white, without the tan the locals were likely to have simply confirmed my suspicions.

My captors were either mercenaries, in which case I was likely FUBARed, or European special forces. If the latter was true I had a reasonable chance to be exchanged, for some concessions. In the former I should be doing my best to get the fuck out of here because there was no way they were ever going to let me go home – I could identify them so the various Imperial Intelligence services could hunt them down and make an example of them. Euro SF would have the backing necessary to potentially disappear or at least get out of Britannia's reach. That wasn't true for a bunch of mercenaries.

Escaping was rather hard at the moment. My hands were expertly tied for different bars of my cage, which was in turn rather sturdy; I should know, I spent the last couple of days trying to set myself free, something my hosts found hilarious. To add insult to injury, the local gunship sized mosquitoes were doing their best to eat me alive, which wasn't helping either. Who knows what I might catch from those pests.

Even if all that wasn't enough to make my current existence hell on Earth, the broadcast from home my kidnappers were gleefully showing me made it all worse. It put my situation into perspective too, an even more unpleasant one.

First, there was a rehash of days old news, which I obviously missed. Empresses Marianne was dead. Murdered.

Fuck, fuck, fuck! That suddenly explained the timing of my own misfortunes. I'd bet the family's title that my "accident" happened at the same damn time or close enough.

Marianne was one of the greatest allies my mother's branch of the family had. Combine that with my current predicament and that didn't paint a pretty picture.

She was my favourite aunt too. Aunt Mary... gods damn it. Her murder, my situation... For all I knew the rest of my immediate family was hit too though with no mention of them in the news I could at least hope.

My big sister should be reasonably safe while she was in the middle of her own division, pacifying an uprising in Area Six. My mother and little sister Euphie however... They were amidst that viper nest that was Pendragon, which was just demonstrated to be much less safe for the members of the Royal Family than anyone believed possible.

My thoughts went to Lully and Nunnaly. They were friends of the family, not to mention my own half-siblings. Nunnaly was Euphie's bestest friend, or at least my little sister said so the last time I saw her in the flesh. Truth to be said, the little firecracker was growing on me as of late. As far as I was concerned, the lad was all right too... For a kid that constantly buggered me and Cornelia about telling him war stories. Which was awkward, because we didn't have much to tell that would be appropriate for children's company. Well, that was certainly true for 'Nelly. Until this mess I had the good fortune to avoid action so far.

"You would love to see the next part." My host smiled brightly at me.

I swore to myself that I would see him dead for enjoying the tragedy that struck my family even if it was the last thing I would do. Considering I was stuck in the jungle with no idea where I was and likely no rescue coming, getting free and taking as many of the bastards holding me captive to Hel on my way to Valhalla might be the best I could do... if I was lucky.

The tune of the Anthem sounded for a few seconds, while the small screen was showing the Royal Crest. I instinctively tried to get to attention, making my "host" smirk. Moments later the crest was replaced by a picture from the Emperor's audience chamber, which was packed to the brim by what appeared to be most of the nobles in Pendragon if not the homelands.

My father was sitting on his throne, clad in his usual uniform like suit. He was looking bored while he was examining the assembled nobles.

Nothing new there.

Then it happened. Lelouch marched in, wearing a white uniform and a ridiculously looking cape. He had a furious expression on his face.

"Freya's tits!" I hissed. I could do nothing but watch helplessly the train wreck in progress, while wondering why the hell the inevitable accident that was about to follow had made it to the media. Why the Hel did my siblings let Lelouch meet father in the state the boy was in?!

He went to the edge of the allowed zone before the throne and started speaking, without the customary bowing or kneeling. Bad protocol that, not something Charles could let him get away with when the whole world was watching.

If father cared for once that is. I had the sneaking suspicion that I was watching a set up and my siblings were going to get railroaded.

I fucking hate our politics.

"Your Majesty, my mother has passed away." Lelouch growled.

Damn it kid, you should have put emphasis on the fact that she was the gods damned Empress! That's how you do it!

"What about it?" Charles glanced at Lully, with severe yet still bored expression on his face.

This was a signal that Lelouch hasn't fucked up beyond belief. Not yet at any rate. Yet, the way father responded had predictable results. I groaned while my brother was shaking with rage.

"What about it?!" Lully spat and leaned forward.

"Did you request an audience with the Emperor of Britannia just to say that?" Charles shook his head in disappointment.

Whatever Lelouch was trying to achieve, he was blowing it, because he was letting his rage rule him. This was only going to get worse and I could do nothing. It was obvious that the kid had no allies in the Audience Chamber either, because no one who could be considered a friend would have let him come anywhere near father in the state he was.

What in Hella's name were my siblings thinking?!

"Bring the next one, I don't have time to entertain children." The Emperor glanced at one of his aides, obviously dismissing my brother.

I was silently praying that my little brother would make the smart decision and take the opening father gave him.

Instead, he lost it.

"Father!" Lully shouted and darted forward. The honour guards standing between him and the Emperor moved like a lighting; their ceremonial, yet perfectly functional pikes swinging my brother's way.

All Father had to do was to raise his hand and they stopped in their tracks, shouting "Yes, your Majesty!", before saluting the Emperor and getting back to their posts.

The boredom was gone from Charles' face and was replaced by a thunderous expression.

I wanted to bash my head in something. Preferably head-butting one of my jailers.

"Why didn't you protect mother?!" Lelouch shouted.

Well it was a relevant question. A line of though that might have gotten him whatever he wanted, provided that he hadn't botched his audience already. However, this wasn't how you asked such a question of father in public consider the policies he has been championing for the last decade or so.

"Aren't you the Emperor? Aren't you the greatest man in this country?" My brother continued to rant. "You should have been able to protect her! At very least you should have visited Nunnaly!"

Gods damn it! This was another mistake. Knowing our father's policies, the last sentence was enough to fuck up Lully's chances by itself. If my foolish little brother had gone and outright requested of father to find whoever was responsible and making an example of them, that could have worked beautifully. Even if the Empress had shown "her weakness" by getting herself killed, which in itself was bullshit... Well, that was how the damn court worked nowadays. Raw naked power made one right. Requesting vengeance on someone's behalf could work too. However, ranting on the Emperor about being unable to protect someone who should be able to look after themselves... Such a thing flies against the whole Darwinism our father is so fond of.

Lully fucked up, big time. It was time to see with how much shit Cornelia and me would have to deal with in order to keep him and Nunna safe. If I got out of here alive that is. If not, then I would have to count on 'Nelly to look after our siblings. At least she knew what the Hel she was doing.

I was pointedly trying not to think what this whole mess did to Nunnaly.

"I have no use for the weak." Charles stated. There was a small hint of sadness that those who really knew the bastard might have seen. Or perhaps I was giving father too much credit.

The fuck was happening back home?!

"The weak?" Lully parroted.

"This is the true nature of the Royal Family." Father explained the obvious. He didn't add that this whole mess was his and great-grandfather's fault. One ensured the Emblem of Blood Era happened, the other had the chance to clean up the whole gods damned mess. Yet, while father finally got the Great Depression ended and put the Empire back into ascension, he also caused the Hel that was today's court with his crazy Darwinian policy.

It was something that I was painfully aware of. It was one of the reasons why I joined the military. Being perceived as weak was unhealthy in our circles. Besides, I wanted to be just like my big sister, who was my idol as I was growing up, well to be honest 'Nelly still was. Plus she was one of the very few decent siblings I have, which is saying something considering that we are about a hundred or so. I lost count sometime ago.

"Then I don't want the right to succeed the throne!" Lelouch declared.

That sentence froze the blood in my veins and I went rigid against the ropes binding me. Unless Charles decided to be uncharacteristically merciful, the little idiot just doomed both himself and Nunnaly! There were people that would love to make their lives Hel just to get back on Marianne, who was now safely dead. There were others who would gladly see them dead for the same reason.

"Gods damn it Lully!" I hissed through clenched teeth.

My shock was mirrored on the faces of the nobles in the Chamber, which were conveniently shown by the camera crews. There were loud gasps and cries of disbelief. One simply didn't throw away his right to inherit in the face of the Emperor himself, no matter their personal feeling on the subject.

The way our father's expression shifted at those words made his rising fury obvious.

"I won't succeed you or get in any more conflicts!" Lelouch screamed.

I simply watched the clusterfuck with a gaping mouth. The kid was determined to dig his hole deeper and deeper.

"You are dead." Our father declared. There was grim resignation in his voice mixed with fury. "You were dead since the day you were born."

Translation: You fucked up so much, I can't recognize that you were ever my son. Bloody Hel...

"Who gave you the clothes you wear right now? Your home? The food you eat? Your very life?" Father continued.

Further translation: You own nothing. You are nothing. There is no one protecting you now. Most importantly, you've earned nothing!

That's how the nobility of the Empire would be seeing him and his sister right now: pariahs who could be struck without reprecusions.

"So you weren't even alive in the first place! Yet, you show such insolence by coming here and making demands! Lelouch!" The name was spat as a curse.

My brother stepped back, stumbled and fell on his ass, gasping as the extent of his fuck up was becoming to dawn on him. Or perhaps it was mere shock. Frankly I had no idea what the little idiot was thinking.

"A dead person as you has no rights." Father said outright what he was insinuating so far.

Remaining within the Empire outside of the protection of my family would be a death sentence. As far as I knew, Cornelia was either with her division or searching for me. That left mother, who had lost her greatest ally and best friend. She had Euphie to think about too... That meant that those Lelouch and Nunnaly were on their own, for now. We were probably one of the only allies on which they could count at the moment and neither of us was in a position to do a damn thing to help them. I had the sneaking suspicion that the other allies of the former Empress were at least in as much trouble as my family.

"You'll go to Japan with Nunnaly. As a Prince and Princess, you will be a good bargaining chip. Or at least she will. Crippled or not, she is at least my daughter." Father practically exiled them

That was a polite way of saying that while Lully could forget about any ambitions he might have ever had within the Empire, Nunnaly wasn't necessary tainted by his foolish stunt. That's what a part my mind was telling me, while another was raging because the girl I was becoming to view as another favourite little sister has been caught in Pendragon's political games and crippled. On the other hand... by exiling them father would put them out of the reach of some of their enemies. However, without further protection...

I wanted to kill someone. My captors would do if I ever got out.

The news clip ended, replaced by the Royal Crest. My host shut down the TV and looked me in the eyes.

"Are you proud to be a Britannian Prince?" He smirked before leaving me alone.

I needed to get out of here. Now.

=ABKR=

It was later the same evening. I was still bound in my cage, with the added benefit of cool rain splashing everywhere and making me even more miserable if that was possible at all. The bloody giant mosquitoes were unfazed, still doing their damned best to eat me.

I cared for none of that. My comfort didn't matter considering what happened to my family. Aunt Mary was dead. That combined with my predicament meant that I couldn't count on either my mother or Euphie being safe. Or still alive for that matter.

It was infuriating. I was ready to do anything to be abler to check on them and make sure they were safe.

"Anything?" A melodious voice asked.

I blinked. The rain... it had stopped, frozen in the air. The few of my captors that I could see were still as statues, halted in mid-motion too.

I had lost it then. Just great. Probably heatstroke or some nasty disease brought to me courtesy of the fucking mosquitoes.

"You are surprisingly sane, my former Knight." The same voice rang with an amused chuckle.

I looked around and saw Her. An ethereal figure was walking upon the surface of the lake, coming closer and closer. Her face was cast in shadow; her feminine features were all but invisible because of her hair, which was a blazing starcsape that was almost painful to look at. It flowed over her form like a cloak concealing her features.

"I can give you enough power to keep them safe, if you play your cards right. I would ask for two boons in exchange." Her voice was alluring and painfully familiar. It tugged on something deep within me.

I narrowed my eyes at her. This delusion sounded too good to be true.

"What's the catch?" I played along with the delusion. Did it matter if I ignored her? Would she simply go away? I don't think madness worked that way.

"I can promise you that I won't ask of you anything that will be detrimental to the brothers and sisters you care about. Neither to you mother, who is alive by the way." The delusion said.

"Good to know. If I say no?" I continued to talk with, well myself. Could I still be considered crazy if I was very much aware of that fact?

"I leave and you follow your fate, whatever it may be."

I could swear she was smirking.

"Okay... As far as delusions go, you are on the nicer side of things. It's not like I have much to lose..." I trailed off and nodded towards the ropes binding me. "Care to just release me and be on your way?"

"I just might. I owe you that much, my Knight." She put an emphasis on the last word. "Then you get shot." This time she was the one nodding, her head leaning towards my guards. There were three of them in sight, all armed with assault rifles.

"That's not an outcome I would like." I admitted. I had to get home, to see that my family was safe.

"That's good. As I said, you are rather saneish all things considered!" She laughed at a joke that made sense to her.

"What do you want?" I inquired.

"For you to remember. To be my Knight." Despite being unable to see her face I somehow knew she was smiling softly at me.

"That's not helpful." Delusion all right. One that was becoming stranger by the minute. For a moment I wondered if my captors had fed me some funny meds. That would explain it, all right.

"All right. I accept." I jested. Besides, I was curious to see what the hallucination would do now.

"I'm glad you made this choice, my way-land Knight." I could feel her beaming at me.

She took a step forward and suddenly she was standing next to me in the cage while just a heartbeat ago she was on the edge of the lake. A soft hand touched my head and I screamed.

My mind burned as I remembered lives I didn't live, places and worlds that should have been impossible outside of science fiction.

Perhaps it all ended in moments. Or was it years? I couldn't tell. There was only pain and memories flashing before my eyes. They were mine yet weren't if that made any sense.

The roller-coaster ride in my head came to an abrupt end. I could remember him. Delkatar Veil, who once upon a time was a soldier on an Earth different yet the same. He died only to be thrown in yet another world where he became a Dark Lord of the Sith.

I remembered his patron too. Her shenanigans cost him everything.

"You." I glared at my patron. If I knew what my agreement would mean I would have gladly died.

"Me!" She waved cheerfully. "You remember. I'm glad it worked."

"I remember Veil. I remember you." I spat.

"I don't know how you managed to preserve your soul in the end, my Knight. Make no mistake, I'm glad you did." There was genuine affection in her voice, but it meant nothing. What I could see standing above me – it was a mere projection. Smoke and mirrors, nothing more.

"What do you want? Is this world to die for your amusement too?!"

"My Knight. You know better than that. What we did, it was an act of desperation. If we, you had failed, this would have been consumed too. Delkatar Veil did his part."

"He died. Even if he could have somehow survived his victory, he had no reason to keep coming. A man could lose everything only so many times." I hissed. I knew what deals with this entity turn out – there was only ruin at the end of the tunnel.

"He did. Yet you carry his soul. I could have brought him back, you know. However, I'm not that heartless. No matter where his mind ended, may he rest in peace. My deal is now with you, my Knight."

"That's a contradiction."

"Not from where I'm standing. It makes perfect sense from here." My ears rang with amused laugher.

"What do you want? If it was merely for me to serve you, you would have waited until I died to offer me a deal. That's what you did with Veil." At least that's why his memories told me.

I blinked in confusion. My head throbbed. I... I could remember, though those memories were odd. Distant – more akin to something I've read and watched than something I experienced. There were emotions coming with those memories, yet I couldn't recall them unless I concentrated hard.

"True enough." I somehow knew she was giving me a demure smile. "You know that usually my kind can't directly intervene. However, the fact that you possess Veil's soul gives me an opening. I can restore a part of him to you. You, Delkatar li Britannia were meant to die in this jungle. Your survival will send ripples outwards changing things. I won't give you a specific task. I don't have to."

"You did that with Veil." I pointed out while my mind was racing.

"Only the first time. When he became a Sith, my tasks were mere... red herring was it? I knew his nature. I knew him better than he knew himself. The consequences of his goals aligned with my agenda. The same is true for you, my Knight." Her voice was chock full with amusement. It wasn't exactly malicious but it was at my expense

"Not buying it." If what I now remembered was even partially true, she was one of the last being in the multiverse I would trust with anything.

"You know that for all my power I have severe limits on how much I could meddle." She chuckled.

"Says you." I countered.

"Yes, I say so. Otherwise, I wouldn't have needed Veil, nor you."

I examined my new memories for everything I could recall about this entity. Gods... She was the closest thing to a real deity I might ever meet.

"It was all a set-up. I was a mere pawn meant to lose everything at the end. A sacrifice to protect you." I snapped, though I knew it was a foolish thing to do. Especially when it wasn't me the one betrayed.

"Delkatar Veil. Dark Lord of the Sith and so many other things and people he was while in my service. He had a glorious purpose to serve – his sacrifice saved us all. It's true I deceived him. Used him with the full knowledge that his success would mean he would lose everything he ever cared about. The only gift I could give him in the end was that of death and eternal peace." She looked at me. "Your very existence meant I couldn't do even that, Delkatar li Britannia, because the soul you possess was his." There was a distant hint of fury in her voice. This wasn't a being accustomed to being denied. Somehow I've thrown a wrench in her plans and no matter if it was for better or worse she was displeased.

I closed my eyes. Was she telling the truth? My mind was finally settling. The memories of multiple past lives were at the back of it, changing me surprisingly little, personality wise. Most were fading like distant dreams until only Veil's time as a Sith and before that as a soldier of the Eurasian and Earth Federations remained. I had the vague sense that this life, my life, was what he hoped to be his last. A one last, normal lifetime before returning to oblivion forever.

Thanks to his treacherous patron that wouldn't be happening.

"My time here is running out." The shimmering being wilted on herself. "My Knight, I know you." She repeated. "Both heart and soul. I know what's precious to you. Who you want to protect. That's all I need." She leaned forward. "As I said, you were meant to die in this forest. I just gave you the tools you'll need to survive and continue making waves. That is enough."

"I see..." I trailed off and focused on my new memories. "It's been a long, long time yet I recall few bits and pieces about this world." Those fragmented memories felt a bit brighter, undoubtedly so they would get my attention.

"A long time? That it has." She interrupted me.

"Something about the end of the world, or changing it at gun point?" I shrugged. "And what's this about a Zero? Lelouch becoming some kind of terrorist? I know he fucked up but that's..." I trailed off.

A certain image flashed before my eyes. It was Euphie. She was in her late teens, wearing a pink dress. Of course it was pink, that was her favourite colour.

A ghost of a smile appeared on my lips. Then it froze.

It was my little sister, again in the same gown. She was clutching her chest, blood spreading under her fingers. There was surprise etched on her face. Her eyes were blazing with purple light. I could barely see the outline of a crane like symbol in them.

That wasn't going to happen! I would keep her safe no matter what!

"It's not much, my Knight. However, you recall enough. In less than a decade the only one li Britannia still left upon this world might have been Cornelia if she played her cards right. You will fight destiny and fate itself to change that outcome. By doing that you'll change the course of this world in a way I find pleasing or you'll die trying. That's our compact, my Knight. I promised you the power to protect those precious to you. It is Veil's power. Your own."

A soft, warm finger brushed a tear from my cheek. I barely registered it. Seeing my sister shot, even if it was only a vision of a possible future... That shook me to the core.

"You're your own person, Delkatar li Britannia. Use my gift well and don't ever forget who you are. Fare thee well, my Knight."

"Veil wanted to be left alone at the end. No part of your games any longer." I spoke as I recalled his last moments.

"Indeed." I could clearly hear the regret in her voice.

"You could have brought him back. He would have consumed me, making me a small part of him."

"Perhaps." She sighed. "I vowed I won't. You do carry his soul. He should have been allowed to rest. The place he ended after his final death... that death game he fought in afterwards and the prize he won... That's the reason why you exist, li Britannia. I believe he wanted the chance to live one last, simple and happy life. Yet..."

"I lived a good life until now..." I trailed off. Until aunt Mary was murdered, Veil got his wish fulfilled. My life was happy even if it wasn't simple with me being my father's son. "You altered the memories. I have the information, perhaps even the skills, yet I haven't been changed beyond recognition by his memories. I don't feel any different, but I know I should be. I should be drowning in all these memories and if they didn't kill me someone else would have emerged." I looked for answers at the ethereal figure.

"I cheated. I would prefer to gain the services of my Knight, yes. Yet I won't bring him back to life. I won't break my vow. You're similar enough and by the time your path on this Earth is done, you'll have most of the necessary skills to do the job." She was back next to me and gently squeezed my shoulder. "If I could have aided you enough without making this deal I would have. I owe Veil that much and more."

"So I'm the next best thing. That does wonders for my ego." I deadpanned.

"Well, you know the alternative..." She trailed off. "Have fun, little prince." There was something different in her voice. An echo of familiar power. "Don't make little Euphie cry."

I could feel it. Like a cool wind passing through me. An echo, of every being in the universe, her very heartbeat. It was the soft warmth of the sun, without it's harsh glare. It was the eye of a storm, which was made by the passions of every living thing, turned into energy, into a chorus of emotions.

For the first time since I was reborn as Delkatar Li Britannia, she sang within me. I could feel her. She was like a calm stream, that was steadily growing stronger. She was feeding on my emotions, my anger and fear for my family. She was empowered by my love for my mother and siblings.

Veil's patron smiled at me. Our patron now.

"Fare thee well, Delkatar li Britannia."

The rain resumed falling as if nothing had happened. For the longest moment I wondered if all that just happened had been a hallucination. A heartbeat passed. Then another. The world felt so much more vivid. More real. It was hard to describe. How do you tell a blind man about your favourite colour? How do you explain to the deaf how the voices of your mother and sisters affects you?

The Force was all around me. In me too.

This hasn't been a mere delusion. Knowing that for a fact was both an immense relief and a tremendous burden. Our patron was gone and hopefully I wouldn't be meeting her again for a very, very long time.

I recalled the memory of a teenage Euphie being shot. My heart was gripped by a rage so potent I could taste it. The poisonous touch of the Dark Side came unbidden. It whispered promises of power and vengeance in the back of my mind. The Dark Side begged me to unleash her.

I hesitated. Veil was a Sith. A monster. Not the kind of man I would want in the same galaxy with my sisters, much less on the same planet or even related to them. However, the other path, that of a Jedi – it was closed to me. If I walked it I would have to place the good of the whole world above the fate of my family and I could never do that. The people I cared about were the reason why I agreed to this deal even if it was in jest at a time I didn't really know what it meant.

What could I do?

The answer was deceptively simple, yet very complicated in the long term. I would be forging my own path. This wasn't a world where the Jedi and Sith had a legacy to uphold and be hold them down. What else could I do? I had to protect my family and the first step was getting out of here in one piece.

I opened myself fully for the Force. It flowed through my body strengthening my limbs. Veil's memories about his power were vivid enough so I more or less knew what I was doing. I focused and my power eagerly responded.

The ropes binding me snapped. I released a wave of pure telekinetic power, which shattered the wooden cage around me.

I stood up, the Force revitalizing my muscles.

The closest of my captors shook out of his shock and pointed his weapon at me. Surprisingly he didn't immediately open fire.

"Halt! On your knees!" The terrified man shouted.

"Your fear is delicious." Those words came unbidden. The Dark Side sang within me, eager to be unleashed.

=ABKR=

Chapter 1: A Family Reunion

=ABKR=

Part 1: Finding a way back home

12 March 2009 A.T. B

Near Lake Sibhayi

South Africa

Having the might of the Force at my disposal for the first time... The eager anticipation I could feel coming from the Dark Side and feeling the boundless energy I could tap into... It made me drunk with power.

I knew better. Truly. Veil had spent more than a decade hunting down Sith who lost it. He saw first hand what the Dark Side could do to people who surrender to her ministrations. Nevertheless, in those first moments after utilizing the Force for the first time, its power went to my head. I felt all powerful, invincible even.

It almost got me killed.

The four kidnappers nearby weren't the problem. Only one of them had his wits with him and he didn't immediately open fire. The other were thrown away by my telekinetic push hard enough to either dazzle or even permanently incapacitate them.

The mercenary who remained on his feet should have immediately opened fire at me. Instead he demanded my surrender. I didn't know if it was his fear, discipline or something else that held his hand for the moment. It didn't really matter right then and there.

I willed the Force to act and his rifle flew in my outstretched hand before he could press the trigger. Then I sent him flying back with a telekinetic wave, which also picked up two downed enemies who were on the ground between us. I was still reacting and not really thinking. The sense of power, it was incredible.

The last man from the closest group was raising his weapon, aiming in my direction. I pulled him towards me, and used the AR in my right hand as a club, bashing his head in. Feeling him die was a heady feeling. Killing him was so easy, so empowering. I didn't think, simply laughed at the sense of power coursing through my veins.

All I could say in my defence was that I was drunk on the Dark Side. In the first moments after using the Force it was a miracle I didn't fall completely under its sway. I could felt her power. I felt untouchable.

A part of that was happening was understandable I guess. With the Force at my side, a small group of even superbly trained soldiers who had never faced something like me, shouldn't have been a threat. It was a very stupid conclusion in hindsight, especially when some time later I remembered how many Force Adepts were killed by simple professional soldiers, especially if they were underestimated.

Right then and there none of that mattered. The Dark Side promised everything I wanted and it seemed she was delivering. I was drowning in her. Falling and fast.

Needless to say, my new-found sense of invincibility failed to provide protection against bullets. That's what happens when you don't pay attention.

I did feel the Force whispering a warning, though I almost missed it as lost as I was within the Dark Side. Was it something in Veil's memories? The training I got by the Britannian army? I never knew for sure. The important part was that something within me heeded that warning and I rolled away from where I stood in the open like a bloody idiot. Instead of getting a burst in the back, only a single bullet struck me, piercing my left shoulder. Hot lead tore through flesh and bone, lighting my nerves on fire. Striking the ground hard and rolling away sent spikes of agony through me as the wound hit the moist soil again and again. Fragments of my mangled bone bit deeper in my flesh aggravating the wound.

The pain infuriated me even further, however the sheer surprise of it managed to push back the haze of the Dark Side for a brief moment. I was still rolling trying to outpace a line of bullets chewing the ground in my wake. I used every little trick I could draw from Veil's memories to keep the madness of the Dark Side at bay. I focused on my pain and on the burning fury in my heart, then channelled them into the Force. My mind became coldly clear and suddenly I was back in control. For a heartbeat I marvelled how close I came to falling, how easy it would have been.

Then the bullets came even closer. I used my pain as a fuel to concentrate the Force into a barrier between me and the flying lead and finally stopped rolling. I took a moment to take in my bearing – which was on the white sand of the lake's shore. I was in the open, exposed. Only the night's darkness and the fact that the people shooting at me lacked night vision kept me from getting shredded until now. I used the Force to locate the source of the attack – there were three signatures advancing to my position and they were virtually invisible in the dark. At least four more were coming from the other end of the camp, though their advance was wary and they were sweeping everything for unseen enemies.

I used the Force to numb the pain so it wasn't distracting me, which it did even as I used the sensation as fuel for the Dark Side. Time was running out and I needed to dispatch the approaching trio now. My concentration was wavering and I couldn't keep the barrier for much longer.

With my shoulder numbed, I could spare enough concentration to enhance my speed. The barrier would hold for few more seconds and that had to be enough. I went for the approaching enemy at impossibly fast sprint making me appear as a blur.

They didn't panic, nor break. Instead, the soldiers proved they weren't common mercenaries by standing their ground and putting aimed fire into me. Fortunately thanks to my unnatural speed and the twilight they missed more often than not. The barrier absorbed what bullets struck me and only shattered when their magazines rand dry. The soldiers, for given their discipline they couldn't be anything less, still kept cool. Perhaps it was their training or there simply wasn't enough time for them to panic. It was irrelevant. The point man let his rifle drop and went for his side-arm while his buddies were already reloading much, much faster than one could anticipate. Their actions had a practiced ease to them betraying long hours of dedicated training.

Against a normal human they would have been fast enough. If the Force didn't make me supernaturally fast, the soldiers would have pumped me full of lead.

I didn't give them the chance.

When I was close enough I screamed at them, putting all my pain and rage into it. The fear I felt when seeing Euphie clutching her blooded dress. The Dark Side responded, enhancing my shout. I could see the very air before me rippling outwards as my scream went forward and struck the men. The point man managed to get out a shot in my direction, but the bullet was sent away by the shock-wave of my scream. The falling raindrops were blown away as if picked up by hurricane. The sound wave shattered small trees and tore asunder brushes until it struck the men. They were picked up and bodily thrown back only to land hard and tumble over the moist ground in broken heaps.

I could feel their life force vanishing, leaving behind cooling piles of brutalized meat and shattered bone.

Then the other group opened fire. Their shooting was mostly blind meant to suppress the enemy. Still bullets began buzzing near me. I I immediately hit the deck, making my shoulder flare up in pain. I grit my teeth and ignored the agony as good as I could. The numbness I put over the wound was quickly dissipating and I would soon need to do something about my wrecked shoulder before the blood loss weakened me too much.

It was time to stop fucking around before I got shot again. I quickly searched Veil's memories for what I needed while more and more bullets came uncomfortably close to me. I redirected my concentration upon the Force once I found what I was looking for. Shadows surrounded my form, making me melt out of sight. More energy wrapped around me under my guidance until it formed into a sound-dampening field.

That's what I should have done in the fist place. Good luck shooting what you can't see nor hear.

Once that I was invisible, I got out of my position and dashed towards the forest while keeping low. There was no reason to present a bigger target even if they couldn't see me. At the same time, I was using what little concentration I could spare to scan the immediate area, which was putting an unpleasant strain on my mind. My head was thumping with dull ache and I knew it would only get worse. At this rate I might be mentally spent before my body couldn't handle any more channelling the Force.

For a heartbeat I frowned at that thought. Doing all that used to be easy or so my memories told me. Well, it was easy – for Veil who had trained both his body and mind to use the Force for decades. The spirit was willing but the flesh was weak.

I shook my head to clearing my thoughts. Those were issues for another time. I could sense seven people who were still alive. Only five of them appeared to be conscious and one of those was in the lake after I threw him there. That left the group that was sweeping the camp searching for me as immediate threats. Huh, I could swear there were more of the bastards. My concentration wavered and I returned my mind in maintaining my stealth techniques.

I sneaked on their right flank leaned behind a large three. I let my invisibility go and used the Force to compel my wound to stop bleeding. It was another temporarily measure but it wasn't like I could try fixing my shoulder before I've dispatched the enemy. I got my stealth back on and went closer so I could study the fire-team. A pair had tactical vests over their shirts, they were probably part of this night's guard detail. The rest looked dishevelled. They were probably sleeping when I started my little breakout.

I concentrated, letting the sound-dampening go away and leaving only the shadows as my defence. Then I reached through the Force and grabbed the man furthest away. My power picked him up and left him chocking half a meter in the air. His closest buddy swept his weapon that way. The one in the middle continued covering their front while the last one swept to his right and then back. They also dropped low to make themselves lesser targets.

Good training all right. Not very useful against an unknown threat but from what I saw if I somehow got myself free without having access to the Force there was no way in Hel I could overcome them. A successful escape in the night was unlikely either.

I smiled grimly. I did have the Force on my side.

It was time to end this. I let my mind fly free, then I slammed all my Force enhanced willpower in the middle man. He left a strangled cry as his feeble natural defences shattered, leaving him little more than a drooling idiot. Forcing my will upon his wrecked mind even for a few moments was unexpectedly hard. There was some kind of resistance I hadn't encountered before, yet it was too little too late. The unlucky soldier became a pupped for my will. It should have been trivial to turn him around and shoot the man closest to me in the back. Instead, I had to struggle every step of the way. Still, it worked. He let out a moan, but aimed his rifle at the back of his buddy and pressed the trigger. Two three round bursts at practically point blank range took out another enemy.

Meanwhile, the one I chocked with my power was already dead and dropped to the ground as the telekinetic grasp around his chest dissipated. That left only one present threat and the man swimming towards the shore.

I had special plans for both of them. First, it was the dangerous one. I pulled his weapon out of his hands using telekinesis. Finally the composure of one of those bastards broke. He cried in surprise and began fumbling for his side-arm, only to look dumbly as I got it too.

He was afraid and his fear was delicious. Why did I enjoy the man's terror even if he was an enemy?

More pain flared up in my shoulder and it began bleeding again. I had to fix it now so I pulled the disarmed soldier towards me, leaving him suspended in the air in front of me. Despite his terror or perhaps because of it, he was fumbling with a grenade attached to his harness. I got his hands in telekinetic grip ensuring there won't be any explosive surprises and let the shadows around me go.

His eyes threatened to pop out of his sockets when he recognized me.

I stumbled forward nearly falling to my knees. I could feel my body screaming in protest and swore. I've been using too much power too fast and I still needed to channel more. My distress gave the soldier a bit of hope – little did he know he had run flat out of luck.

I grit my teeth not to scream as I stumbled forward until I was next to my terrified captive and placed my right hand on his chest. I searched for his life force and then I tugged at it with the Dark Side. The darker part of my mind watched with glee at the man's terror as he felt his very life being drained away.

At the same time I felt stronger. At least physically. The strain that I placed my body through by using so much of the Force in such a short amount of time wasn't going away. It couldn't be erased that easily. On the other hand, my wound was getting better at impossible rate. Which meant that I had to grind my teeth as I felt pieces of my bone move through my flesh before they were back in place and started knitting. After a few seconds I lost it and screamed in pain. My joint popped, bone fragments shifted, flesh became healthier. Odin's balls, it hurt like a sonofabitch!

I don't know how long it took, but if Veil's memories were anything to go by, it should have been moments.

It felt like fucking hours of agony.

When the pain abated, I found myself on my knees, next to a desiccated mummy. The cool rain was gently falling upon me and the night was unexpectedly quiet. Apparently my screams were enough to cower the local wildlife for a time.

While I still could feel the Force all around me, I was no longer actively using her. That explained why the strain was gone, even if I felt like Thor used his hammer to tenderize me before feeding me too one of Loki's pets.

I looked at my shoulder. It wasn't totally healed. I could see an ugly flesh wound that went almost down to the bone but that was it. At least it was no longer bleeding. I gave my arm a gentle try and while it hurt as if someone was stabbing me with red hot blade, the joint actually worked. I carefully stretched the fingers of my left hand then clutched them into a fist.

Good. I wasn't crippled.

I made a mental note to be careful with it in the foreseeable future. I knew that the newly knitted bones weren't as strong as before. It would take at least a few days for that, if I used the Force to make the healing process faster. It was too bad that there was no bacta on Earth. That wasn't something I could recreate despite Veil's memories. Nor kolto for that matter.

I called on a bit of my power and cold fire spreading through my veins making me I gasp in pain. Fuck. I overdid it all right. I kept swimming through the Force for a few seconds until I confirmed that there were only three other living people in the vicinity, counting the man whose mind I shattered earlier. I noted their locations and let go, feeling a sudden relief as my body was no longer under the strain of the Force running through me.

The man with shattered mind was of no consequence. For all intends and purposes he was a corpse. That left one unconscious soldier who survived being tossed around at the beginning of my escape and the unlucky bastard in the lake. He had the presence of mind to switch directions and try swimming as far away from the camp as he could. That wasn't going to help him.

Still, he would be in reasonable range to be telekinetically plucked out of the water for couple of minutes. That's why I first went to secure the unconscious man who I hastily tied up with belts I gathered from the corpses of his buddies. I picked up a med pack while I was at it, then finally it was time to deal with the last enemy swimming. With the rain and the darkness there was no way I could have located him without the Force. Unfortunately for him, with my power I could see his signature clear as a day. My telekinetic shove might have wounded him.

Before I was spent for the time being I was able to pluck him straight out of the water, depose him on the shore and send a bolt of Sith lighting modified to stun instead of torture or kill. That turned out to be much too close for comfort because I collapsed to my knees a moment after my energy bolt slammed into his chest. I had to crawl to him so I could secure him before he had a chance to awake. With how exhausted I was I wasn't going to bet on him remaining stunned for long.

Only now I could spare some time to bandage my shoulder. While rummaging through the med-pack I found painkillers, antiseptics and even four caffeine tablets which I was pretty sure weren't standard fare. I popped two in my mouth, ignored the painkillers for the time being because I needed my mind as sharp as it was going to get and began the painstaking task of bandaging myself.

While I was taking care of my wound I finally got a bit of time to think. How many soldiers did I face? Ten? Twelve? With the Force I should have been able to dispatch them without trouble. Certainly I shouldn't be spent when the dust settled.

Or should I? Veil could certainly do it, however I wasn't him. This wasn't his body, which had been trained and accustomed to channel copious amounts of power on regular basis. For all I knew, I might never be as strong in the Force as he was. That was an unsettling though, yet... I didn't really need to be that powerful, did I? I had only Earth to worry about. Even a fraction of his power would be a tremendous power multiplier if used prudently. As long as I didn't let the Dark Side run things again because in that case I would get myself killed or worse.

Thanks to his memories I could recall people consumed by the Dark Side. Their priorities changed, they no longer cared for the same things and that was simply unacceptable. The mere thought that I could fall so far I wouldn't spare a second thought about hurting mother or one of my precious sisters was terrifying. I had to make sure something like that could never happen.

When my wound was bandaged, I went to scavenge some supplies – food and water rations, weapons and ammo along with tactical vest and a backpack to carry them. While doing that I put the brain-dead man out of his misery and finally returned to my two captives. It was interrogation time.

I prepared a knife, a few sharpened sticks, ampoules with ammonia – all was ready. It was time to let my inner Sith play.

=ABKR=

13 March 2009 A.T. B

Near Lake Sibhayi

South Africa

I was grateful that the rain didn't stop. It made washing the blood that splattered me during the interrogation much easier to wash out. I would have preferred to use the Force and simply take the necessary info from the minds of my captives, however that wasn't practical in this instance. I would need my powers to get to civilization or in case another strike team arrived to check up on the one I took out last night. Besides, as burned out as I was I didn't rate my chances well – I was more likely to either fry their brains or collapse than get useful Intel. That's why I did it the old fashioned way. Veil had been trained in both sophisticated and quick and crude interrogation techniques by both Imperial Intelligence and the people at the Sith Academy. I put that knowledge to good use during the night. Let me tell you – given enough time and the 'right' incentive everyone breaks. The emphatic sense I got through the Force was a two edged sword – I didn't need to guess when they were lying to me. In the same time I felt their agony, enjoyed it. That rattled me more than I wanted to admit. One of my captives died before giving me anything more than confirmation that I didn't run afoul a bunch of mercenaries. Those Hella damned bastards were Euro special forces.

The other told me a lot before he expired. The two sections of EU SF troopers I took out knew my plane's flight path. They had missiles deployed to shoot down my transport and had orders to take me into captivity and kill everyone else who might have survived. I was meant to be used as a potential bargaining chip and killed once my usefulness was at its end. He didn't know if there were contingencies in case I somehow escaped or if a rescue unit managed to spirit me away – only their commander was privy to that Intel and I used one of his men to shoot him in the back so that was a no go.

The conclusions I could make were grim – at best the Empire had some pretty big security leaks. Considering the murder of aunt Mary, it was more likely that my flight path had been sold as a ploy to get me killed by people in Pendragon, which was even worse. This was an escalation of court politics that came unpleasantly close to the Emblem of Blood period father stopped when he took power.

I had to assume that another EU strike team would be on its way here, perhaps with air support too. If I was lucky, there was an Imperial rescue party trying to locate me. I would have to make contact with them if they existed, make sure they were here to bring me home alive too and not to ensure I stayed dead. Otherwise I would have to make my way to civilization and seek a way home by myself.

I wasn't so arrogant to assume that I could deal with unknown number of Imperial and/or EU special forces operatives even with the Force. Last nigh left me exhausted. Another encounter so soon might prove fatal, yet it wasn't up to me. I had to decide what to do.

Whistling a tune that no one upon this Earth knew, I finished cleaning up and went to get myself armed with the best that the Euros had at their disposal. After that was done I went to their makeshift kitchen and tried their MRE's, which weren't half bad. They actually had pizza of all things, which was edible too!

Still, I couldn't make up my mind. Wait here to be find by friend or foe? Go through the jungle towards the closest town? I was loath to stay put, yet this place was days of hiking away from civilization. The closest town would be the logical place to watch if I would appear from the jungle too...

When I polished up the first decent meal I had in days, I tentatively accessed the Force. It was unpleasant but no longer outright painful. Wasting no time, I scanned my surroundings. Not finding any people in my range I made my way into the forest and searched for a nice perch. I found it in an old tree with thick branches, one of which made a nice position to wait for my possible ride out. So I climbed up and sat down, waiting. The three was thick enough to prove good cover when combined with the Force if someone decided to bomb the camp off the face of the world so it was going to be useful. My mind was made – I would take some time to recover my strength and see if I could either ambush an enemy force sent to finish the job or if I could link up with someone friendly, because otherwise I would be stuck in Africa for weeks.

It was couple of hours later, during one of my periodical sweeps with the Force that I noticed them. Ten signatures were fast approaching from the east. Probably on a helicopter. They were too low to be coming in on plane. Too close too. My range wasn't what it used to be... well it wasn't Veil's that's for certain.

They were a few clicks away and the only reason I could find them was that they were the only sentients beside me in the region, which was what I was looking for.

Huh. The rumours that our special ops folks had stealthy helicopters were apparently true. I should have been able to hear the bird approaching by now. I concentrated and used the Force to check up what they were doing. Their signatures had stopped their approach. So they were disembarking. Two pilots, I think. That left an eight man squad – two fire-teams. Of course, I shouldn't be assuming they were Britannian before I laid my eyes upon them. With my luck they could very well be another EU kill team.

Now I had to decide how to greet them...

=ABKR=

In the end I decided to try subverting the unit, to avoid another confrontation if it was at all possible. That would only work if they were Imperial otherwise I would need to strike hard and fast before they knew what hit them.

Just in case I went deeper in the forest, intent on confronting them in a place with a lot of cover, where I might be able to vanish out of sight even if my power failed me.

I sneaked towards them until I was on their left flank. The men and women were moving cautiously through the night, carefully sweeping for traps that might give up their approach. They weren't in any hurry either. I think that they planned to hit the camp just before dawn which was still hours away. I melted in the shadows and slowly showed my head around a three careful not to disturb the shrubs around its base.

I had to enhance my vision through the Force to see clearly, but it was worth it. From the equipment and uniforms this looked like a Britannian unit all right. I got back behind the three and took a deep breath.

"Hi there!" I shouted from behind my cover that looked sturdy enough to stop an RPG round.

Needless to say, they scattered, getting behind the closest cover they could find.

Surprisingly, no one opened fire. Perhaps it was my upper crust Britannian accent or they were thinking that I was a distraction to let other nasty locals to sneak up to them.

"I'll make an educated guess. You've been sent do clean up a bunch of fucks that had irritated the higher ups back home." I continued in nonchalant manner. "You may calm down, too. We are the only alive people in the area, if you don't count the crew of whatever transport brought you here."

"Who the fuck are you?" A man grunted just loud enough to be heard, but so quiet that you couldn't pinpoint his exact location.

"Me? I'm Seventh Prince Delkatar Li Britannia. The idiots you were sent to kill shot down my plane a few days ago and were keeping me captive until last night."

"Yeah, pull the other one." Someone snorted aloud.

"If this was an ambush meant to kill you, the first you would have known about it would have been when machine gun fire and grenades decided to liven up your night." I dead-panned. "We wouldn't be having such a nice chat otherwise. The question is if you've been sent on a general search and destroy mission of if I'm specifically one of the targets to disappear tonight."

"Fuck. I hate politics." Someone grumbled.

Ah, so at least one of them got my meaning. And the possible mess they were in.

"If you are an actual Britannian Prince and not just a joker that begs to be shot, no, we aren't here to kill you. You Highness." The last was added as an afterthought by the man who spoke first.

"You sure about that? I can be a Prince and an idiot that needs shooting on general principle. At least a few of my siblings are just like that." I quipped.

"May Odin have mercy on my soul." Someone grunted. "I'm getting up and coming out. If this is a trap, we'll reap ourselves a big honour guard for Valhalla."

"Boss, you sure?" A woman asked.

"He's right. If this was an ambush, we wouldn't be talking." A new voice added.

"They might be getting in position as we speak if we missed their kill-zone." The woman warned.

"That's true. But Prince or not, that's a Noble's accent. Straight from Pendragon too." Grunted the man that appeared to be their commander. "If this is a trap I expect you to kill the fuckers. Hail Britannia."

I could hear the man moving towards me through the grass. When he entered the tree-line I cloaked myself with the Force and changed locations. To my relief I could sense his soldiers were keeping their positions, though I could feel their wariness. They were on edge.

Soon enough I could see the man clearly, despite the darkness. Another score for the Force. He was wearing uniform appropriate for the Jungle, complete with harness with all the toys you might expect a special forces operative to carry on a search and destroy mission and then some.

"No fast moves." I spoke quietly from his left flank. He had been walking toward the tree I used for cover when I started speaking. "Hands up and turn around slowly. Last night I had enough excitement for to secure me a place in Valhalla."

He complied and moved slowly. I could feel him being anxious. He didn't want to get shot. Which was nice. No suicidal heroics if we could avoid it.

Despite all the rumours, there were a lot of sensible people in the Imperial armed forces. It was primary certain Noble idiots who often got in for the glory who gave a bad name to the lot of us. Them, and a few units filled with brainwashed idiots who lapped the propaganda coming out of Pendragon like it was the gods own gospel. Fucking fanatics.

The commando finally turned towards me, obviously trying to appear non-threatening. Considering that he was covered with combat gear, topped off with night vision goggles that gave him a vague insectoid look, it wasn't working particularly good.

I grinned at him.

"I don't look like your typical prince, do I?" I quipped.

The corners of his mouth, which were visible, turned up.

"More like a drunk vagrant. So you are Cornelia's little brother?" The man visibly relaxed after studying my face for a few moments. Thanks to the Force I could feel the tension bleeding away from his body. So they probably weren't ordered to make me vanish. The night might just be looking up.

I cringed. I loved my sister, however being know as her little brother in the army wasn't endearing her to me. It wasn't doing my ego any favours either.

"Yep. However, I hope one day I'm going to be known for my own exploits, thank you very much."

"What about the insurgents we were sent after?"

"Dead. They weren't insurgents."

"Oh?"

"EU Special Forces, two sections of the bastards."

"And you'd have me believe you handled them?" I could feel his disbelief.

"Their camp is that way." I pointed at the lake. "There is a bit of Intel there you might want to grab as well as confirm that they are handled."

"Uh, huh." He glanced at my shoulder. "Do you need medical attention, Your Highness?

"I'll live. Keep that bullshit for when there is someone who cares around."

"He's one of ours. Howard, come here and check him up, our new friend is wounded. The rest of you move in towards the objective." He didn't tell them that the Euros were dead. Smart. For all he knew I was delusional or something. I would be doing the same thing if I was in his shoes.

=ABKR=

Part 2: Meeting Big Sister

14 March 2009 A.T. B

Army Base "Lancelot"

Area Six

It was an interesting journey, reaching this place. First it was a ride on a stealth chopper out of South Africa after the Black Ops unit confirmed that my captors were all dead and looted their camp for useful Intel. The fact that I had managed to deal with that many men, while starting alone and unarmed earned me some measure of respect. When they saw the people I interrogated and the mummy, well, there were some awkward glances sent my way.

I parted with the rescue unit when the bird landed on an Imperial cruiser in the Indian Ocean. My arrival produced a small furrow. No one expected the commandos to bring back an alive prince. It turned out that the official word was that my flight had been lost with all hands. That was curious and something to look at later – figuring out who gave that directive might be a way to finding who exactly sold me out. It took some persuasion, backed up by gentle pushing with the Force to convince everyone that my survival should be kept a secret for a few days.

Next I found myself on board of INS "Pendragon", a Victorious-class super-carrier, which was on her way back to the homeland for refit after extended deployment near the former New Zealand.

There I finally boarded my current ride, after a dinner with the Admiral and his staff. The officers were pleased that they played a small part in the rescue of a royal. Such a thing tended to enhance one's career. Even if said prince's misfortune had been caused by Pendragon's infamous political games.

Needless to say, it was even harder to convince the Admiral and his staff that I should officially remain dead for a bit longer.

That's how I ended up, at the co-pilot seat of a fighter on final approach towards a runaway at the base where Cornelia's army was stationed. I had no illusions that my survival could be kept a secret for long. Anyway, the deception only needed to hold until I got safely to my sister which it thankfully did.

Soon enough the plane landed and I was making my way out. As it turned out, my arrival wasn't as clandestine as I hoped. The living proof was waiting on the runaway standing stiffly next to a Jeep. There was no way I could mistake my sister's Knight of Honour, Guilford. His thin frame was tensed until I jumped out of the cockpit without waiting for a ladder to be brought. He examined me for a long moment and his shoulders relaxed. A relieved smile appeared on his face.

"It's good to see you are still in one piece, Your Highness." He shook himself and gave me a respectful bow, before waving me to get into the Jeep.

"I quite like it that way. How is my sister? I understand that there were some rumours about my demise circulated around the homeland." I asked. The last thing I wanted was to worry my family, but it couldn't be helped. It wasn't like I had any power over the rumour mill back home.

"As you can imagine, she was pissed off. Then heartbroken." Guilford gave me a brief accusing glance before getting himself back under control and sighing. "Cornelia didn't take the news in a good way."

"I certainly can. Any news about mother or Euphemia? When I learned about the Empress and figured out that my unfortunate accident happened about the same time..." I trailed off.

Guilford wasn't an idiot. He was well aware that there was no chance in hell that a bunch of terrorist could have made it to the Aries Villa, killed Marianne and gotten away clean. It was internal job all right.

He frowned. Not a good sign, damn it!

"They are all right." He said after getting behind the wheel. "At least they were the last time we heard of them."

I made my way next to him and closed the door and waited for the other shoe to drop.

"There was an attack on your home but the family wasn't. Apparently Lady Catherine received some kind of a warning from Marianne the day before the attacks so she grabbed Euphemia and left to visit Duke Ashford. The residence was hit minutes after they left."

"Should I assume that someone tried to take out Cornelia too?"

"Not yet. We've been on a wartime alert ever since the attacks, however its been quiet here."

"Whoever is pulling the strings isn't going to overlook my sister. Mother and Cornelia are the most dangerous of us."

"You were softer targets, your highness. Shooting down a private plane without escort and hitting the residence – both are much easier than striking at Cornelia while in here."

"True enough." I conceded. We might have been just targets of opportunity, a way to send a message to everyone who at one time or another supported aunt Mary.

I was going to hunt them all down anyway.

"Oh, congratulations by the way." Guilford inclined his head my way.

"About what?"

"I'm sure that you'll be getting reassigned to this army. If my Princes doesn't strangle you for keeping us thinking you are dead."

"I know she'll be displeased. However, I wanted to be somewhere secure before revealing my survival. Until I saw the bade I was half expecting another assassination attempt." I admitted.

"Healthy paranoia." He nodded in approval.

After a few minutes of silent travel we arrived to a massive building, which contained the command centre, among other facilities. Thanks to Guilford we got through the security checks rather fast ans soon enough I was in front of my sister's office. There were two armed and armoured soldiers at her door. If my guess was right they were there not to deal with some assassin that made it through all the security, but to keep sycophants away from Cornelia – she had been complaining about it in the past. I guess some people just didn't learn.

Point of fact, there was a small queue waiting for an audience with my sister. Only a third of them were military. The rest were nobles, if the way they dressed was anything to go by. The later looked at me with derision once they noted the borrowed uniform that I was wearing. The only notable thing on it was my rank insignia. There were no medals and more importantly not the li Britannia's crest to identify me. I wasn't one of the media darlings either so it was quite possible that most people even nobles who hasn't met me at Pendragon didn't recognize me in these clothes. That was all right – the last thing I needed was dealing with courtiers.

When Guilford led me straight to the door, disregarding the waiting people, it earned both of us a lot of dirty looks. Considering that he was Cornelia's Knight of Honour everyone kept their thoughts to themselves.

When Guilford opened the door I could hear my sister's distinctive angry voice.

"Damn them! Those imbeciles were unable to keep the Empress safe! I'm not leaving my family under their protection! I want my mother and sister on the first available plane, am I clear?!" She paused. "Guilford?" My sister voice sounded wary, vulnerable when she addressed her knight.

"I have someone you would want to meet, Your Highness." He waved me to follow him in.

"Do it!" She growled and I heard her slamming a phone.

I shrugged and made my way in her office, closing the door after me.

When I laid my eyes on Cornelia, my heart skipped a beat. Her hair was wild, there were bags under her eyes as if she hasn't slept in ages. Before I could stop myself, my mouth ran itself.

"'Nelly, you look like shit."

She just stared at me, my words obviously not registering.

"Del?!" She spoke quietly, as if not believing her eyes.

I gave her a cheeky grin. "I'm all right, sis."

Then I was tackled by a purple haired blur. I found myself grappled by Cornelia-constructor, who had me embraced in a tight hug.

"You stupid, stupid boy..." She was muttering in the same tone she used years ago when I almost got my foolish neck broken climbing a damn tree of all things.

"Hey. I'm all right sis." I repeated.

My hands returned her hug and I let myself finally relax. I was safe here or at least as safe I could ever get. I felt Cornelia's shock when she saw me. Then the overwhelming joy she experienced when her mind caught up and she recognized me. I could feel her love.

My sister loved me.

For a moment everything was all right in the world.

=ABKR=

Part 3

14 March 2009 A. T. B

Command Centre

Army Base "Lancelot"

Area Six

"That's an interesting tale, Your Highness."

"Guilford, don't get formal on me. I've got enough of that sh… ahem stuff as it is." I grumbled over my drink and took a sip. The whiskey sent a pleasant burn down my throat. "What did you expect? That I would simply stay put and wait for a rescue that may not be coming? For all I knew they were going to kill me anyway once I served their purposes." I grumbled.

"You know, Guilford is right, brat. How the hell did you manage to take out two sections of special forces?! You told us you were tied up in a Freya damned cage!" My sister exclaimed.

She was getting more and more wound up as she learned the full extent on how I was treated by my captors. If they weren't safely dead, I was half convinced that by now she would be half way to the first transport to South Africa so she could hunt them down herself.

"Excellent training and utter bastard of a gunny as a drill instructor?" I tried, hiding a frown. It appeared that lying to Cornelia was surprisingly difficult. There was a part of me that loathed the very thought and wanted, screamed to tell her the truth. Or at least as much as she would believe.

"Delkatar, Guilford and me would be hard pressed to take out two sections of special forces if we were together. We got the same training you did, we saw to it. It doesn't account for experience and even luck. You should have died out there, Del." Cornelia sighed. "How are you still alive, brother?"

They looked expectantly at me. They were right too. If you got lucky with the right heavy weapons or through an ambush with a lot of explosives – it was certainly possible to took out twelve highly trained killers. None of that was true about my escape. I should have died in Africa. How much did I dare reveal? I knew what Veil would do – lie his ass off and concoct a somewhat plausible fiction.

I didn't want to lie to Cornelia. I wasn't sure if I really could. She along aunt Mary were the two people I've been looking up to. They were my idols and I wanted to be just like them when I grew up.

"Even with proof I'm not sure you'll believe me, Nelly." I reluctantly admitted. "I lived through it and there are moments I find it hard to believe it happened."

"Del, you can talk to me, you know that, right?" Cornelia put down her glass and came around the table to hug me. I relaxed in her arms and sighed.

"Proof first, then my story." I sighed. I raised a hand and called on the Force. Everything on the table levitated a meter above it. "I met... something while in captivity..." I began recounting my story.

=ABKR=

A few hours and two bottles of good whisky later, we were sitting in silence.

"This' insaneee..." Nelly moaned.

"Ughh..." Was my eloquent response.

"Re.. rin… reing… reincantation… impossble..." She grumbled.

Guilford simply blinked owlishly at us, hugged the last bottle, the traitor and nodded off.

"Nel..." I tried to say something but my tongue refused to obey. Daamnit. I haven't plastered myself this much in ages. At least Nelly didn't hate me any-more.

"I wanna powahs too!" She declared drunkenly before passing out.

Kriff it, I was too drunk to deal with this… I thought before being claimed by sweet oblivion.

=ABKR=

Next morning took a lot of coffee to resurrect us. I had to make another demonstration to reassure Nelly and her knight that last night wasn't the product of drunken delusion. I did that by carefully levitating my sister, which got her very much awake and earned me a dirty look from Guilford.

That's how we ended up in Nelly's private rooms with a pot of hot strong coffee and a plate of scones.

"You weren't joking." My sister muttered quietly.

"I wish I was, Nelly. This power, it got me home alive. However, its dangerous. When I used it for the first time I almost lost myself. I've got that man's memories sister. If that happens, the person I am today would be gone and there would be only a power-thirtsty monster left who won't care for anyone."

"I won't allow it, hear me!" Nelly gave me another hug and for a moment I believed it.

"I hope so."

"Can you not use that power?" Guilford asked. "If it is as dangerous as you imply..."

"If I'm in a live or death situation I would use it for certain. Trying not to... that might ensure that I fall and that can't be allowed to happen."

Guilford cursed uncharacteristically.

"What are we going to do?" Cornelia asked.

"What we have to. Mother and Euphie should be arriving today, right?" I intoned and got a scone when my stomach rumbled.

"Yes. Guilford will bring them back."

"I'll do it. Thanks to my abilities I should be able to sense any attack before it happens. It gives us better odds to bring them in safely if something happens." I proposed.

"I won't let you out of my sight ever again!" Nelly declared. She had her resolved face on too.

I should have seen this one coming. Of course my sister would be feeling overprotective after I almost got killed.

"You can't afford to, Nelly. My abilities are too useful to not use. There was enough evidence of something weird going on at the camp where I was held that questions will be asked and sooner or later father will take note."

"Even more reasons to have Guilford sit on you." My sister was undeterred.

"I was thinking about making myself too useful to kill out of hand." I tapped the side of my head. "Decades worth of engineering knowledge far ahead of what could be considered bleeding edge today."

"That settles it, you're not leaving the base any time soon. We can't risk you getting your thick head shot off." Cornelia beamed at me.

I had the nagging feeling I shot myself in the foot with my last two points...

"None of that really matters if our family isn't safe. Mom and Euphie have better chance of getting here intact if I'm part of their security detail. Nelly, I'll break out and go meet them if I had to."

Cornelia growled at me.

"Getting you safely locked in the stockade and throwing away the key gets more and more tempting every time you open your mouth little brother. Just keep digging yourself a deeper hole."

"The stockade won't even slow me down, Nelly."

"That settles it. I'll be the one sitting on you until you find some common sense. I see whatever else you got from that reincarnation business, common sense was in a short supply." Nelly narrowed her eyes at me. She meant it too.

I polished my scone while thinking about what I told my sister. In hindsight that was a very good way to ensure she wouldn't let me get out of eyesight instead of letting me go pick up our family... Gods damn it!

Let's try again with a bit more finesse...

"Nelly, think about what I told you about the source of my abilities and what it allows me to do...

=ABKR=

Part 4

=ABKR=

15 March 2009 A.T.B.

"Conquista" Airport

Buenos Aires

Area Six

It took hours of badgering until I managed to persuade my sister that it was a good idea to let me come collect mother and Euphie. Half that time I spent demonstrating my abilities and that thanks to Veil's memories I was a bit more useful than the brand new first lieutenant I was.

I spent the rest of the morning familiarizing myself with one of Cornelia's best mechanized platoons – the people who I would be leading to the airport. Ideally there would be no need for this exercise and my family could land in the base. However, there were few issues with that plan – they were on board a commercial jet seeking safety through obscurity. Considering that my plane was shot over Africa, I could see where they were coming from. Still, that wouldn't have prevented them from landing in the base... if it wasn't for the little snag that we didn't know what flight they were on or their exact arrival time. We were out of touch too so I had to get the platoon deployed at the airport before one in the afternoon and wait. My best guess is that someone in Pendragon wanted to make a point to us and decided to do it by risking my family's safety. If I ever got my hands on those bastards...

I chased away the sweet thoughts about revenge – I didn't want to give the Dark Side an easier time. Instead, I went over my current situation in my mind.

It's been three hours since I got officially transferred into Nelly's army. Considering my sister's in particular and our family in general shaky political standing, she had to burn a lot of capital to ensure the transfer came through without a snag. Technically she couldn't give me any more authority than my rank required, nor could she promote me before I earned it. That was expected. What wasn't was the fact that after our little heart to heart this morning, Cornelia was left with the impression that I actually knew what the Hel I was doing. She decided to get back to me by shoving as much work as she could on my shoulders – once the current mission was done I would have my hands full for the foreseeable future. On the bright side, I would have the opportunity to prove myself both to the brass and to the troops in the army, because a lot of them would see me as someone receiving preferential treatment thanks to nepotism.

In the short term our arrangement was going to be a slight on Cornelia's reputation, which meant that I had yet another reason to excel.

In hindsight I should have skimmed over his military exploits while telling her about Veil's memories, because after our family was safely back in the base I was to take charge of the most fucked up platoon under Nelly's command and straighten them up. Preferably in the next two weeks before we started actively dealing with the insurgents in the region… and that was only one of the hats I would be wearing.

By most fucked up, I meant that she was probably getting the worst offenders in her whole command, dumping them in a single unit, before leaving me to deal with that mess. Lucky me.

"Sir, we are in position." A voice over the radio in my helmet brought me back to the present.

"Roger that. All elements sound off."

"Alpha, status green."

"Beta, four by four."

"Gamma, all clear"

"Delta, here. We are in position, setting up." That was the sniper team, who was making a nest on top of the control tower. An additional pair of troopers were attached to them, who were armed with ATs and MANPADs respectively.

"Epsilon, awaiting orders." The sergeant, who was behind me stated.

"Zeta here. Exfil ready." The last section was back with our transports – two armoured Jeeps that resembled Humvees and five APC's parked nearby.

I got one section behind me, with the last two mingling with security in the building behind us, more to keep an eye on the locals than anything else.

It might be an overkill, bringing an over-strength platoon to collect my mother and sister, however this was Britannia. There was no such thing as being too secure or protected. Especially when any attack was likely to be an inside job carried out by our own people, which in turn implied well trained professionals with top notch gear.

The convoy itself was waiting a few hundred meters from my position, ready to swing by and collect us once the VIPs disembarked. After that we would pass by the Airport's exit to collect the rest of the platoon and head home. That at least was the plan. Considering how the damn Airport was built, there was only one reasonable way to get out, which was less than trilling. That's why the plan called for the elements which were to board near the exit to sweep the area before we reached that position. You can't be paranoid enough if people were out to get you.

"LT, we have confirmation. The VIPs bird is on final approach." A Corporal from Delta, announced. She did as instructed and had liaised with the fella in charge in the tower, giving us heads up.

We got that much warning because someone back in Pendragon finally deemed prudent to call the base and inform Cornelia on which flight our family was arriving. I was half tempted to request from Nelly to order the jet land in the base and damn the consequences but thought better of it. The approach for the runaways there was over a quite dense forest which wasn't secure enough. In contrast, most of the way to the commercial airport was actually over a bunch of fields which had a couple of platoons patrolling them right now. Add to that the simple fact that this airport was quite busy and anyone wanting to hit my family's flight might be hard pressed to actually figure out which was their target.

"Epsilon, you checked up that mobile stairwell and the vehicle that will bring it to the plane, right?" I inquired after my gaze swept over the runaway.

"Yes, sir. Unless there are explosives built in the damn thing, it's clear. The sniffers are all green."

"Well done." I said, while chiding myself. I had forgotten to order that thing examined. It was a dumb fucking mistake, highlighting the fact that all the experience and memories that were dumped in my brain weren't assimilated yet. They were more akin a database which brought to the surface things that I consciously thought about, Most of the time. Even in combat, my actions were a far cry from what I remember Veil doing. If he was in charge back in Africa, it was unlikely that he would have gotten shot. There was a small delay when I recalled how to do something new for the first time, one that could be lethal in combat. Even the techniques I've actually used before took more concentration to pull off than they should have...

I rubbed the back of my head, chasing those thoughts away. This wasn't the time for introspection. The plane with the rest of my family could be seen. It was already descending and heading straight at the runaway. From this angle, it looked similar from what little I remember of jet liners from back on Veil's Earth.

I hoped that no matter where he was, he finally found a bit of peace. Despite all he did across the multiverse, he deserved it after all the shit he had to deal with.

"All elements, we are in play. Look alive people!" I ordered moments before the plane touched down and the roar of its engines drowned all other sound.

I could feel adrenaline flooding my body. This was going to go all right. It had to. My little sister wasn't going to be hurt on my watch, no matter what I would have to do!

=ABKR=

Part 5

Britannia Air Flight 855

Over Area Six

Princess-Consort Amelia li Britannia was gently running her fingers through the pink locks of her sleeping daughter. She leaned back into her seat, a frown marring her face. With a single stroke, her family has lost it's position as one of the premier powers in Britannian politics. If it wasn't for the vague warning that she got a few hours before Marianne was murdered, Amelia had no doubt that she and her little girl would have suffered the same fate. Their ancestral seat had been attacked just minutes after the Empress, leaving the residence a mess and the guards that were left behind, dead.

What followed were a few frightful days in which the rest of her security detail had done their best to keep a low profile while she tried to find what the Hel was happening; Amelia almost wished she hadn't. Her family suddenly found itself with precious few allies as almost everyone who had been close to the murdered Empress was either politically or directly assaulted, some both. What Amelia found most chilling was the silence and inaction coming from the Emperor himself. Until it happened, she wouldn't have believed it possible. Yet, it appeared that Charles didn't care. Was it grief or something else? Amelia could have sworn that Marianne was the one of his consorts that Freya cursed man truly loved.

Then another blow came. It was made public that her son's plane had been shot down over Africa, making her worry for him too. At least her eldest child Cornelia should have been safe surrounded by her army in Area Six. However, that was a scant comfort for Amelia and her youngest daughter, who were still in the capital at that time.

They spent most of Marianne assassination's aftermath housed by an old friend of Sergeant Vong, something that probably saved them all. While being hidden in a small house in the suburbs of Pendragon, she watched how Marianne's son made a fool of himself in front of the Court, something that shouldn't have been allowed if the former Empress still had any allies left in there. The purge had obviously been rapid and almost total.

Then came another blow. It was announced that Delkatar had been executed by rebels in the jungles of South Africa. That news almost broke her and it was only for Euphie's sake she kept going. That and the burning desire for vengeance onto those who dared harm her family.

It was last night, when Amelia was made aware that nothing was exactly like it originally appeared. Because of that man – Bismark of all people appeared on the doorstep, requesting a meeting. She and her bodyguards were well aware of his abilities. That even if the Knight of One was alone, they were likely dead if he wanted them that way.

Instead…

"Your Highness..." Bismark had given her a respectful bow once he was invited inside.

"To what do we own this honour?" Amelia had asked in a frosty tone.

"I'm here to arrange your transportation to Area Six and Cornelia."

Only a raised eyebrow had signified Amelia's surprise at that development.

"And you are concerned about the fate of someone fallen from grace, because?"

"There was an interesting development lately." The infuriating man shrugged. "You all have seats on a flight leaving at nine in the morning. It would be for the best if you are on board. I can't guarantee your safety if you remain in Pendragon any longer."

"Can't or won't?"

Bismark's stony expression was the only answer she got.

Considering that they didn't really had an acceptable alternative, the li Britannia's and their remaining bodyguards were on the plane when it took off. To Amelia's surprise, getting on it posed no trouble at all. The damn thing was still flying which was always good. She wouldn't have put it past Charles, if he really was a part of the purge, to have them killed as an accident.

Nevertheless, they were still alive and the plane was on its final approach to Buenos Aires. Now, they only had to land safely and reach Cornelia in one piece.

=ABKR=

15 March 2009 A. T. B

"Conquista" Airport

Buenos Aires

Area Six

The plane landed without accident and manoeuvred up to our position, before the mobile stairwell was driven up to it. I nodded absent-mindedly after receiving another all clear from my men and a confirmation that Zeta was coming with the convoy.

"This is Green Actual, landing is secure. You can proceed." I switched to the comm frequency used by my family's bodyguards. If they were on board they should answer.

"Aegis One copy. Ident. Over." A familiar voice answered, sounding surprised that he heard me. I guess they still thought me dead.

"Gamma-Three-Sigma-Four-Nine-Theta. Codeword of the day is Red. Green Actual over."

"Roger. Ident confirmed. It's good to hear from you Green Actual. We are disembarking, over."

A stewardess opened the plane's door and a suited bodyguard stepped on the stairwell. He looked around, studying us for a moment, before saying something. He wasn't one of my family's guards that I recognized. Probably a relatively new one, which meant that he must be watched for the foreseeable future.

Then another suited man appeared. Fortunately this one I knew. He was Stephen Vong, a retired first sergeant, who had been a part of our security details for more than a decade. He looked around until his eyes stopped on me. He stared for a moment, before smiling and giving me a sharp nod. The sergeant said something that was carried away by the wind and started descending the ladder. A moment later a pink haired girl appeared, held tightly from behind.

I smiled. Euphie was looking around with wide eyed innocence. Mum on the other hand was a mess. Her face was pale and gaunt, and her eyes were darting this way, and that, looking for danger. Seeing her like that killed all the joy I felt.

Finally, my mother saw me. She froze mid-step, halfway down the stairs and just stared in disbelief. Meanwhile, Euphie looked around in confusion, before she laid eyes on me. She frowned cutely while examining me. Then her face was split by a blinding smile. Euphie squealed and dashed forward, deftly evading Stephen's attempt to grab her as she flew by him.

I smiled, moved forward and caught Euphie just as she threw herself at me like a tiny, pink missile.

"Hey there, munchkin. Miss me?" I grinned.

=ABKR=

Part 6

15 March 2009 A. T. B

"Conquista" Airport

Buenos Aires

Area Six

"Mother. It's been some time." I spoke when my mom descended the stairway after gentle prompting from Stephen.

"You're alive." She smiled and gave me a fierce hug, throwing away the decorum expected from an Emperor's Consort. "Don't do this to us again. Please." Mom whispered quietly.

"It wasn't my idea, you know." I spoke back while hugging them both. "We should go. It's not particularly safe here." I couldn't properly describe the relief at holding my family. Finally, I knew for sure they were all right and safe.

Mother stiffened and all trace of emotion bled out from her form. Just like that she had transformed back into the proper Britannian Noblewoman. She gave me a curt nod.

"Then lead the way, Lieutenant." Mother declared imperiously, acting again as the stuck up Noble she often pretended to be.

"That's the plan." I frowned and looked at my legs, which were still hugged by Euphie, who was making a rather plausible rendition of a limpet mine.

"She's your sister. You can deal with her." Mother decided not to be particularly helpful in this situation. She was enjoying the show too, if the amusement in her haunted eyes was anything to go by.

"Euphie, let go." I implored.

My little sister looked up and refuted my request with flawless logic.

"I don't wanna!"

"Really?" I shrugged and leaned over her. A moment later, Euphie was squealing, as I began tickling her. Once she released my legs I picked her up and headed for the waiting APC. "All units, we're moving out in one. Ready to pull back to exfil points." I spoke quietly in the comm unit. "If you care to join us, Mother?"

"I'll be delighted." Mom deadpanned and followed us, surrounded by her security detail.

We boarded the APCs without any accidents or additional temper tantrums from Euphie and headed for the exit. Along the way we started picking up fire-teams from my current command as they were puling back from their overwatch positions.

"You have a lot to explain, Delkatar." Mother muttered quietly after looking around the spartan troop compartment of our ride. "When we're somewhere where we could talk privately." She added.

"Concerned about the APC being bugged?"

"It won't surprise me." Stephen shrugged. "I've seen it done."

Well, fuck.

"BUGS?! WHERE?" Euphie squealed and tried to crawl into Mum's lap despite the safety harness keeping her securely in her seat.

"I won't let a single crawling horror get you, sweetie. Calm down." I chuckled at my sisters antics. "Anything else I should be concerned about, sergeant?" I turned my attention to Vong.

"Well, you made it to a First LT, so there's still a bit of hope for you yet, your highness." Stephen smirked. "What has Cornelia prepared for you?"

"She plans to dump all her problem children in my lap." I sighed in mock horror.

The former NCO whistled. "You either impressed or pissed her off."

Uh. "Try both."

"Somehow, I'm not surprised. Sucks to be you, your Highness."

"Yeah. It's been an interesting week." I grumbled. Such a charming understatement...

"It's not everyday even a Prince comes back from the dead." The man who was more of a father to me than Charles ever was chuckled.

"Then it's good that I skipped the dying part. I owe you one by the way. It was your dastardly training regime combined with what the sadists at the academy put me through that allowed me to get back more or less intact." Though the Force and the skills I remembered from my previous lives were rather more vital all things considered.

Stephen gave me a satisfied nod.

For a moment I allowed myself to think that it all might turn all right in the end… I should have known better.

=ABKR=

At a first glance, he was just another local who was sipping at a cup of coffee on his balcony. Nothing anyone would look twice at, just as planned, even if Pierro was something much different. While he appeared to be rather bored, he was in fact carefully scanning everything he could see from his perch, looking for the tiniest sight of trouble.

On this day, he was devotedly praying that nothing unexpected would happen. Too much was hanging in the balance for even the smallest surprise to be welcome. He shouldn't have been expecting anything else really. Unpleasant surprise was virtually guaranteed on this day, after all nothing ever went according to plan.

"What the hell?!" Pierro grunted after checking again just to make sure that his eyes weren't lying to him. "Shit, shit, shit! Britannians incoming! Get your asses in gear!"

"Fuck it! We're almost ready! How the hell did they found out?!"

"Silence! How many?"

"At least a platoon. I'm seeing three APCs coming around the corner down street with more behind them."

"Grab the RPGs and show them how much we appreciate their visit. Call the other cells. We are kicking it three hours early. Move it, people! Lora, coordinate with the cells in the nearby blocks. We'll strike as one."

The group of resistance fighters left whatever they were doing and headed for the ammo caches strewn through the otherwise mostly empty flat.

The leader of this cell went to the encrypted satellite phone which each group of Liberte had courtesy of their European benefactors and started dialing pre-programmed numbers.

"Diaz, its me. We have Brits incoming. We're about to kick it up early. Start the ball rolling."

"Understood Nate. It's time to take back our freedom."

Meanwhile, Lora, a tiny brunette who looked like she should be in high school was on a walkies-talkie coordinating with their nearby friends.

Nate nodded with satisfaction. He had four other cells spread in apartments in the same large complex overlooking the avenue below. If the oppressors had sent only a single platoon, the imperialists bastards would be for a rude surprise. A rain of RPGs three LMG, some grenades thrown from above and his men and women would be able to slaughter the survivors before proceeding to their objective.

Finally, the revolution was at hand!

=ABKR=

Part 7

15 March 2009 A.T.B.

New Birmingham Complex

Buenos Aires

Area Six

Once he had done with sending up warnings, Nate went to the balcony and glanced down. The Britannian convoy had already turned the corner and was crawling up the avenue below. Just a few minutes and they would enter a kill zone between the locations of the nearby cells under his command. As things stood, the oppressor's force was in the effective range of only one group, and were almost on the edge of another. The afternoon traffic was murder slowing them down to a crawl. That would give time for all his fighters to arm and position themselves. For a moment Nate wondered about their slow approach. Perhaps they weren't here for him or didn't want to raise an alarm by acting before being closer. For all he knew they weren't aware exactly how many cells were waiting for them...

Nate looked back into the flat and smiled. Pierro and Marriah were already armed with RPGs and carried additional rounds, while Fernando was checking an already loaded LMG.

"Lora, coordinate with our friends. I want to hit those bastards fast and hard."

"On it, boss."

"Pierro, Marriah, when I give the word, you two go out, and blow up the leading APC. Himenez's people will take care out the last one. If we're lucky we'll gut the bastards before they could dismount and the heavy gunners will deal with the rest."

"Nate! They stopped just below us!" Jimenez's radio operator shouted from Lora's walkie-talkie.

"They know about his cell. Fernando, set up, you'll suppress them. The rest are one me. We're getting closer. Tell Jimenez to hit them while they dismount. We're moving to engage them!" Nate headed for the door after grabbing his assault riffle. "Lora, tell the rest of the Cells to move in and attack! Move it people!"

=ABKR=

We were halfway through the city, occupying ourselves with harmless small talk, when the back of my neck started prickling. At the same time I got the feeling of immediate danger from the Force.

So much for getting back without accident.

For a split second I considered ordering a gun and run charge through the city, but quickly discarded that idea. I had only a handful of APCs at my disposal. A single lucky RPG, roadside bomb or suicide bomber and it would be game over for my family.

"Halt the convoy and dismount. I smell ambush. Watch the upper floors!" I ordered in my comm unit in a voice brooking no argument.

Vong gave me a questioning look, while Mother stiffened at the tone of voice I used just as the APC abruptly stopped.

"Keep them safe old friend." I ordered and got out of the vehicle without saying anything further. I couldn't let Mom and Euphie distract me.

The sense of danger was getting more and more oppressive. Joy.

At least the platoon I was temporarily commanded was made of good soldiers. Even if they wondered what the new LT was thinking they didn't let it compromise their professionalism. The fire teams made textbook deployment, covering all sides. The unmanned HMG and Automatic grenade launcher on top of the APC's were turning this way and that, the gunners scanning for targets too.

Meanwhile, I was scanning the surrounding buildings. Any attacker worth their salt would have taken the higher ground though there probably were units on street level to cut us off too if this was a planned ambush… Which was unlikely. I chose the road back randomly and it wasn't the most direct way to the base.

There were a lot of bystanders and people on many balconies who were looking at us with interest, other with fear. At least a few had cameras pointed our way.

Still, there was no sight of the danger that I was feeling, which was anything but reassuring…

"Sir, what's the issue?" Sergeant Johnson McGraaf, the senior NCO of the platoon approached me. He was a bald black man, who had an uncanny resemblance with a Samuel L. Jackson, who was somehow a rather famous Britannian actor in this world even if the timeline shouldn't be working like that.

"Have you felt that unsettling sensation that makes you on edge just before you stumble into a well done enemy ambush?" I asked him quietly.

The sergeant glanced my way before he continued scanning the surrounding building.

"A few times." He muttered.

I released the safety of my weapon. "Right now it's practically screaming at the back of my mind." I whispered. I closed my eyes and concentrated, letting the emphatic sense that came with the Force run free.

For a few seconds I was nearly overwhelming by experiencing what the bystanders around us felt.

Curiosity. Pride. Resentment. Worry. Fear. Hate. Murderous glee…

My eyes snapped open and my arms were already moving. "AMBUSH!" I shouted, while shouldering my gun and taking aim, all the while I was using the Force to augment my reaction times and give myself more time to react. Just in case I brought an invisible shield of energy around me, which would make any impacts I might take a lot less dangerous and that strained my concentration to its limit.

McGraaf wasted not time in questioning me and instead pointed his weapon up, seeking targets. "Beta, Gamma, right flank! All other units watch your zones!" The senior NCO ordered.

I saw my target and pressed the trigger, sending a three round burst at him. It was just in time too, because he was already taking aim with a fucking RPG. The bullets shredded his chest, but that didn't stop the attacker from convulsively pressing the trigger. Fortunately the RPG round went wide to slam harmlessly in the avenue far away from my people. It was pure luck it didn't blow up one of the cars passing by.

"Seventh floor! The balcony I'm shooting at!" I snapped. Moments later the place was shredded by automatic fire.

Another RPG round streaked our way. Thanks to the increased reaction times granted me by the Force, I was able to watch as the rocket rather slowly made its way towards the APC to my right. While that wasn't the vehicle containing my family, I wasn't going to let it get trashed if I had anything to say about it. Not to mention that it had a pair of soldier who would be close enough to the impact point to be killed.

I moved in a blur and opened fire on the incoming RPG. While it would have been much easier to simply push it away with the Force, I wasn't going to be advertising my powers for everyone to see if I could help it.

My first burst missed, the second clipped the round and only the third had an impact, detonating it halfway to its target. Still, it was close enough for the blast wave to throw me off my feet.

Hut. It was a HE round instead of the AP warhead I was expecting.

In hindsight it was a good thing I was using the Force to shield myself. That close call might have given me concussion otherwise.

The two troopers who were next to the targeted APC weren't so lucky. Both of them were on the ground, though I think they did survive more or less intact.

Anyway, I didn't have time to check on them. Without getting up, I rolled and aimed at the origin of the latest attack, before cutting lose until my magazine was empty.

"If you haven't yet, call the base to send us some backup!" I growled in my comm units after using my mind to switch to the platoon's general frequency in which the vehicle crews were patched in by default.

"Already did that, LT." A grave voice I didn't recognize sounded in my ears.

"Good. ETA?"

"The QRF force is rolling out as we speak. We'll have gunships in five and ground support in thirty."

"Tell them to watch for MANPADs. I have a bad feeling about this mess." I grunted and stood up while my eyes dashed in all directions.

Most of the bystanders were running for dear life, while those between us and the building were doing the smart thing and hugging the ground with their hands covering their heads.

At a first glance it appeared that we had things well at hand. Considering that the sense of danger hadn't gone down at all, not to mention my luck lately, that was deceiving impression.

As if to make my point, a machine gun opened up from somewhere down street, making the soldiers at the front of the convoy hit the deck.

"Rover one, suppress that machine-gun!" I ordered the leading APC, which was equipped with HMG that roared to life a few seconds later.

"Orders, sir?" Johnson shouted over the cacophony of the fire-fight.

"We need to break up this ambush. While I would love to get out of here, this avenue is open, no way for the bastards to easily box us in. If I remember the map well, we'll be stuck into a lot of narrow streets after leaving it, which is less than optimal." I grumbled. "We deal with the immediate threat, bunker down and wait for reinforcements."

If my family wasn't stuck with us I would have gleefully went on the offensive, but with mom and Euphie here, not to mention the need to keep my new tricks as low profile as possible, playing it safe it was.